Homemade Applesauce

I am finally caught up with editing my photos! I've had some sitting on my camera since mid-February... Despite my best intentions life got away from me for a little while, but with the coming of Spring I seem to be getting back on track.

How has Spring been for you so far? Mine has been a productive one. I've done some cleaning and a lot of thinking about things like new routines and things I want to stop thinking about and stop doing. I've been on my first thrift store excursion (after well over a year of intending to). Thanks to some free passes I've also been to see the 'Fab Four' (a Beatles tribute group), a show I've been wanting to see since I first heard about it seven years ago. I'm going to make this the season of trying new things and getting my hands dirty.

All of this is to say that I've started down the path of trying to make more things at home instead of relying on store bought and processed foods. First up? Applesauce. My last experience with store bought applesauce was an intensely negative one. There was an unidentified sharp object in it... That was the last time I had any of the typical processed variety and the organic versions I've seen have either been too expensive or prepared with too much lemon for my taste. I don't know why it took me so long to try this myself, but this experiment was a complete success. I used this recipe from Circle B Kitchen, I love both the ease and flavor that comes from baking the apples instead of stewing them on the stove. For my first batch I used granny smith, with a fair amount of cinnamon and brown sugar. While it was delicious, my second batch with golden delicious was even more amazing (and it required far less sugar). I might try a combination of the two varieties next time, to mix the sweet with the sour. This is definitely going to become a regular staple around here.