This has been the best apple year I've ever had. I never spray my trees, so I have to cut out the bad spots. This is a dishpan full of windfall apples... and... here are the jars of apple butter I made today!
I have never followed a recipe, as they call for apple cider and I didn't used to ever have money to buy that. My apple butter is just made with cut up apples (no need to core or peel), some water, not a lot, and cooked slowly and put through the Foley Food Mill.
Then I add brown sugar, white sugar, lots of cinnamon and some ground cloves. I don't measure anything. I just throw it together until it tastes "right." Then I put it into a Crockpot, leave the lid off and cook it on low until it is as thick as I want it to be.
These were processed for 5 minutes in a steam canner.
It really is yummy.
You have apples already?! I am always amazed when Brandy is canning applesauce in July and now you too?? Wow, we have another 2-3 months to go depending on the variety.
ReplyDeleteI have never made apple butter. We can an enormous amount of jam and jelly due to all our fruit (I do apple jelly) . I make plenty of apple sauce too.
I hope you and your family had a nice 4th of July and are enjoying the summer.
Athanasia, they are "Transparent" apples and ripen early, but these aren't very ripe. Just ripe enough to fall off the trees so I find a way to use them. :)
DeleteOh, I see, Transparents. Yes, my 2 aunts by marriage that are Ukrainian (they are sisters), grow those. They share them but grow them mainly for nostalgia I think and to share with their very large families. We usually just eat them right away because they don't keep like our other apples. They ripen here in August. They don't put them out at the farmstand either, though I know they have a couple regular customers that get them on the side.
DeleteThey make very nice apple sauce. In fact, I made 12 pints of it this morning. :)
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