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Apple Butter

Wed, 10/28/2009 - 8:18pm — bobby

Vermont is an apple state.  Seems like every fall, we're practially burried under apples.  Since you can't eat them all, you find ways to put them up.  Apple sauce, apple pie filling, apple wine... and apple butter.  Here's the applebutter recipe I used this year.  This recipe uses 2 quarts apple pulp....  We made 8 quarts.

From the Ball Blue Book (1999), p. 31.

 

Ingredients: 

16 medium apples
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves

Preparation: 

To prepare pulp

Wash apples; remove stem and blossom ends; do not peel or core.  Cut apples into small pieces (we cut them in half, just to open the skin). Add 2 cups water; cover; simmer till apples are soft.  Press through a sieve or food mill (we used a ricer).  Measure 2 quarts pulp.

To prepare butter

Combine apple pulp, sugar, and spices in a large saucepot.  Cook slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon (we cooked ours for 2-1/2 hours).  As pulp thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.  (If too thick, add a small amount of apple juice or water for desired consistency—like there's such a thing as too think).  Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process 10 minutes in boiling-water canner (we used a pressure cooker).

Yield: about 5 pints.