Sunday

Sunday afternoons on the farm are sacred.  The winter light softly glazes the old wooden cabinets in the kitchen.  The occasional clip clop of horse drawn buggies peppers the quiet stillness of the house.  When I am inside this house, I am held by history.  I am cradled by walls built with the bare hands of my farmer's grandfather and great grandfather.  His grandmother's quilts fill every dresser drawer and blanket every mattress.  The old embroidered chair that his grandparents took turns sitting on still rests by the window like the throne of departed nobility, a relic of the old kingdom.  The stories of days past often surface in our conversations and bring laughter that I hope reaches even the dead.

This Sunday was particularly notable because my farmer showed me how he makes applesauce.  As I watched him at the stove, I suddenly felt five years old again, sitting in the kitchen of my neighbor Violet's house, watching her turn the apples round and round the old crank of an apple corer - the peels curling away from the flesh in one long delicate strip.  The details of that afternoon are so hazy now, but I remember the smell of cinnamon and that sweet apple steam mingling with the light in Violet's kitchen.  Her dark grey hair in curls, her house dress dotted in little flowers.  Over 20 years later here I am, watching again in adoration as applesauce is made - this time in my farmer's kitchen.  His dark curls recently cut, a red sweater draped across his strong shoulders.  The apple peels stayed on this time.  Beautiful Cortlands with a few Macintosh here and there, piled high in an old enamel pot.  A fallen orchard amidst a scene of rural repose.

In another 20 years, perhaps our son or daughter will be making applesauce at the stove as I humbly watch from the kitchen table.  My hair with hints of grey, no doubt donning flannel as I always do.  Our children might be farmers, or maybe bakers.  Or maybe not.  But no matter what, they will know how to make good applesauce.  And hopefully they will always remember the first time that sweet steam rose up from the pot to kiss their cheeks.  Apples kissing apples.

No Recipe Applesauce

Ingredients

Cortland and Macintosh apples
1/2 cup water 
Brown sugar or granulated sugar, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste

Method

Wash and core the apples, but leave the skins on.  The skins will add flavor and will be cooked down with the apple flesh.  The skins that remain will be removed when you process the sauce through a food mill or blended into the sauce if you use a food processor.

Cut the apples into quarters and combine in a nonreactive Dutch oven or enamel pot with the water.  The water will just ensure the apples don't scorch on the bottom as you cook them.  Over medium high heat, let the apples cook down, stirring them occasionally.  Depending on your range, the apples will take 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook completely.  

When the applesauce is done, process it through a food mill, food processor or blender until smooth.  Add sugar or brown sugar and cinnamon to taste, if desired.