By Full maple season. The grove is running well — the weather has been cooperating, the freeze-thaw pattern settled into its right rhythm. I've been in the sugar house every day, the routines that the season demands. The steam rising in the cold morning air. The smell that has no parallel. The specific satisfaction of watching something transform under your attention over time.
This is my tenth solo maple season. I haven't been counting, but then I counted this week when I thought about it: Helen died eight years ago in October 2015. Ten maple seasons since. The math lands as it lands. I let it land without commentary and went back to the boiler.
Teddy called on Sunday with a question about the process — he's been reading about maple production, apparently, and wanted to understand the chemistry of why the sap runs when it does. The freeze-thaw mechanism, the pressure differential in the tree. I explained what I understand, which is the farmer's understanding: observational and practical rather than biochemical. He filled in the biochemistry himself from what he'd read. The conversation was better for both contributions. That's what fourteen years of teaching him has produced: someone who knows enough to ask the right questions and bring something to the answer.
Bill from Maine has ordered maple tap equipment. He plans to tap his three sugar maples next year for the first time. He called to say: I know it won't be like yours. I said: it won't be. But it'll be yours, and yours will be the thing. He said: that's what you keep saying. I said: because it keeps being true.
When the syrup is running well and the house smells the way it does those few weeks of the year, I want to use what I have — not save it for something that feels worthy of it later. This applesauce is what I make when the fresh syrup is right there on the counter and the apples from last fall are still good in the cellar. It’s not a complicated thing, but Teddy grew up eating it this time of year, and I think that’s reason enough to keep making it the same way: maple in, not sugar.
Chunky Applesauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples (about 6–7 medium; a mix of tart and sweet varieties works well)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep the apples. Peel, core, and cut the apples into roughly 1-inch chunks. They don’t need to be uniform — a little variation gives the sauce its texture.
- Start the pot. Combine the apple chunks, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine.
- Cook down. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very tender and beginning to break apart.
- Sweeten and finish. Remove from heat. Stir in the maple syrup. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break the apples to your preferred consistency — leave it as chunky as you like. Taste and add more maple syrup if needed.
- Cool and store. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to two weeks.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 130 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 25mg