Simple Homemade Strawberry Applesauce

This morning, I realized my strawberries were beginning to get a little mushy, but I didn't have enough left to do anything significant with them (like jam).



So I pulled out four rather banged up apples I had sitting in my crisper (nothing like using rejected fruit for a project, rather like the orchards use "drops" for their cider... waste not, want not).



I cut the tops off the strawberries and put them in a saucepan.



And then, because I'm lazy, I cut the apples into quarters and cored them, then grated them with the skins on ... because I've foun that the skins of the Macintosh apples are tough and won't grate, so I save one step: peeling. YAY!




I added everything to the pan, plus a little water (I eyeballed it, but it probably wasn't even half a cup)



... covered, and popped it onto the stove, on low heat.



I cooked it until the berries were soft (about 20 mins)...



... and then pureed it in my smoothie maker (which is easier to clean than my blender).



And, voila! Strawberry applesauce. Very yummy for eating or for baking.



So next time you have mushy berries and/or bruised apples, you know what to do.

Enjoy!