Saturday, September 20, 2008

Apple Butter and a Dear Friend

Long, long ago in a large kettle far away simmered the best apple butter in the entire universe.

Everyone came, everyone stirred, everyone sampled and everyone took home fresh homemade jars of apple butter.

I do not like store bought apple butter. It does not look like and it does not taste like the kind that simmered in the big kettle in Grandma's yard.

Lucky for me, a dear friend and neighbor who is not with us anymore, gave me a recipe for stove top apple butter.

The beautiful red color far outshines the dull brown color of the store bought variety.


Don't you agree?

She gave me the recipe one day while I visited her.

If you're making it from fresh apples, peel and slice apples and add them to a large cooking pot till it is full. Add small amount of water and cook until tender.

Remove apples from pot and mix in a blender until a smooth consistency.
You should now have 8 cups of applesauce.

STOVE TOP APPLE BUTTER

8 cups of applesauce
5 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of cinnamon drops
1/3 cup vinegar

Stir together the above ingredients and put on stove and bring to boil.
When boiling, stir constantly for 20 minutes.
Add 1 drop of cinnamon oil (like you use for hard rock candy)

Put in 5 sterilized pint jars.
Make sure the jars seal.

It is soooo good! If you don't have apples, buy the unsweetened applesauce and use it.
It's quicker and it cuts out the chore of peeling, slicing, and cooking of the apples. This is what I do if I run out of canned apple butter in the winter or spring.

Sweet rusty West Virginia yellow delicious apples. You can't beat them for taste.


We didn't have very many of these delicious apples, so you better believe I'm going to be buying applesauce this year to make my Stove Top Apple Butter.

I like to eat apple butter plain and on a biscuit. Some people think I'm crazy, but I also like to eat apple butter on sausage patties and with pinto beans. Mmmm Mmmm.

How do you eat your apple butter?

10 comments:

  1. Hey Little Sis, I remember apple butter making day at grandma's. The grownups took turns stirring and us kids played together. I remember once it being cold and show even flurring. The homemade apple butter is the best. It is one of my favorites. I like it in a bowl of pinto beans. I like it also on toast or even just to make a plain sandwich with it. I should make it the way you do. I just buy from the store even though it isn't nearly as good.

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  2. Mmmm I love apple butter. I've canned 2 runs this summer and hope to do more. I can eat it on biscuits-with peanut butter on a sandwich-and I use it to make fried pies. Now I may have to give it a try with my next pot of pintos!

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  3. I love apple butter with butter on fresh bread! We got up to the country place this weekend to find that the neighbor has a few big trees and just lets the apples fall - we could had 'em if we were a week earlier!

    Your recipe surely looks delicious. Way better than the brown stuff!

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  4. I like to use apple butter on my potato pancakes! Just as a change from applesauce.

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  5. Thanks everyone for your comments, you've given me some new ideas of how to eat my apple butter.

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  6. Thanks for posting this recipe! I also love apple butter, and I don't believe that what they sell in grocery stores should be allowed to wear the label. What about truth in labeling?

    I can't wait to try this.

    Laurie

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  7. I'm new to this, so forgive me if this is a stupid question..... Is the cinnamon drops the same as the cinnamon oil? In the ingredients it says 1/2 cup cinnamon drops but in the directions it states to add 1 drop of cinnamon oil. I just want to do this right! This sounds so delicious!!

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  8. Hi Anonymous, the cinnamon drops are those little hot candies you buy in a bag. I call them 'red hots' sometimes. They are red and little and very good. They add a little flavor and a little red color to the apple butter. Only add 1 drop of the cinnamon oil! Good luck with the recipe, it is very good. I posted here about it, too, and it shows pictures of what they look like. http://janetsmart.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-to-do-with-apples.html

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  9. Never thought about using the little cinnamon red hots in apple butter that sounds good and it's so pretty too. I do use them when I make apple jelly sometimes it gives it a good flavor and a nice color too!

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  10. love apple butter with butter on fresh bread!

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