# First taste of homemade apple butter...



## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

The only apple butter I've ever tasted was store-bought and I didn't like it AT ALL, so when one of DH's customers gave him a pint of homemade AB for Christmas, I thought "OK, so I'll dump the AB and save the jar"...then I tasted it.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I think she "might" have been a bit heavy-handed with the spices, but it still tastes nothing short of amazing!

Sorry...I know this is not specifically a "home preservation" how-to or question, but as I sit here, in AB nirvana, I had to share. 

As you were...


----------



## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

I had the opposite experience as a teenager. After great granny died, mom ate thru all the strawberry jam and finally she had to buy a jar at the store. Smuckers.
Ew. We began canning that year!
It really is amazing what a difference homemade makes.


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

hippygirl said:


> The only apple butter I've ever tasted was store-bought and I didn't like it AT ALL, so when one of DH's customers gave him a pint of homemade AB for Christmas, I thought "OK, so I'll dump the AB and save the jar"...then I tasted it.
> 
> WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I think she "might" have been a bit heavy-handed with the spices, but it still tastes nothing short of amazing!
> 
> ...


I plan on making some apple butter next year.  My daughter loves the stuff, and it isn't cheap! 



handymama said:


> I had the opposite experience as a teenager. After great granny died, mom ate thru all the strawberry jam and finally she had to buy a jar at the store. Smuckers.
> Ew. We began canning that year!
> It really is amazing what a difference homemade makes.


Funny! I am the first to can in my immediate family... maybe in many many years, my ____grandchildren can say the same about me! 
I already told my daughter and husband I wasn't going to buy store jellies anymore. 
I have put up plum jam, orange-nectarine marmalade (had bits of both fruit that were going bad), and nectarine-plum jam. All pretty much from free fruit.  
Thank you for reminding me that I can can strawberry jelly! Derp! lol


----------



## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

gracielagata said:


> I plan on making some apple butter next year.  My daughter loves the stuff, and it isn't cheap!


Oh, I am SO going to find a u-pick apple orchard/farm next year!

My Mom and I had already planned on heading north ISO apples next year (not a whole lot of apple orchards in my neck of the woods) so I can put up both dried apples and applesauce...now I gotta get even more for this exquisite concoction that is apple butter!


----------



## arrowlsm (Nov 2, 2010)

I made apple butter this year. In fact, I believe our living room can be said to be decorated in early American apple butter. A pint jar, once opened, does not last very long. Thru this fall i have bought 6 bushels of #2 fuji apples from a local orchard. You do not need the #1 apples if you are just going to peel them and make apple butter out of them. The people at the orchard were so helpful and informative, and its cheaper if you by 2 bushels ($8-9 a bushel {40 lbs}).
I made crock pot apple butter, using the oval crock pot. Be sure to purchase an apple peeler (well worth the money). 35 apples can be cored, peeled and sliced in less than 20 minutes (the peels and cores go to the horse or sheep). I used that number several times. Slice them up into small pieces in the crock pot, add some of your spices, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon,cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt, (I get these recipes from the internet). Turn the crock pot on low, stir every hour or so, or when you get back home. I let mine cook sometimes for 24 hours (overnight) to let the apple juices kind of evaporate and for the butter to thicken. Keep adding your spices every so often and stir. When you wake in the morning the house will have a wonderful aroma. Once the apples have cooked down considerably, I usually use a potato masher to break up any larger pieces which have survived. An immersion blender can be used, but my butter does have some apple pieces in it, for the homemade feel. Once in the pint jars, I can them with the outdoor cooker on the carport. I usually get about 6 pints out of 35 apples. The bad thing about canning apple butter, is the cost of the jars. Anyway, the apple butter will make great Christmas presents.
I hope I have made enough to last until next fall. 
Merry Christmas and enjoy your apple butter. YUM YUM!


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

Arrowslm- Love that concept- early American apple butter.  
I will remember the crock pot when I start mine next year!
We have quite a few u-pick orchards quite close. But we are also in WA, so we have free apple picking galore in quite a few places, if you know where to go... so that is my plan.  
Go look for jars at Goodwill or thrift stores. I *finally* found them cheaper per piece than buying new boxes of them.


----------



## Ceilismom (Jul 16, 2011)

hippygirl said:


> The only apple butter I've ever tasted was store-bought and I didn't like it AT ALL, so when one of DH's customers gave him a pint of homemade AB for Christmas, I thought "OK, so I'll dump the AB and save the jar"...then I tasted it.
> 
> WHAT A DIFFERENCE! *I think she "might" have been a bit heavy-handed with the spices*, but it still tastes nothing short of amazing!
> 
> ...


In my world, it is not possible for there to be too many spices in the apple butter. More spices=better butter. Also true with oatmeal cookies.


----------



## jdunlap76 (Dec 19, 2014)

HippyGirl,

Being that you are in Alabama, you should have easy access to peaches next summer... don't overlook Peach Butter as another option. We made some this summer, and loved it. I like it almost as much as Apple Butter! :thumb:
J


----------



## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

jdunlap76 said:


> HippyGirl,
> 
> Being that you are in Alabama, you should have easy access to peaches next summer... don't overlook Peach Butter as another option. We made some this summer, and loved it. I like it almost as much as Apple Butter! :thumb:
> J


Oh yeah...peaches are EVERYWHERE around here!

I might have to try it...and pear butter...

DH is going to HAVE to start eating this kind of stuff (jams, jellies, etc)...seriously!


----------



## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

My granny loves apple peach jelly, she puts juice from both in it.


----------



## ct01r (Jan 21, 2014)

hippygirl I sent you a pm. Curt


----------



## ct01r (Jan 21, 2014)

Another way to thicken it is to bake it in the oven. I cook it on the stove large pots with lids, until all the apple chunks cook away and you have a liquid consistency. (I use a slotted spoon to remove seeds, etc. that find their way in and float to the top.) Then I ladle/pour the mix into pyrex casserole trays, and put them into a 300 degree oven. it usually takes several hours to evaporate enough liquid to thicken it to where I like it. Then you can can as usually. You can add spices/sugar though-out the process. 

I tried using apple "seconds" a few times, but for me, it wasn't worth the savings. I spent more time cutting around spots than what it was worth. I've used firsts the last several years, and only get 1 or 2 apples that I have to trim. Curt


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

don't forget you can use a victoro strainer. you just have to steam the apples for a few mins first . i'm lucky to have a community cannery in our county with all the motorized grinders strainers and GIANT pots you need to go through bushels of apples fast . my secret ingredient is instead of plain cinninmin I use "red hots " candy it adds a great red color . after canned blackberrys applebutter is the most requsted item by my city relitives


----------



## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

In southern Indiana, there's a bit of a fall tradition to enjoy baked apple butter on fried biscuits, as a side to a really good country ham. We cook the apples whole in a wee bit of water, over very low heat. Then we smush them in the pot, add more apples, smush them too, and add more apples, until there's a whole potful. The soft pulpy apple mess goes through a squeezer (I use one on my KitchenAid) and it gets poured into baking pans. The pans fill the oven, and we begin a slow reduction, stirring every half hour or so. After it begins to get fairly thick, I throw a couple of cinnamon sticks in each pan and continue baking. When it's concentrated to almost the consistency of tar, I add sugar to taste and return to the oven, stirring every fifteen minutes or so. 

The fragrance is so rich and strong you can almost sell the smell to people passing by!

This tarry, taffy-like apple/sugar/spice confection goes into hot jars, and then they're doled out to family and friends like the precious jewels they are. People rave. Essence of autumn, with a kiss of sweet spice. 

And nope; store bought doesn't even come close.


----------

