Our backyard apple tree is dropping apples like crazy, much faster than I can eat them by hand. Too many of them are already being wasted, sitting on the ground for days, so I decided to do something about it: make applesauce. Here’s what I did, based on a recipe at Simply Recipes.

Applesauce

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds of a good cooking apple
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large pinch of salt
• 1 cup of water

Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Put them in a pot large enough to hold them with some extra room. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and mash with potato masher or, for a smoother applesauce, use a food processor. Allow to cool a bit and either serve immediately warm or refrigerate or freeze.