Homemade Applesauce

Here is the first in our series of traditional Fall Favorites. 

This is the easiest dish.  Ever.  I learned to make it one September Saturday morning exactly twenty years ago from a sailing buddy named Nancy. She surprised me by coming over with a big bag of apples and all of the supplies. We made the applesauce on an old oven, in a tiny kitchen with a view of an alleyway. That day, I learned what a Foley food mill was, and what a pleasure it can be when a friend teaches you something new. Today's batch included a trip to the farmers' market, complete with delicious lunch out. We made the applesauce on a Jenn Air cooktop, in a gourmet's dream kitchen with a mountain view.  Tammy showed me how to make the applesauce in a completely different way.  Tammy, it was such a pleasure to share this experience with you and Isabel.

Ingredients

Apples
Sugar
fresh lemon juice (to prevent browning of fruit)
Pinch of salt
Cinnamon sticks (optional)

We got a peck of apples, which is a little over 10 pounds. The varieties of apples we found that day were: gala, macintosh, fuji and WV granny smiths (or mutsu apples) You'll get the best results with tart apples with firm flesh. Look for the signs that say 'great for baking'. Mixing varieties adds flavor.

Method
Wash apples thoroughly. Prepare a large stockpot with one inch of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the bottom. Add one tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice for every 5 pounds of apples. You can add two three inch cinnamon sticks to the stockpot for every 5 lbs of apples, if you like cinnamon.
Cut apples into one-inch chunks. (No need to remove skin or seeds or stems) Add apples to stockpot with 1/4 cup of sugar (or less) for every 5 lbs. Cook on medium to medium low heat until apples are quite soft.  Using a spaghetti scoop, transfer the cooked apples to the Foley food mill. Crank over a bowl to catch the applesauce.
Crank constantly, approximately five times clockwise, then once counterclockwise to clear the skins. Repeat until all that's left in the mill are the skins.  Refill and repeat.