DIY: Apple Sauce from Scratch is Easy!

Apple sauce is surprisingly one of the easiest recipes to make from scratch- it takes only 2 ingredients, hardly any effort or thought, and very little attention. Yet is so delicious & smooth you'll never be able to turn back to the store bought apple sauce... that cold, lumpy, almost goodness but not quite enough.
I learned to make yummy organic apple sauce from reading macrobiotic cookbooks, so this recipe is also very healthy!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 3-5 Apples - I use organic "pink lady" apples, look for one with a robust or strong flavor.
• 1/2 Ume Plum (pitted) OR pinch of Sea Salt

That's it! Simply cut up the apples into a few slices each (taking out the core/seeds), you can choose whether to leave the peelings on or not. I cook the peeling because it adds to the flavor and they taste really good simmered down- but if the texture might weird you out don't include the skins. Add the ume plum (or pinch of salt) in the pot with the cut up apples, then add filtered/spring water that covers 3/4 the way up the apple mountain. Bring to a boil, and then let it cook on medium low for 1-3 hours.

If you keep on cooking longer on a higher temperature you can make apple butter, which is a very dark brown apple treat.

YAY! yum yum yum. Macrobiotic, gluten free, vegan and organic!

DIY: Making Pickles

This year with the severe drought, my cucumber plants haven't made a single cucumber. But I decided to go ahead and make pickles with some juicy organic cukes from the store. Making pickles is really easy and worth the time, no need to be suzy homemaker to pump out yummy pickles. Once you practice with cucumbers you'll be ready to pickle your other veggies too! Pickled carrots, broccoli and cauliflower taste awesome in pasta salads and stir fried with some tofu.
This pickling recipe is adapted from Aveline Kushi's Macrobiotic Cooking book, which is my fav recipe book of all time:::: *1/4-1/2 cup of sea salt ( I used an ume plum, Himalayan salt, and kombu) *
* 2 sprigs of fresh or dried dill *
* 1 onion (quartered) (I used a red onion)*
* 3 lbs. cucumbers*
* 10 cups spring water*:::: Boil the salt in the water for a few minutes, to dissolve the salt. Once the salt water cools off, you can pour it over your cucumber, onion, and dill in your glass jar. It is recommended to place this jar in a cool dark place for 3-4 days with a cheesecloth on top - but I put the jar's screw top back on, and stuck it in the fridge for a few days. The pickles will keep for approximately 1 month in the fridge. Yum! This is so easy to make you will be shocked and will want to pickle everything in your fridge! The cool thing is you can control how salty, tangy, or flavorful your pickles are and cater to your particular health needs. Also feel free to experiment using more herbs, garlic, & different types of onions.