Homemade Applesauce

Applesauce is the finishing touch to many main dishes. The smell of baked ham or pork chops can only be enhanced when there is a drift of apple scent in the air. And home made applesauce is another one of those impressive accomplishments you can make happen with only a little foresight.   Homemade applesauce begins with six to eight apples, peeled, cored and chopped coarsely. Green apples work best but using a combination of different varieties makes a unique and equally delicious applesauce. If you are like most busy mothers, the contents of your cupboard don’t always reflect what you might want or need come meal preparation time. Combine the prepared apples in a saucepan with the juice and zest of one lemon, ½ cup water, 1/4 to ½ cup sugar, tablespoon of brandy (if you have it), one generous teaspoon of cinnamon, dash of powdered cloves and a bit of nutmeg. Simmer gently on low flame until apples soften. Stir ever so often to prevent scorching. Also makes a good snack by itself Years ago, I ventured into home canning. There had been a bumper crop of apples that year and the prices in the store had dropped to very, very affordable. I spent an enjoyable albeit hectic morning, canning chunky apple sauce. The twelve jars were finally sealed and cooling on the counter. As I was working on the dishes, my daughters said my apple sauce was great. I whirled around to see them eating from a newly opened jar! I never had to worry about whether I had achieved a good seal on the jars. They never got to the point of having a shelf life!