Monday, April 6, 2009

Organic Apple Sauce...


















I try to be very conscious about my daughter's snack choices. She loves apples, therefore, apple sauce was a natural choice.

In January, however, a report was published regarding mercury levels in US. Corn Syrup. Because popular brands like Motts applesauce contain high fructose corn syrup, I thought I'd share this article with you: Studies Find Mercury in Much U.S. Corn Syrup.

Consequently, I switched to buying alternative brands, like Woodstock Farms and Musselmans which contain only natural ingredients. Problem? My daughter did not like any of them. So, I decided we would make our own applesauce. I included her in the process and made a small test batch just in case it did not appeal to her taste. She tasted a spoonful and loved it! Since she literally couldn't wait to eat more, we instantly served it, still warm.

Here's our home-made recipe (all organic ingredients):

Ingredients:

*2-3 McIntosh apples, peeled and chopped (or any apple of your choosing)
*3/4 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed or 100% OJ)
*1/8 cup brown sugar
*1/2 tsp lemon zest
*1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

*Combine orange juice and chopped apples in a deep saucepan. Boil for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring often.

*Stir in brown sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Cook uncovered until the apples reach the desired consistency (for about 20 minutes), stirring often. Adjust measurement of ingredients to suit your taste.

*Serve warm and enjoy.

*Note: You can store up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Put in food processor or blender and puree if you prefer applesauce with a smoother texture.

10 comments:

sunnymama said...

This sounds so yummy! I've been meaning to make apple sauce, and now I'm going to get round to it :)

Gayle said...

This sounds so good! Mmmm, served warm...yum!

Unknown said...

It sure sounds yummy! :) I bet she likes it even more since she helps with it. :)

ELK said...

been doing this for a long time ~my husband makes it! how old is your daughter?

margie said...

my favourite dessert is almost exactly this recipe but with the obligatory "crumble" topping. my grandbabies are coming today for the week, oh i know, i look to young to have grandbabies!! i am beside myself with joy. have a great day.

Operaton You said...

yummy!!! My nieces and nephew are coming over for a couple of days for Spring break.. I think we will try this recipe..

robin bird said...

i have been craving/eating apples all month..how out of season am i?! :) the recipe is very appealing. when my daughter was a toddler (long, long ago) i made everything she ate myself, at the time organic, natural or unprocessed was a new and rather radical concept but for me it felt like a way to say "i love you enough to do this the slow way." have a great day!

christina said...

I used to make all my kiddos food. Oh, they loved the yams.

Gabrielle Kai Photography said...

I will definitely be trying this soon!

Thanks for the heads up regarding the mercury levels - I had no idea.

Suvarna said...

oh, thank you I will try this and se if I can get my chicken nugget loving rascal to try some fruit!
:-)