Clean Cranberry-Apple Sauce (w// optional rosemary & thyme)

Thickness and Sweetness is PREFERENCE.  Taste as you go and make adjustments.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of fresh cranberries (Bought a 3 lb bag at Costco)
8-12 apples, peeled and chopped (I used around 10...no right or wrong here peeps!)
1-2 cups of organic UNSWEETENED apple juice (also purchased at Costco)
3-4 cups of honey, maple or agave (sweeten to your taste preference)
**OPTIONAL: 1/4-1 tsp of white stevia powder (only use if your final product isn't sweet enough...this is 300 times sweeter than sugar, so use in very small quantities, taste, then adjust to your liking)
1/2 a lemon, freshly squeezed
2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
4 sticks of cinnamon
2 pinches of ground cloves
*OPTIONAL:  1/4-1/2 tsp of ground thyme (adds beautiful flavor/dimension...a little goes a long way so be careful not to add too much)
**OPTIONAL:  1 sprig of rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Rinse fresh cranberries and pick out any that are bruised.
2.  Toss into a large deep pan and add the apples.
3.  Pour in enough juice so that the pan is about 1/4 full of liquid.
4.  Turn stovetop on high and bring to boil.
5.  Let boil for about a minute (while stirring constantly) then TURN DOWN TO SIMMER/LOW.
6.  Add about 3 cups of honey, ground cloves, vanilla extract, lemon juice, rosemary/thyme (if using), and cinnamon sticks.  Give a really good stir to combine and TASTE.  Is it sweet enough?  If not, add about 1/2 cup of honey and taste again.  Continue the process...stir, taste, adjust if needed until you feel that the sweetness is to your liking.  I typically like to UNDER-sweeten my sauce and then, day of, if I feel it is still a little too sour I'll just toss in a little squirt of maple or honey before putting it on the table.
7.  Let simmer (stir occassionally) to reduce the liquid and allow it to thicken up a bit.  This could take an hour or 10 minutes...it all depends.  DON'T TURN HEAT UP TOO HIGH OR IT WILL SCALD.  If you are impatient like myself, you can toss in some pectin while its simmering and that will thicken it up a bit as well.  It will also firm up in the frig so don't worry about it too much.  It's supposed to be a SAUCE...how thick/thin you want it is entirely up to you.  Each batch might be a little bit different consistency and that just add's to the excitement, don't you think???
8.  Serve warm or chilled.  FYI:  this FREEZES wonderfully, so if you have leftovers, put in air tight container and save for Christmas!  IF STORING FOR LATER USE, put in air-tight container and go ahead and stick in the rosemary/cinnamon sticks.  Remove before serving.

OPTIONAL NUTRITIONAL BOOST:  Toss in 1/4-1/2 cup of ground flax or hemp seed.