Homemade Applesauce

picture courtesy of edupic.net

One of our favorite things to do as a family in the Fall is go apple picking. We always end up with tons of apples, sometimes more than we know what to do with. Apples can be used to make so many things from sweet to savory. My son loves apples and his favorite apple treat is homemade applesauce. It is super simple to make and very tasty, oh and did I mention cost effective? All you really need are apples, plus whatever you have on hand for extra flavor. Brown sugar, cinnamon, I've never tried it but I bet even some maple syrup would be delicious.

To make the applesauce:

1. Core, peel, and chop roughly 4* apples; you can use what ever kind you want but the sweeter varieties make for better applesauce.
2.  Boil until fork tender.
3.  Blend in a food processor with whatever flavorings you like (I just use cinnamon) until it reaches the consistency you want.

*This makes about a medium sized container full, obviously if you want to make more, use more apples.

Canned Tomatoes

Picture courtesy of Allyou.com

This is going to be a relatively short post, and is mostly a question. Canned tomatoes are pretty much a staple in my pantry. Crushed or diced, sauce or paste. I LOVE tomato products. Like most people I try to be an informed consumer. One way I do this is by keeping track of the ingredients in my food.

Every can of tomatoes I buy seems to have Calcium Chloride, a food additive that is meant to help the canned tomatoes keep their shape and also prevents tomatoes on the vine from rotting. From the bit of research I've done this additive seems to be a natural salt however I'm not entirely sure I think it belongs in my food. I've heard that Tomatoes canned for overseas markets don't seem to have the additive and it's mostly for the USA market.

What do you Kitchen Witches out there think? Who buys with and who buys without? Has anyone bought both and noticed a difference? Does anyone know if the addition has any type of health side effects?

Leave a comment and let me know.

Fall Produce

I'm feeling like a very forgetful blogger indeed. It's been far to long since I've posted, checked in, or really done much on line at all besides haunt facebook and my email. Being as this is a season of much change I really feel like I've rediscovered my creativity and voice and while it's here I'm sure as hell going to use it. So to kick us off I thought I'd fill you in on the lovely produce that is available this time of year. As always if I've left anything out, please let me know!

 

A

Acorn Squash

Apples

Arugula

Asian Pear

Avocado

 

B

Bananas

Barbados Cherries

Beets

Bell Peppers

Black Crowberries

Black Salsify

Belgian Endive

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Butter Lettuce

Buttercup Squash

Butternut Squash

 

C

Cabbage

Cactus Pear

Cape Gooseberries

Cardoon

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Chayote Squash

Chinese Long beans

Crab Apples

Cranberries

 

D

Date Plum

Delicata Squash

Diakon Radish

 

E

Endive

 

F

Feijoa

Fennel

 

G

Garlic

Ginger

Grapefruit

Grapes

Green Beans

Guava

 

H

Hearts of Palm

Huckleberries

 

J

Jalapeno Peppers

Jerusalem Artichokes

Jujube

 

K

Kale

Key Limes

Kohlrabi

Kumquats

 

L

Leeks

Lemons

Limes

 

M

Muscadine Grapes

Mushrooms

 

O

Ong Choy Spinach

Onions

 

P

Papayas

Passion Fruit

Pear

Persimmons

Pomegranate

Potatoes (Sweet, and White)

Pumpkin

 

Q

Quince

 

R

Radicchio

 

S

Sapote

Sharon Fruit

Sugar Apple

Sweet Dumpling Squash

Swiss Chard

 

T

Turnips