1. Place apples, water, and lemon juice into crockpot and turn on low. Add vanilla bean and cook 8-10 hours or overnight. Allow to cool and remove vanilla bean, reserving for another use.
2. Pour cooked apples into food mill and place over a bowl. Allow excess liquid to drain out- you can drink it or reserve it for another use.
3. Pass the apples through the food mill into a large bowl, and then add the cinnamon and maple syrup. Mix well.
4. Taste your applesauce. If you like it as is, go ahead and spoon it into your jar(s)- I got approximately 2 pint jars out of this recipe (one that I'll eat this week and one that I'll freeze for later).
5. If you want it to be spicier, you could add some ground cloves, cardamom, ginger...anything you like. If you'd like it sweeter, add a little more maple syrup.