Kate’s Chunky Applesauce
(more a method than a recipe)
Peel, core and slice your apples of choice, filling your pan as full as possible while maintaining enough room to be able to stir.
Place about 2 cups of water in the bottom of the pan along with the juice of half a lemon. Stir to coat the apples as best you can and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until apples have broken down and reduced to about half. Depending on your temperature, this could take several hours. Be patient, it’s so worth the time to do it slowly. When apples have reduced by half, add in a cup of packed brown sugar and about 4 tablespoons of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of nutmeg. Stir to combine and cook over low heat for about another hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Stir in one tablespoon of unsalted butter. Cook for 15 more minutes and taste again.
If the mixture seems too dry as it cooks, add about 1/3 of a cup of water to bring back moisture. The apples themselves will release their liquid and the end result should be nice and thick.
Many thanks to John at Baker Apple Orchard in Centuria WI, for the apples that grace our table, and this recipe. He’s been so kind about sharing the bounty of his property with us, and we are deeply appreciative of his generosity. If you happen to be in the area (it’s great for a Fall leaf viewing trip!) please stop by and say ‘Hello’. Their fresh pressed Apple Cider is the best you will ever have!
Kate in the Kitchen 
I need to stop reading food blogs because all I want to do is eat.
Your pictures are beautiful!
Gorgeous. Thanks!
Kate – cool apple peeler thingy! What kind of apples work the best – I think this looks wonderful!!!!!
[…] soup; first frost green tomato jam; green tomato fudge cake (!); a simple brussels sprouts salad; chunky applesauce; and an old-fashioned blueberry cake plus a story or three. var addthis_pub = "heavytable"; var […]
Nice! I want one of those peelers. It would have made my job of peeling 12 lbs of apples yesterday much easier (and I wouldn’t be sporting a band-aid on my finger).
Yummy applesauce!
I’ve been away and only just caught up with the Harmon problems. I hope he is doing better and that you all are enjoying the time together as much as possible. When my cat was sick she liked to lap up raw egg – nutritious and very easy to eat. Just a thought.
Hi Kate – loved your photos of the apples in all stages – especially the ones with the pile of peels and cores. Very cute! I just received a shipment of apples from AppleSource, with just 12 heirloom apples. The first one was fabulous tasting. Every one but one is a variety I’d never heard of (Northern Spy being the only one I’ve had before). Here in California we have relatively few apples that grow well here. The stores don’t bring in many but the most popular (common) varieties.
Liberty apples! Last year I bought a house and in the winter I planted a liberty apple. I had read about it on an apple website. My baby tree gave us one apple, and oh, it was good! Seeing the variety here made me smile.