Butter me up

The Chief Taster and I decided to go apple picking one day this fall, mainly because she had the day off and we wanted to go do something.  Something that enables food usually seems like a good idea, and I had a lot of ideas for how to use apples.  Namely, I wanted to make apple butter.

The only time I clearly remember making apple butter was on a Scout outing.  It was a big council-wide event, and each troop had some sort of activity set up for people as we all cycled through the various areas.  My troop had built a rope bridge between two trees, but we also had a big iron pot sitting on the fire all day with apple butter slowly simmering.  That's the traditional way to make apple butter: outside, in a large batch, with a big group of people.  That's because you have to cook the stuff, stirring constantly, for about two hours, and it helps to have someone else take a turn with the spoon.  Sadly, they won't let me start fires in the courtyard outside our building, so I hung out by the stove for a while with a crossword and my nook.

Apple Butter
4 pounds apples
1 C cider vinegar
2 C water
about 4 C sugar
salt
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t allspice
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

1. Quarter the apples and put them in a large pot with the cider and vinegar.  Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
2. Run through a mill (I have one of these, but Mom used one similar to this.  Either works.) and measure result.  Add 1/2 C sugar for every C of apple pulp.  Add seasonings, lemon rind, and lemon juice.
3. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat 1-2 hours, stirring constantly.  You want it thick.  The longer you cook, the thicker it will get.

A couple notes: the nice thing about either of those food mills is that they mash and strain what you want, and leave what you don't want.  Seeds, stems, peel, and core chunks can be separated, and you only get tasty apple pulp in your food, so you don't need to core and peel the apples first.  In fact, you shouldn't.  Natural fruit pectin is in the cores, and that will help the apple butter gel.  I had a little trouble while cooking the apple chunks, because only the ones which were down in the vinegar and water got soft.  Solution: scoop apples out of the bottom and run those chunks through the mill while others cook.  If it feels soft, it's ready to mill.

You'll want to have your jars and lids prepared by the time you finish.  Use your favorite method; I boiled the lids and put the jars in the dishwasher.  I don't have a funnel, so I had to be very careful while ladling the apple butter into jars.  Leave a little headspace at the top, make sure there's no apple goop in the threads, and screw the lids on tight.  Then set the jars aside, and leave them alone.  You might hear the lids pop down as the jars cool.  They'll be safe for quite a while until you open the lids--then you should put them in the fridge.