Best Way To Make Apple Sauce?

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Glanecia
Glanecia Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, so I have apple trees. I harvest them, and freeze them every year for applesauce (etc) throughout the year. Knowing that I will be eating apple sauce, but I want to limit my sugar, what do you think is the best way to make applesauce?

1. Just make it without added sugar (these are very very tart apples, so the sauce would be sour).
2. Go ahead and make it with sugar, but use less sugar
3. Make it with Stevia (I have this package of Stevia in the pantry, and I've never tried it before...)
4. Make it with the regular amount of sugar, but don't eat it often, only on special occasions

I'm going crazy with deciding, so any feedback would really help. Is Stevia even safe?

Replies

  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
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    1. Stick apple in mouth
    2. Chew apple
    3. Swallow resulting 'apple sauce'

    Seriously, either be healthy and eat raw apples or enjoy some real apple sauce with real sugar. Both are fine and its probably not worth the angst to come up with some sort of guilt-free pseudo-sauce.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    I just made applesauce from my trees' windfall apples, and they're sour, sour, sour. However, I made the sauce in the crockpot, and made cinnamon sugar for my kids to add at will. I freeze it in 1/2 C portions to bake with, and the baked goods seem fine. My DH needs sweetening in his (so I made simple syrup, and store it in the fridge.)
  • phyllb
    phyllb Posts: 735 Member
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    We never add sugar. But cinnamon sticks add a lot of great flavour which my boys love
  • macx2mommy
    macx2mommy Posts: 170 Member
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    I think the OP is trying to preserve them and apples frozen directly don't taste good afterwards.

    I just make the applesauce steaming plain and freezing. A little sugar will take off the tartness, or leave plain and then when you want to eat then add your sweetener of choice. It just gives you more options.
  • Glanecia
    Glanecia Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    1. Stick apple in mouth
    2. Chew apple
    3. Swallow resulting 'apple sauce'

    Seriously, either be healthy and eat raw apples or enjoy some real apple sauce with real sugar. Both are fine and its probably not worth the angst to come up with some sort of guilt-free pseudo-sauce.

    Biting into a fresh apple is not an option for me after harvest. They must be preserved. Buying them at a store is less healthy (if they're not organic), and a waste of money and precious resources.

    It is certainly worth my time to decide what is the best option. I feel no guilt, by the way, but I do feel a lot of pride in my apples. I was up in the tallest one today, in the tree, using a hand saw to prune them for next year. It takes hours of exercise and care to harvest the apples. I'll be damned if I let that go to waste and buy fruits and vegetables at some city store where people slather all their chemicals over them.

    Yes, I'm a bit dramatic. lol
  • Glanecia
    Glanecia Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    I just made applesauce from my trees' windfall apples, and they're sour, sour, sour. However, I made the sauce in the crockpot, and made cinnamon sugar for my kids to add at will. I freeze it in 1/2 C portions to bake with, and the baked goods seem fine. My DH needs sweetening in his (so I made simple syrup, and store it in the fridge.)

    I think I might try that - no added sugar, even though they'll be sour. People who want sugar can always mix it in afterwards.
  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
    Options
    1. Stick apple in mouth
    2. Chew apple
    3. Swallow resulting 'apple sauce'

    Seriously, either be healthy and eat raw apples or enjoy some real apple sauce with real sugar. Both are fine and its probably not worth the angst to come up with some sort of guilt-free pseudo-sauce.

    Biting into a fresh apple is not an option for me after harvest. They must be preserved. Buying them at a store is less healthy (if they're not organic), and a waste of money and precious resources.

    It is certainly worth my time to decide what is the best option. I feel no guilt, by the way, but I do feel a lot of pride in my apples. I was up in the tallest one today, in the tree, using a hand saw to prune them for next year. It takes hours of exercise and care to harvest the apples. I'll be damned if I let that go to waste and buy fruits and vegetables at some city store where people slather all their chemicals over them.

    Yes, I'm a bit dramatic. lol
    This does not contradict my comment in the slightest. if anything you made a stronger case for eating the apples when they are fresh and eating real apple sauce with real sugar. A person with your degree of love for those apples will not be happy with some sort of pseudo-apple-sauce concoction. Enjoy the real thing, log the calories, and move on with more yumminess.
  • Glanecia
    Glanecia Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    1. Stick apple in mouth
    2. Chew apple
    3. Swallow resulting 'apple sauce'

    Seriously, either be healthy and eat raw apples or enjoy some real apple sauce with real sugar. Both are fine and its probably not worth the angst to come up with some sort of guilt-free pseudo-sauce.

    Biting into a fresh apple is not an option for me after harvest. They must be preserved. Buying them at a store is less healthy (if they're not organic), and a waste of money and precious resources.

    It is certainly worth my time to decide what is the best option. I feel no guilt, by the way, but I do feel a lot of pride in my apples. I was up in the tallest one today, in the tree, using a hand saw to prune them for next year. It takes hours of exercise and care to harvest the apples. I'll be damned if I let that go to waste and buy fruits and vegetables at some city store where people slather all their chemicals over them.

    Yes, I'm a bit dramatic. lol
    This does not contradict my comment in the slightest. if anything you made a stronger case for eating the apples when they are fresh and eating real apple sauce with real sugar. A person with your degree of love for those apples will not be happy with some sort of pseudo-apple-sauce concoction. Enjoy the real thing, log the calories, and move on with more yumminess.

    I find it interesting and highly confusing that you think people see a contradiction in your statement. lol ...and "stronger case"? I'm sorry, but I don't think I can continue a conversation with you. I feel like I'm either being trolled, or provoked into an argument that doesn't exist. Either way, I don't like the feeling. If that wasn't your intention, please be kind, and move on somewhere else.

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