Grandma's Apple Sauce/Pie Filling

As a nice compliment to Christine's apple scone recipe, here is the family applesauce recipe:

6 large granny smith apples (but really whatever falls off the tree, you know? Just use more if they're small) -- peeled, cored and cut into largish chunks
3/4 C. water
1/2 C. sugar (less if you are using really sweet apples)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Dissolve sugar in water, add apples and seasonings and simmer on low heat until apples are soft but NOT MUSH.  You want those apples to still have some shape -- it's a nice chunky applesauce, not that mushy stuff.
You can preserve this as you would other canned fruits; but if you're making a pie with it, put a dab of butter in it.
We eat this up so fast, it's hard to have any left for canning; we even put it in our Loaf of Meat.  Loaf of Meat recipe coming soon.
If you have an overabundance of apples to get rid of come Fall, and live in our community, we will take them off your hands. :-)

~Katherine~