Apples, Apples, Apples!

This is the time of year for apples!  Saturday I baked two apple pies with apples from a local orchard.  One pie went in the freezer.  The other, my husband and I enjoyed!  I recently read an article in "Countryside Magazine" about how to use the apple peels and cores.  Usually my peels and cores go to the chickens, but this article intrigued me.  It was written by a woman who grew up during the 1940's .  Her mother was very thrifty.  By the way, anyone who wants to do homesteading or just live the rural life should get their hands on "Countryside Magazine."  We have learned so much from it in the year and a half that we have gotten it. 

Well, after I peeled and cored my apples for the pies,  I put the peels and cores in a large pot and added about one inch of water.  Then I simmered it on the stove until it all boiled down to applesauce.  Then I put it through a strainer to catch what was left of the peels and cores.  What remained was delicious applesauce.  I added sugar and cinnamon until it suited my taste.  I had never heard of making applesauce without using the entire apple!!  What a thrifty thing to do!  My chickens got the leftover peels and cores after it all boiled down.  Oh how they loved that!

I then put the applesauce in a Mason jar.  It only made one pint, so obviously I didn't go through the canning process just for that.  But isn't so much prettier in a Mason jar than in a Tupperware bowl?  What are you all doing with apples this fall?