Homemade Apple Juice

I came across this by accident, but it is healthy and pure for you baby or child, or even as an adult. No preservatives, no added sugar. Plus, it is a fairly quick and simple recipe.

I was making some applesauce and was able to use some leftover juices with a little bit of water to make an apple juice that my 8 month old daughter adored. She is not picky when it comes to food, but she is picky when it comes to her juices, so you can imagine my delight when I offered this new kind of apple juice to her and she did not give me the scrunched I don't really like this face.

Ingredients:
1 Apple
About 1/2 cup of water

Wash and peal the apple, core it, and dice it.
Put the diced pieces into a small saucepan and pour enough water to just barely cover up the apple chunks. Bring to a boil and then simmer the apples for about 20 minutes or until they are nice and tender. Pour out the water into a cup and add a little bit of water to dilute it if desired. One apple (golden delicious) made me about 2-3 oz of liquid and I added another 1-2 ounces of water.

Now, with with cooked apples, you can feed them to a small child, eat them yourself, or puree them into an applesauce for any member of the family, making it as chunky or smooth as you desire. Of course, you may add cinnamon and sugar and what ever other spices that you want for the applesauce. Just be cautious if it is for a baby and do not add sugar to keep it naturally healthy. I will eat it myself and because I use a golden delicious apple, it is sweet enough for me.

Boiling fruit supposedly takes out a lot of the nutrients and good things out. So, if you save the juice and feed it to a member of the family or yourself, then you are still obtaining those good vitamins, and minerals.

*note: If you are making the applesauce, you may need some of the juices to make it thinner, depending on how you serve it and who you serve it to.

*avoid browning: You may also add a couple of drops of lemon juice (or soak the apple chunks in sprite/sierra mist before pureeing) in order to keep the fruit from naturally browning as quickly due to oxydation. 

*freezing applesauce for future use: pour the apple sauce into a freeze-safe container (like in ice cube trays which are about one ounce a piece) and place into freezer. They are generally good for up to one month after preparation or 72 hours if refrigerated. Place the apple cubes into labeled sandwich bags and thaw as needed or leave it as a frozen treat for you or your child.