Begin by peeling, coring, and cutting the apples and pears into large chunks. Place them in your slow cooker and sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent browning.

Add the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, freshly grated ginger, ground cardamom, ground cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Cover your slow cooker with the lid and set it to low heat, cooking for 6 hours.

Once cooked, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and any vanilla pods. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender to your desired consistency.

Your applesauce is ready to serve warm or chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.