My apple butter

[thumpershere2]

I finally made some apple butter. I kept looking at our crab apple tree and the apples look so nice and inviting that I decided to just try to make the apple butter. Well, it came out great and so tasty. If anyone has crab apples I would recommend making apple butter with the apples. It's a little work but worth it. I made seven 1/2 pints and will make the same again tomorrow. They will make a nice Xmass gifts too.

 

[middie]

OOooh send me one please

 

[thumpershere2]

Middi, I could mail you some but not sure how it would survive the snail mail. I guess your to far away to just drive over too.The apple butter sounds kinda complacated to make but once you start it, it goes really well and not all that much of a problem. Have you evev made it?

 

[Michelemarie]

I would love to see the recipe, if you have time can you post it?

 

[thumpershere2]

Sorry i didn't get back sooner with this.
Apple Butter: Crabapples: Halve apple and cut stem and blossom end out.
Add 1/2 as much water as fruit.
Making the pulp: Cook the apples until the pulp is soft, watch it as it may stick. Put the cooked apples in a colander to drain. Then press pulp through a food mill or sieve to get out all fibers. (Food mill is the way to go). Usually 1/2 cup sugar to each 1 cup of pulp makes a fine butter.
Let the sugar dissolve in the pulp over low heat, then bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thick, stirring constantly so as not to scortch.Add your spices after boiling starts. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground allspice,1/4 tsp. cloves.
When the butter is thick enough to round slightly in a spoon and shows a glossiness or sheen, pack while still hot into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headroom. Adjust lids and process for 10 min.

I started with 2 ice cream pails full of apples and ended up with 8 cups of pulp. That worked good for the 1/2 pints.
Recipe says not to make alot at one time, infact only one batch but I did 2 and it worked fine.
As far as the boiling part goes I don't boil the pulp on high but medium so as not to burn it.

I got this recipe from the book Putting Food By ,1975 edition.

 

[bandonjan]

I make apple butter in the crockpot. I use a mix of
apples, pare, core and chunk them, add sugar and cook
on low overnight. I add spices, mash them and
continue to cook with the lid off until it is the
thickness I like. If I want applesauce, I don't cook with
the lid off, I just puree the mix.

 

[Hungry]

Crabapple Butter

This is what I need. I have three crabapple trees and usually make jelly. This year a late freeze got them and I didn't have any apples. My plums survived and I got 10 pts. of Jelly and 12 pts of Jam. My neighbor got about 10 Lbs. I don't know what he made.

Question:
If you put the cooked apples through a seive or food mill why do you have to core the apples?

Charlie

 

[Michael in FtW]

Question:
If you put the cooked apples through a seive or food mill why do you have to core the apples?

Answer: you don't! In fact - if you leave the skins, seeds and cores for the initial cooking and then run through a seive/food mill ... the pulp will have more natural pectin and easier to gel-up.

 

[thumpershere2]

When I made my applebutter I didn't have a food mill but I sure wished I would of had one. I had to use an old fashion sieve. A food mill would work so much better. I looked all over town here for one and didn't find one. I will have one for next year tho. With the food mill I won't have to core the crabapples and that will save alot of time