was the dilemma we had after a bountiful harvest!
We were blessed to pick apples on a day when there was a windfall (a day after a large wind storm and apples are off the trees and on the ground). We stuffed the car and every available space with the wonderful fruit. We were so excited about the great time and experience we were having with friends,plus getting TONS of apples at bargain prices.
The novelty wore off once we unloaded the car! All of the refrigerators filled up, then the coolers and then we stuffed them in to a trash can! I began to ponder what to do with all these apples. The possibilities were endless, Eating, Pie, Applesauce, Jams, Jellies and more! But, our favorite apple delight is apple butter!
Apple Butter
Apple Butter is a great way to use large quantities of apples that may not be in perfect condition. It also makes wonderful gifts for Christmas or other events. Plus, it just tastes so yummy!
I use our friend Jackie Clay’s canning book “Growing and Canning Your Own Food” almost every time I can fruit or produce from the garden. I would highly recommend purchasing this book at the following location. www.backwoodshome.com (cook book)
Apple Butter
- 18lbs apples
- Water
- 5 cups sugar (or to taste, I usually put in about 4 cups)
- 4 TSP. Cinnamon (check the date on your cinnamon, if really fresh and powerful you might want to decrease this amount – depending on your love of cinnamon)
- 2 TSP. Cloves
- ¾ TSP. Allspice
1. Wash, core and quarter apples. Place in a large stock pot and pour in enough water to cover. Simmer slowly for 1.5 hours. Put pulp through a strainer or food mill and pour into a large roasting pan. Add sugar and spices, stir well.
2. Put in oven and bake at 300°F, stirring occasionally for several hours. (I use an electric roasting pan instead of the oven, it heats up the house less on hot days)
3. When thickened sufficiently (you may test on toast at any point!), ladle into hot jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Wipe rim of jar clean, place hot previously-simmered lid on jar and screw down ring firmly tight.
4. Process pints or quarts for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. (if you need more info on canning please buy the book by Jackie Clay mentioned above)
5. Remove and let cool. Wipe clean, apply labels and enjoy!
