My mind is blown, you guys.
BLOWN.
It’s the beginning of the 4th week for me on the GAPS Intro diet. I’m in Stage 5, where my first taste of fruit is now allowed, in the form of cooked apples.
In the What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days on GAPS Intro Handbook I’m following, there’s a recipe for homemade applesauce, which I made tonight.
Two ingredients. Apples, water. Really? Okay, I was guessing this must some sort of watered-down, simplified version of “applesauce” for my poor leaky gut in its weakling, striving-to-fix-itself state. “Applesauce” that isn’t, just like those “pancakes” that aren’t. (Though they are still delicious.)
Well, the directions were just as simple. Peel apples. Slice them (thinly). Put them in a pot. Pour a little water in. (About a half cup per 6 apples.) Let it cook.
I followed said directions.
After the sweet smell of fructose began wafting into my fruit-deprived nostrils, begging me to investigate, I lifted the lid to find this:
What?!
It turned into applesauce, without my even stirring or mashing or doing anything to bring them to their saucy state other than throwing a lid on a pot and walking away. There were a few chunks, most of which quickly mashed themselves up with a little stir.
I tasted.
I died.
Okay really I survived. And I ate way more than the few tablespoons I was supposed to, to test for any reaction to this gloriously indulgent food. (And I survived that, too.)
Why doesn’t everyone do this?
My first thought upon eating my newly-beloved sauce. Why. On Earth. Would anyone ever pay for someone to make this for them?! And why doesn’t everyone know how incredibly easy this is? Not to mention way, way better tasting than the store-bought stuff.
And so, I figured I needed to divulge this well-kept secret of culinary traditions to everyone. Don’t ever buy applesauce again. It requires literally no skill, thought, special equipment, or lengthy amount of time.
So that’s it. You’re in, now.
Were you already a member of the secret club that is knowing how easy and amazing homemade applesauce is?
Why didn’t you tell me about it?!
Frealz.
Please share your other highly-classified pieces of real foodie know-how and any other secret clubs I may not be aware of below. I thank you in advance.
-Emily, proud and honored member of the Secret Applesauce Makers Society
I am so going to do this!
I grew up on homemade applesauce, and I NEVER liked store bought, but suffered through it in college where I had no stove. We get 100+ pounds of apples from an orchard every fall, and as the apples get older in cold storage (and past prime for eating) we turn it into lots and lots of applesauce (and maybe a few bags of frozen apple pie filling too :P)
Cook it longer and you get something even more delicious… apple butter! We spice it up but truly there is no need.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go bust into a jar of applesauce. Home canned, of course.
-Joy
If you really want to blow your mind, add a little cinnamon!
I also, grew up on homemade applesauce every fall. My father would get a bushel of Jonathon apples just for sauce. I make it every fall, too, with apples right from the orchard. It is the easiest thing in the world and no comparison to store bought.
When local PYO apples aren’t in season, though, homemade applesauce costs MUCH more than store bought. So, we rarely eat applesauce the rest of the year unless one of my kids really wants some.
Wow that looks great, and amazingly simple.
there are many dishes that make themselves but applesauce is truly one of the most gratifying in that it takes no time and leave s the house smelling like a happy holiday. all fruit, as sauce (pear, plum, peach, berry, etc), will have you singing and praising – especially when you are using them and all their natural goodness to sweeten baked goods and serve on pancakes with butter. applesauce is truly one of those foods that remind us that real food in its whole state goodness is just an hour from being transformed into a simple poem. the less we do to real food the better off we are. paying tribute to honest flavor and traditional cooking methods is the best place to jump off from when dipping our feet into culinary waters. let the ingredient shine and then take it someplace subtle and special — that applesauce will be amazing with some raw butter and fresh thyme alongside a pink and perfectly cooked pastured pork chop, or as breakfast — warm with butter and sour cream, crispy nuts and pumpkin seeds — cold for dessert with raw whipped cream and blueberries — or in a kefir smoothie with raw pastured eggs. now put some in your dehydrator and make fruit leather! homemade applesauce is a gift. great job! enjoy.
Not only is it yummier, the store-bought stuff could KILL you!
http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/04/8636308-fda-moldy-applesauce-repackaged-by-school-lunch-supplier
Applesauce went moldy and they REPACKAGED it so people ATE it! Yucky!
Oh, how simple! What needs to be added to preserve the apples for long term storage (well, like over a month)? Or is refrigeration all that is needed? Would love to try this, but would want to do it in B-U-L-K & not sure how it would keep. Any thoughts?
Love it! I just bought some apples to do this very thing. Two of my kids love the stuff in individual packages so I’m planning on putting it in the very small canning jars. I’m also thinking of fermenting it. Can’t wait to try it.
I’ve made my own applesauce for years. I buy locally grown apples (sadly, can’t find organic, but I do the best I can) in bulk & usually can 18 or so quarts every fall. 🙂 Just apples & water, baby – doesn’t get any better!
I grew up with a vegetarian, health-conscious mom (I can remember nutritional yeast and wheat germ being sprinkled on all my salads as a kid). We ate applesauce as dessert, and I was so surprised to have my first bite of store-bought applesauce when I went off to college. Yuck!
I make big batches of applesauce all the time and serve it to my kids as dessert the same way I had it growing up. While I’m chopping the apples, I like to squeeze citrus over them (I’ve used any and all; lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, tangerine…all great). I add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and sometimes I add other fruit like strawberries (the kids’ favorite), mango (my personal favorite), or pears (hubster’s favorite). When I trust my apple growers not to use pesticides/bud nip, I often cook quartered, cored apples with skins on and put it through my food mill. It gives it a lovely pinkish hue and takes less time than peeling apples (though is considerably messier).
Thank you for your GAPS posts. Very inspiring. I wish I could get my husband on board to do it with me, but I think I might do it on my own even with a couple of toddlers to feed. The carrot juice idea alone has me thinking of altering their diets as well.