Possibly the most nostalgic smell from my childhood would have to be homemade applesauce. The apples usually came from apple trees in our yard or from my grandparent's yard. Every fall a large bowl of multicolored red, pink and golden apples flecked with pocks and oftentimes worm holes, was common place in my mother's kitchen.
I anxiously looked forward to the sound of the 1970's red-handled apple peeler and corer grinding through the aromatic apples and watching it spray sweet and sticky apple juice on the counter and floor. After chopping and stirring, the heavenly smell of sauteed apples with cinnamon and brown sugar would coat the air. It would stretch and swell throughout the kitchen, creep into the hallways, living areas and even spread itself out onto the couch and weave its way into the fabric of our clothes. And before my dad would reach the front door of the house, the scent was already welcoming him home.
As we welcome fall, what better way to embrace it then with long lasting autumn flavors. Here is my mother's ultra simple homemade
Slow Cooked Applesauce:
Other fall recipes to try: