Apple Butter a Fight to the Finish

After hanging out in this wonderful rain we are having, a few friends and I were talking about my recent Facebook posts. I have been canning for most of the summer and decided to take on the challenge of apple butter again. My first attempt at this was 3 years ago. I tried to make apple butter it turned out more like spiced apple sauce. It just didn't have that smooth spreadable consistency that is required. So I put it in the pantry and let it sit. My children were very nice about it. Every couple of weeks they would take a spoonful and eat it from the jar in the refrigerator. They would remark on how good it was and I would roll my eyes and silently wish it was "real apple butter".

The first time experience was horrible. Imagine cooking apples in a saucepan until they were soft. Then smashing them down with an old potato masher and adding copious amounts of sugar. Then trying to stir frantically so it doesn't burn to the pot. All the while it is sputtering sending little balls of fire at my hands that stick and begin burning the skin. I even went as far as to try to protect my hands while stirring by putting on those cheap little .99 stretchy gloves you use for winter. That was a huge mistake! The bubbling mixture was spitting at the gloves and adhering its hellish heat on my fingers. I finally gave up and thrust my hands under the cold sink water, gloves still on mind you, and found some relief. After that I just put the stuff in jars and processed it according to the recipe. Thus ending up in my pantry where one still lives today.

After debating if I wanted to relive the sweet gooey hell I endured 3 years ago I decided to take a more informed approach. Scouring the web and several different books I saw my error. I should have made applesauce first and then cooked it down--for a LONG time. I found a few sites that offered a simple laid back approach with a crock-pot. This was tremendously less dangerous than my first encounter battling a 212 degree pot with something to prove. First off I bought the apples from the local farmer's market and washed them. No peeling, just cored them and tossed them in a large pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes until they began to get soft. Here comes the fun part, I suggest you find a small child who doesn't understand labor laws to help you out. I brought out my chinois and bit by bit smashed them through the itty bitty little holes.

There are many modern tools you could use to help this along such as a food mill or a fancy-schmancy Kitchen Aid with super cool attachments. Yeah I'm asking for one for Christmas, this will be year 3 on my list...hint hint to my wonderful husband. After mashing all my agression away, I put all of the home made applesauce in the crock-pot and set it on high for the first hour and then switched it to low and let it sit over night. Now you have to remember to stir occasionally or the sides of your crock-pot will turn into a bumper boat crusted with sugar. Also you must leave the lid cock-eyed to let the steam escape. I went to bed and all night that yummy goodness was simmering down and making my house smell like a Yankee candle. After a total of 26 hours I was ready to put it into jars and process. Leave 1/4" headspace and water bathe the jars for 10 mins at 1,000 feet (check Ball canning for increased altitudes). Finally I took them out to cool and listen for the beautiful "ping" of music signaling the successful sealing of the jars. It was a long wait from start to finish especially when it smells like fresh baked apple pie in your house for a whole day, but totally worth it. This is the final product. 14 pounds of apples reduced to seven 1/2 pint jars.