< Back The BEST Lemonade Recipe In The World Really delicious! If you are really nice, when you take the lemonade over, your neighbor might share some strawberries or raspberries to crush up and put in the lemonade – YUM Previous Next

Tinctures are a convenient way to take your herbal medicines. They’re ready to use, just pop a few drops into your mouth or a glass of water and you’re done. The problem is…tinctures are expensive. < Back Echinacea Tincture Prep Time: Cook Time: N/A Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients “May vary” Goldenseal Yarrow Linden Chamomile Elderflower Elderberry Rose Hips Oregon Grape Ginger Cayenne Preparation BENEFITS OF ECHINACEA TINCTURE Echinacea Angustifolia tincture is widely known for promoting a healthy immune response. There are dozens if not hundreds of studies to back this up, bosting some pretty impressive stats. Researchers are the University of Connecticut found that taking echinacea cuts the chances of catching a cold by 58%, and if you do get sick, echinacea can reduce the average duration of sickness by almost a day and a half. Its general purpose infection-fighting powers are showing promise in the treatment of a number of infectious diseases, including herpes, malaria, syphilis and urinary tract infections. Echinacea was used by Native Americans as a natural all-purpose pain reliever, to treat everything from headaches to snake bites. Other studies show that echinacea is a potent anti-inflammatory, which may contribute to the treatment of numerous conditions. ECHINACEA TINCTURE DOSAGE How much echinacea tincture do you take? Recommendations vary widely. Most herbalists recommend taking a dropper full, which is 25 to 30 drops of tincture, three times per day. Herbalist Susan Weed, the Author of the best-selling Wise Woman Herbal , recommends a more specific dosage based on weight. She prescribes 1 drop for every 2 pounds of body weight. For most children, that amounts to no more than a dropper full, and she admits that she often rounds to a full dropper full for children 25 to 50 pounds. For adults and older children, she suggests an echinacea tincture dosage as follows: 50 to 100 pounds: 2 droppers full 100 to 150 pounds: 3 droppers full 150 to 200 pounds: 4 droppers full 200 to 250 pounds: 5 droppers full When sick or experiencing acute symptoms, the full dosage can be administered every 1 to 2 hours. If you catch it before you’re really sick, every 3 to 4 hours should be sufficient. Nonetheless, for an average 150-pound adult, that’s a lot of echinacea tincture over the course of 2 to 3 days. After that, she suggests tapering off to more occasional doses for a week or two to strengthen your immune system and prevent a relapse. With those tincture dosage recommendations, how much echinacea tincture do you need to fight off a cold? A dropper full is roughly 25 to 30 drops, and there are just under 100 drops to a teaspoon or around 600 drops to an ounce. If you’re taking 3 to 4 droppers full, or roughly a teaspoon, every one to two hours, that’s a full one-ounce bottle in 6 to 12 hours. ECHINACEA TINCTURE BLENDS One of the benefits of making your own echinacea tincture is that you can create your own custom blend. We tend to make an echinacea and elderberry tincture blend, because they have complementary effects, but also because elderberries help mask the harsh flavor of echinacea. That means the medicine goes down easier, so we’re more likely to actually take it. Other common echinacea tincture blends include: Goldenseal Yarrow Linden Chamomile Elderflower Elderberry Rose Hips Oregon Grape Ginger Cayenne ECHINACEA TINCTURE SIDE EFFECTS WebMD rates echinacea as “likely safe” for most applications. With any medicine, there’s always the potential for an allergic reaction, but such reactions are rare. The main caution is for persons with autoimmune issues. Since echinacea interacts with the immune system and can stimulate a response, it could cause issues if you already have an abnormally functioning immune system. Specifically, if you have an overactive immune system this could make things worse. HOW TO MAKE AN ECHINACEA TINCTURE The most simple way to make an echinacea tincture is to use the folk herbalist method. Start with a clean mason jar, and fill it about halfway with dried echinacea. If you have fresh plant material, fill the jar 2/3 of the way full. Echinacea is easy to grow from seed, but it shouldn’t be harvested for the first 3 years as it establishes. We often buy bulk echinacea online. A pound of dried herb sells for about $20 and is enough to make about a gallon of tincture. We tend to make part of it into a tincture and save the rest for tea. Once you’ve added the herb to a mason jar, simply cover it with alcohol. Add a neutral spirit with around 40% alcohol (80 proof). Vodka is a good choice, but really any alcohol will work. Some people suggest using straight grain alcohol that’s near 100%, but that’s actually not a good idea. The super high alcohol content isn’t actually the best way to extract herbal medicines unless you’re dealing with a particularly resilient resin. For simple herbal leaves, flowers and roots stick to around 40% alcohol for best results. I like to use a mid-shelf vodka because it makes the resulting tincture more palatable. If you choose the cheapest liquor money can buy, remember that you’re going to have to drink it. A better suggestion is to choose the cheapest liquor you’d actually voluntarily drink. Fill the jar to within a half-inch of the top, making sure that you completely submerge all the herbal material. Put a lid on the jar and give it a quick shake. Store the jar in a cool dark place for at least a month, shaking anytime you remember. After 1 to 3 months of infusing, it’s time to filter the echinacea tincture. Use a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to filter the herbal material from the alcohol. You should be left with a dark, amber-colored liquid with a strong earthy smell. Echinacea tincture has a bit of harshness to it, so it’s best to take it mixed with water or juice. Store your echinacea tincture out of direct sunlight, preferably in amber-colored glass bottles. Amber-colored tincture bottles are reusable and convenient for dosing. You can buy a dozen 2-ounce amber bottles for less than the cost of a single 1 ounce prepared echinacea tincture. They’re also small enough that they can be taken on a trip and even in carry-on plane baggage. I tend to get sick most when I’m traveling, so having a portable immune booster is a big plus. What do you think? Are you ready to try making your own echinacea tincture? Previous Next

Blackberry jam was a pioneer woman's go-to when it came to curing diarrhrea problems for her family. So instead of running to the cupboard for an OTC fix, grab the blackberry jam and slather it on some toast - or just eat it by the spoonful! Problem solved! < Back Blackberry Jam (with or w/o Pectin) Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25-30 minutes Serves: 2+ pints Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 5 cups freshly washed blackberries (or parts by weight) 1 cup white granulated sugar* (or parts by weight) 1 tablespoon lemon juice Pectin (optional, but gels faster – follow directions on package) Preparation Crush blackberries in a large pot. A potato masher works well. Add sugar and lemon juice, turn heat to medium low, and simmer until jam starts to gel.** Make sure to stir consistently to keep the foaming and bubbles down.*** Pour into pint jars and refrigerate or water bath for longer storage.**** Blackberries are naturally high in pectin, but it takes longer to cook it down enough that it gels correctly. If it doesn’t gel, it wasn’t cooked long enough, then you have syrup. Blackberry syrup? Not a bad thing! *This is a very berry tasting jam, not high in sugar and takes longer to cook for a good gel. A standard full sugar blackberry jam is equal parts blackberries to equal part sugar (5:5). The more the sugar, the higher the yield and faster it will gel (try 5:4, 5:3, 5:2 - find your preference). **You can test the gel by putting a small amount on a pre-cooled saucer and cooling it in the fridge to test the consistency (remove from heat while testing). If after a few minutes it is the consistency you prefer, it is done. If it is still liquid, you need to cook it longer. Undercooking will make syrup. Although still yummy and useful, it isn’t jam. ***Some people like to use butter to help reduce the foaming but remember, anything with oil can eventually go rancid. National Center for Food Preservation notes, “Adding 1/2 teaspoon of butter or margarine with the juice and pectin will reduce foaming. However, these may cause off-flavor in long-term storage of jellies and jam." ****To water bath, fill pint jars with1/2 inch headspace, wipe the rims and put on lid seals, and water bath for 10 minutes. Don’t disturb jars for at least 48 hours to help with the gelling process. Makes 2+ pints of jam (depending on how much sugar you use). Note: If any of your bottled jam goes to “sugar,” you can always warm it up in a pan on the stove and make it delicious and useable again. Previous Next

I love this candy for its creamy and milk taste…. < Back White Rabbit Candy Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15-20 Minutes Serves: a small tray of about 10cm x 8 cm x 1 cm of milk candies Level: Beginner About the Recipe I love this candy for its creamy and milk taste…. Ingredients 200 grams of fresh cream for whipping 200 grams of fresh milk 35 grams of castor sugar Some edible rice paper (if you want to wrap the candy) Preparation Get ready a container lined with some aluminum foil or non-stick baking paper. In a non-stick pan, put the 3 ingredients together. Bring to a boil under medium heat. Once it boils, lower to low heat, continue boiling until it thickens, with lots of bubbles and the color turns light yellowish. During this process, constant stirring is required to prevent burning in the bottom. The color will slightly darken from white to beige to light yellow. If you continue to let it boil, it will become brownish meaning the sugar is burnt and starts caramelization. It should be slightly thicker than the consistency of condensed milk. As an estimation, the timing should be about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to the prepared container and chill in the freezer after completely cooled for at least 5-6 hours. If time permits, it is best to chill overnight. Cut into your desired sizes and wrap with edible rice paper if preferred. Best serve directly from the fridge. CONCLUSION Trust me, the sweet is delicious. It is softer and milkier than the store bought version. It will melt in your mouth. I have a hard time keeping my kids away as they are eyeing on these homemade candies than the store bought version. Reasons are simple, they are eating cream, fresh milk and sugar in a concentrated form. If you are concerned that it is sweet, you can lower the sugar by 10%.. But for me, for a small piece, it is just nice to curb my sugar cravings after a heavy meal. Previous Next

This copycat dressing is a light and refreshing dressing that is perfect for salads or as a dip. It has a delicious tangy citrus flavor that is perfect for any time of year. < Back Copycat Chili’s Citrus Balsamic Dressing Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: N/A Serves: 1 cup Level: Beginner About the Recipe This copycat dressing is a light and refreshing dressing that is perfect for salads or as a dip. It has a delicious tangy citrus flavor that is perfect for any time of year. Ingredients 7 juicy tangerines 5 lemons 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar Preparation Cut the tangerines at the equator, splitting the tangerine into two halves. Section 1-2 halves leaving the pith/membrane, reserve the sections. Extract the juice from the remaining tangerines. Strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer. Extract the juice from the lemons. Strain the juice. Previous Next

< Back Making Sweetened Condensed Milk This homemade sweetened condensed milk is a recipe that I hope you love as much as I do. It isn’t an ingredient that we use a lot in cooking, but when I do, I like to turn to this homemade version. It is perfect for making homemade ice cream, fudge, pies, and so much more! Previous Next

The smell of this syrup is divine! And, if you have an English garden that you can borrow for the afternoon – enjoy! < Back Orange Blossom Syrup Prep Time: 1 minute Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: -0- Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 ½ cups corn syrup 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 Tablespoon water Boil 2 minutes, then add: ¾ Tablespoon almond extract ¾ Tablespoon orange extract Preparation Add all ingredients and stir periodically until it comes to a full boil. Serve on French toast, waffles, pancakes, or anything else that requires syrup. The smell of this syrup is divine! And, if you have an English garden that you can borrow for the afternoon – enjoy! Previous Next

Homemade noodles are easy, cheap, and oh sooo very yummy! < Back Homemade Egg Noodles Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 3-5 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 2 beaten eggs 4 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose white flour Preparation Mix together eggs, milk, and salt. Add one cup of flour and just a little more flour to bring the dough together, but not make it a stiff dough. You don’t need to knead it. With the remaining flour, heavily dust your work area and start to roll dough out. Heavily flour the top and bottom of the dough and you can turn it over every once in a while to make sure nothing is sticking. Roll the dough really, really thin. Once it is the thickness you want, cut it into rectangular bite sized pieces (1/4-1/2 wide, ½-1 long – your size preference) with a pizza knife. Using a bakery scraper, scoop up the noodles and the flour that is left on the workstation and drop it into your boiling soup. The flour will help thicken the soup a little. Cook uncovered for about 3-5 minutes. After making it the first time, you will get a better idea of how thin you want to roll your dough. When cooking, the noodles will expand a bit. I prefer my noodles to be thinner and not so chewy. These noodles are especially good in my quick and easy Chicken Noodle soup. Previous Next

This homemade sweetened condensed milk is a recipe that I hope you love as much as I do. It isn’t an ingredient that we use a lot in cooking, but when I do, I like to turn to this homemade version. It is perfect for making homemade ice cream, fudge, pies, and so much more! < Back Making Sweetened Condensed Milk Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 30 Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cup water 2 cups sugar ¼ cup butter or margarine 4 cups instant milk powder (*remember, quality powdered milk is key to it tasting good) Preparation Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture in a blender. Add butter or margarine. Blend on low, gradually adding milk powder. Blend on medium until smooth. Makes about 3 ½ cups, enough to replace two 14-oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk. It is creamy and smooth if you use the instant powdered milk, but you can substitute the non-instant powdered milk it is has a little grainier in texture the first day, but by the second day it has had the chance to totally dissolve and then it is just as good as the stuff out of the can. Believe me, you won’t be able to tell the difference.

This isn’t just for poultry, but it sure does make your chicken dishes taste yummy! < Back Poultry Seasoning Blend Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: Serves: Multiple Level: About the Recipe Ingredients 1 teaspoon ground sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon paprika Preparation Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container. Yield @1/4 cup Previous Next

Freeze-dried eggs are an incredibly useful and versatile way to store eggs, whether for the short or long term. Freeze-dried raw eggs reconstitute quickly with a bit of cool water, and are perfect for use in all manner of recipes. Freeze-dried scrambled eggs, on the other hand, are best for a quick instant breakfast and are unbeatable when camping. < Back Freeze Dried Eggs Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20-40 Minutes Serves: Yield will vary based on the size of your freeze dryer. Small Model - 24 to 36 eggs Medium Model - 45 to 50 eggs Large Model - 90 to 100 eggs Extra Large Model - 200 to 250 eggs Level: Beginner About the Recipe Freeze-dried eggs are an incredibly useful and versatile way to store eggs, whether for the short or long term. Freeze-dried raw eggs reconstitute quickly with a bit of cool water, and are perfect for use in all manner of recipes. Freeze-dried scrambled eggs, on the other hand, are best for a quick instant breakfast and are unbeatable when camping. Ingredients eggs Preparation HOW TO FREEZE DRY EGGS The basic process for freeze-drying eggs is pretty simple, as the machine more or less does everything for you. That’s one of the things I really love about home freeze dryers. Once you load the food, it’s pretty much hands-off until it’s done. Preparing the food for freeze-drying can be a bit specific though, as it is with eggs. The eggs must be scrambled first, as freeze dryers don’t work well with anything that’s just a concentrated fat or oil source (ie. Peanut Butter, Cream, Coconut Milk, and Egg Yolk) . If the egg yolks are scrambled together with the whites, however, it works just fine. (While you can’t freeze dry just egg yolks because they have too much fat, you can freeze dry just egg whites since they’re mostly just liquid protein. I’ll walk you through that as well.) You do need to choose whether you’re going to freeze dry raw eggs, or cooked scrambled eggs. Both work well, but they obviously have different uses. If you’re freeze-drying cooked eggs, you just cook them first and then place the freshly cooked eggs on the freeze-dryer trays. If the eggs are pre-cooked, they won’t work for baking, but they do make a fine instant breakfast. I’ll start with freeze-drying raw eggs, as that’s the most versatile. The basic steps are as follows: Crack Eggs Scramble Eggs (not optional) Pre-Freeze Eggs (Optional, but Recommended) Insert in Freeze Dryer and Run Cycle Remove and Store Start by cracking the eggs and then scrambling them. Next, place the raw scrambled eggs on your freeze-dryer trays. This is actually a bit trickier than you’d think, as you basically have a baking tray full of liquid…and any tipping can be problematic. Generally, you’re supposed to pre-freeze food before you put it in the freeze dryer, and that helps speed up the process. With a tray full of liquid raw eggs, the odds that you’re going to tip that tray when you’re putting it into your freezer are pretty high. For eggs in particular, I’d recommend just scrambling the eggs and then putting the trays into your freeze dryer most of the way. Pour the eggs into a corner of the tray and then slide the tray the rest of the way so they don’t tip. I actually have some nifty little silicone food mold inserts for my freeze dryer that were just released, and they’re basically a giant silicone ice cube tray. They’re handy when you’re freeze-drying liquids of all forms, including milk and eggs, but also things like ice cream and sourdough starter. If you have these, they hold the food on the trays really nicely, and tipping is less of an issue. If you don’t have these silicone food molds for freeze-drying, I don’t recommend using parchment or flat silicone mats for freeze-drying eggs. The silicone mats that harvest right sells for their trays are incredibly useful for fruits, meats, and whole meals in the freeze dryer…but I don’t like them for liquids. When you pour the liquid onto the tray, it just seeps under the silicone mat and makes a big mess. The same is true for parchment. Just pour the eggs right onto the stainless steel trays for freeze-drying if you don’t have the silicone food mold accessory. Next, pre-freeze the food if you can do it without tipping the trays. Or, just load the trays as is into the freeze dryer. Turn the machine on and let it run its cycle, which should take about 16 to 24 hours or so. Once the cycle is done, you should have trays of fully freeze-dried eggs to store. Once the cycle is complete, remove the trays from the freeze dryer and pull out the freeze-dried egg. If you’re using plain stainless trays, that will involve scraping it up with a spatula. In the silicone food molds, each little egg cube just pops out neatly without sticking. Neat cubes or not, it doesn’t matter, since you’ll be making egg powder either by mashing it up or putting it through a food processor. Cubes or chunks of freeze-dried raw egg don’t rehydrate well, and you really do want a powder to use. Once your eggs are freeze-dried, you’ll want to powder them up before storage so that they’re ready to use. They’re also a lot more compact that way. My nephews went to work mashing the egg cubes up and had a grand old time, and they do fall apart really easily, so a food processor is not strictly necessary. That said, a food processor gives you a nice even powder, and it only takes a few pulses. FREEZE-DRIED EGG ALTERNATIVES While the most versatile way to freeze dry eggs is as raw whole eggs scrambled together and then powdered for later use, that’s not your only option. FREEZE DRIED SCRAMBLED EGGS (COOKED) You can freeze dry cooked scrambled eggs, and that works just fine. They cannot be used for baking, of course, but they make a lovely camping meal breakfast. All you have to do is pour boiling water on top of them and allow them to rehydrate. You can basically make your own mountain house meals this way, and for a lot less money. To do that, just scramble the eggs and cook them in a pan before placing them on the freeze-dryer trays. I like to scramble mine until they’re just barely done, as they’re going to get cooked ever so slightly more when you rehydrate them with boiling water. I use about a tablespoon of butter for every three eggs too, and it adds extra buttery richness (but isn’t so much that they won’t freeze dry nicely). Since the eggs are pre-cooked, they won’t slip under parchment or silicone mats, so I use silicone mats under these to make cleanup easier. You can fit about a dozen cooked scrambled eggs on a single large freeze-dryer tray. FREEZE DRIED EGG WHITES While you can’t freeze dry egg yolks alone because they’re too high in fat, you can freeze dry plain egg whites. HOW TO STORE FREEZE DRIED EGGS At this point, you have freeze-dried egg powder that needs to be stored in a dry, airtight container out of direct sunlight. The best way to store freeze-dried eggs is in sealed mylar pouches with oxygen absorbers. When you buy a freeze dryer, it comes with an impulse sealer that will seal mylar, as well as a starter pack of mylar pouches and oxygen absorbers that are sized to those same pouches. It really makes the process simple. If you’re using your own mylar pouches for storage, make sure you have oxygen absorbers that are appropriately sized to the size of the pouches you choose. HOW LONG DO FREEZE-DRIED EGGS LAST? If properly stored, freeze-dried egg powder will for up to 20 years. That means oxygen absorbers and light-eliminating packaging (like mylar). You can also store freeze-dried eggs in glass jars, like mason jars, but they should have tight-fitting lids and be stored in a dark pantry or cabinet. Without an oxygen absorber and in a container that’s frequently opened, freeze-dried eggs should last about a year if kept clean and dry. HOW TO USE FREEZE-DRIED EGGS To reconstitute freeze-dried eggs, mix equal parts freeze-dried egg and water by volume and allow it to sit for 5 or so minutes to fully rehydrate. It takes 2 Tablespoons of freeze-dried egg and 2 Tablespoons of water to equal one fresh whole egg. (Every freeze-dried food has different rehydration instructions.) If you’re using freeze-dried eggs in baked goods, you can make the eggs ahead of time and add them to the mix like you would use a fresh egg. You can also add the powdered freeze-dried egg to the dry ingredients, and then just add the appropriate amount of water to the wet ingredients. That allows you to make your own powdered pantry mixes that are simple just add water mixes. Mix together things like flour, baking powder, powdered eggs, sugar, and whatever else your recipe calls for and you can design your own mixes for pancakes, muffins, and more. INSTRUCTIONS Start by cracking and scrambling the eggs. Be sure that the eggs are thoroughly scrambled. A blender or immersion blender helps. Pre-chill your freeze dryer and close the air vent at the back. Insert the freeze dryer trays about 3/4 of the way into the freeze dryer, and then carefully pour the raw egg onto the tray. (This prevents the tray from tipping, resulting in spilled eggs. If you have silicone insert molds for your freeze dryer trays, as I do, you can fill those and pre-freeze them. Do not attempt to pre-freeze the eggs or other liquids directly on the trays, as they'll likely spill as they're moved around.) Press start on the freeze dryer, and it will begin the cycle, first freezing the food, then creating a vacuum, and then finally freeze-drying the eggs. When the cycle is complete, remove the eggs from the freeze dryer for storage. Crushing the eggs into a powder before storage is optional, but recommended. They'll pack tighter into bags that way, and they rehydrate better if first crushed into a powder (rather than left as chunks). For short-term storage, store in an air-tight container such as a mason jar. For long-term storage, use mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. NOTES: YIELD We have a large freeze dryer, and each tray can hold about 18 to 20 eggs. The machine has 5 trays, so that means a full batch is around 90 to 100 eggs. My total yield was 3 quarts of freeze-dried egg powder. Yield will vary based on the size of your freeze dryer. Small Model - 24 to 36 eggs Medium Model - 45 to 50 eggs Large Model - 90 to 100 eggs Extra Large Model - 200 to 250 eggs Once freeze-dried, it takes about 8 to 9 eggs to make a cup of freeze-dried egg powder, or about 32 to 36 eggs to make a quart of freeze-dried egg powder. FREEZE DRIED SCRAMBLED EGGS (COOKED) You can freeze dry cooked scrambled eggs, and that works just fine. They cannot be used for baking, of course, but they make a lovely camping meal for breakfast. All you have to do is pour boiling water on top of them and allow them to rehydrate. You can basically make your own mountain house meals this way, and for a lot less money. To do that, just scramble the eggs and cook them in a pan before placing them on the freeze-dryer trays. I like to scramble mine until they're just barely done, as they're going to get cooked ever so slightly more when you rehydrate them with boiling water. I use about a tablespoon of butter for every three eggs too, and it adds extra buttery richness (but isn't so much that they won't freeze dry nicely). Since the eggs are pre-cooked, they won't slip under parchment or silicone mats, so I use silicone mats under these to make cleanup easier. You can fit about a dozen cooked scrambled eggs on a single large freeze-dryer tray. Previous Next

This applesauce recipe is simple to make and delicious! < Back Homemade Apple Sauce Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe This applesauce recipe is simple to make and delicious! Ingredients 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped ¾ cup water ¼ cup white sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Preparation Making applesauce at home is easier than you think. Trust us: This wildly popular applesauce recipe will quickly become a go-to in your household. Best Apples for Applesauce The best apples for applesauce are whatever apples you have on hand and need to use up. However, if you have a choice, we recommend using a combination of sweet and tangy varieties for the best flavor. Popular sweet varieties include Honeycrisp and Fuji, while popular tangy varieties include Granny Smith and Braeburn. How to Make Homemade Applesauce Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, then mash the (cooled) apples with a fork until you’ve reached the desired consistency. That’s it! How to Store Applesauce Allow the applesauce to cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Directions Step 1: Combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan; cover and cook over medium heat until apples are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Step 2: low apple mixture to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher until it is the consistency you like. Previous Next