We grow a small (miniature) apple tree my son bought for his Dad when he was 10 -- and now he's 32! So for 20 years it's produced about a 5-gallon bucket full of apples each year.
Then I make apple sauce and also prep and freeze apples for various desserts during the year.
I've had a nifty gadget for decades which peels, cores and slices apples very quickly compared to doing it by hand with a peeler and paring knife. (see picture below).
Annually, I prepare a big batch of cored and sliced apples, soak them in lemon juice and water so they don't turn brown, then make several pints of apple sauce, and also freeze them for cobblers, crisps, tarts or pies.
Apple Sauce
8 apples, cored, peeled, sliced
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tab. lemon juice1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
After peeling and slicing, soak apples pieces in water mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
In a 3 quart saucepan, combine apples, 1-1/2 cups of lemon juice water, sugar, and cinnamon.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher. For extra smooth sauce use an immersion blender.
Ladle applesauce into clean freezer or canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch of head space in pint jars and 1-inch of head space in quart jars. Either seal jars by canning method, or allow to cool before freezing jars.
8 medium apples will make about 1 quart of apple sauce.
Estimated cost with your own apples or those from a neighbor: less than .25 cents a quart.
Estimated cost with your own apples or those from a neighbor: less than .25 cents a quart.
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