Homemade Applesauce

I live in Florida and there is not an apple orchard anywhere yet every September I think about how much fun it would be to pick apples and make applesauce.  When the kids were little we picked apples a couple of times on vacation in Vermont and Ohio and have wonderful memories of this fun family activity. I wonder why we never took them to pick oranges?  If you are looking for a place to take your family to pick some apples or other produce check out this website for places near you.  I recommend you call ahead to be sure the place is still in business before hitting the road.
Then once you have all those delicious apples make this simple homemade applesauce with your kiddos.

Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered cooking apples (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, or Mcintosh)
4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths

Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp

3 cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup of dark brown sugar

white sugar to taste

1teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a crockpot. Cover and simmer for 4-6 hours.  Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels and place apples in a bowl.  Mash with potato masher or a fork. ENJOY!

Bonus:  Your house smells go good!!