Applesauce making had a few changes this year. I don't know for sure if it was better than last year. That was too long ago and the applesauce didn't last long then, either! But, I'm happy with the changes and will continue on with these improvements.

• To preserve color, I dunked the diced apples in Fruit Fresh and dried them on a towel-lined tray before cooking them.
• Generally, I add orange juice instead of the Fruit Fresh (It's certainly cheaper.), but I added some orange juice to the bottom of the pot after the Fruit Fresh, anyway, to prevent the apples from sticking.
• If I use my large, flatter, wider pan instead of my deepest, tallest pot, the apples cook down faster.
• To keep the applesauce around longer, when it had cooled completely, I poured it into a couple jars to eat over the next few weeks and then loaded the rest into gallon-sized Ziplock bags and laid them flat in the freezer.
• Next year, I really think I'm going to acquire a peeler/corer. Although I had a sharp potato peeler and kknife, it still took forever. With a baby next year, it will be just as much about speed.

I will tell you even when you can get fresh apples at $0.97 a pound like is at Publix this week, I don't think it's cheaper to make your own. Some time ago, I got jars of the natural Mott's Applesauce for $1 a piece at Publix. But the taste of fresh homemade applesauce is significantly better, and there's no contest if you can get the apples really cheap or free!