Granny Smith’s Famous Applesauce

My Granny Fran makes the best applesauce I have ever tasted and I think most people agree.  Each fall, everyone that knows her will drop off their bruised, battered, sometimes sour, sometimes over-rip apples from their garden trees for Granny to work her magic on.  And every holiday, Granny will come with her bag of goodies, her homemade dessert and a jar of her frozen applesauce.  It is treasured in my household and a tradition I never want to lose.

So this past weekend, I made a date with Granny so she could to teach me her famous recipe.    I came well equipped with apples, my apron and my food mill and recipe she had given me during my bridal shower.

I met up with Granny and Grandpa at Nations Burgers for lunch, where Grandpa refused to let me pay, I enjoyed the timeless burger and fries and Granny and Grandpa argued over who had actually requested the slice of pie to be bought (both while enjoying each bite).  Having spent my childhood enjoying the very same meal and experience with my grandparents, it was pure joy. 

We arrived at their house and while Granny changed into her cooking clothes, I was taken next door to meet their neighbor and see her newly renovated kitchen (very lovely).  And then it was back to their familiar home and straight to work with Granny being the perfect teacher, providing guidance when needed but allowing me to do all of the actual work.   From washing, chopping and cooking the apples to testing their softness and adding the sugar and spices, she was right there providing her years of insights and tricks. 

Between cooking and milling and spicing the applesauce, I spent the afternoon just hanging out with my grandparents.  We looked through their old Christmas letter to determine when they had gone to Scotland, Wales and London after it was mentioned during lunch (it was 1985) and I quickly learned about various other trips and life experiences…such as Grandpa going to Israel, their trips to Death Valley, Yosemite, Colorado, about their foster child, and about my parents, aunts and uncles’ new jobs, moves and growing families.

 

Granny and I sat on their loveseat/lazy boys with our feet up while we FaceTimed with Dana and Cassidy.  We watched a YouTube video of a second cousin presenting the Women’s Hall of Fame awards for the year.   And when everything else was done, I helped them work on one of their 500 piece puzzles that I so fondly remember from growing up.     (I just received a phone call from Granny saying that they finished last night!)

It was a perfect afternoon and I now have two jars of Granny Fran’s homemade applesauce in my freezer, made by yours truly.