Autumn is well and truly upon us now and we have seen a hint of winter with our first frost on Sunday morning, it was stunning, the sun was shining and the grass with its frosty covering sparkled.

It inspired me, whilst Hubby watch the F1, to go outside and collect the last of our apples, it always seems such a shame to waste anything from the garden so I made a batch of gorgeous apple sauce.

I love apple sauce with pork, but it is also delicious with vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.

I searched the internet for a recipe, many were very basic, but this one with the  lemon, which really heightens the apple flavour and with cinnamon, really appealed to me and the batch was big enough to make a jar for myself, a jar for my lovely neighbour Ruth and also two large bags for the freezer, so now I have a supply for the winter.

There is nothing better than homemade applesauce with hand-picked apples, and it is so easy to do! If you want chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you prefer smooth apple sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill or I used my food mixer with the paddle attachment on, a trick I learnt from Hubby as this is how he makes his wonderful mash potato.

The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you’ll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.

Buon appetito

3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples
4 strips of lemon peel
Juice of one lemon
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt

METHOD

Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.

Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated.

Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.