Applesauce – The Frugal and Healthy Food

I think applesauce is a great invention. I love to eat it alone or on pork chops. Babies usually are given applesauce as one of their first solid fruits. Applesauce is, also, great in baking as a substitute for oil.

To make applesauce you will need to purchase a large quantity of apples from a local orchard. You can purchase “seconds” from Millburn Orchards. They give you a large paper bag (about 20+ lbs.) for $9.95. Colora Orchards sells apples for $8 a half bushel and $16 a bushel. What is a second? A second is an apple that is, usually bruised, or strange shaped or just not perfect. They are usually fine for eating and excellent for baking.

Once you have your seconds, you will need to store them in a cool, dry place. I put mine out in our unheated, inside porch area (along with the potatoes).Wash, peel, core and cut up as many apples that fit in your crock pot with a few inches at the top to spare. Put a bit of water in (maybe half cup?) and turn the crock pot on to low. You can do this before bed. In the morning, when you wake up, you will have applesauce. All you need to do is mash the apples. In the crock pot you will have extra moisture from the apples so they will not burn over night. You may want to pour off some of the moisture before you start mashing.

For baby food, I also puree the cooked apples in the blender. You can put the rest in jars and refrigerate or freeze some in plastic containers. I also can jars of applesauce.

In winter, we go through a lot because I substitute applesauce in recipes that call for oil. I have used it in brownie mix, pancakes, quick breads and muffins. This is a healthy alternative to oil and no one knows the difference. Whoever discovered this is brilliant!!! I do not know if it is cheaper but it probably is if you make the applesauce yourself from seconds. (Really, the math boggles my mind sometimes!)

Applesauce is, also, a cheap, delicious snack for young children. Instead of buying individual serving containers of the stuff for your child's lunch box, buy a reusable, plastic container and fill it daily. Just make sure your child doesn't throw it away.

Now you know why I love apple sauce!