Apple Butter

When Use Jonathan, Winesap, Stayman, Golden Delicious, MacIntosh, or other tasty apple varieties for good results. Use sterilized jars.

8 pounds apples
2 cups cider
2 cups vinegar
2¼ cups white sugar
2¼ cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves

Wash, remove the stems, and quarter and core the fruit. Cook slowly in cider and vinegar until soft. Press the fruit through a colander, food mill, or strainer.

Cook the fruit pulp with the sugar and spices, stirring frequently. To test for doneness, remove a spoonful and hold it away from the steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon. Another way to determine when the butter is cooked adequately is to spoon a small quantity onto a plate. When a rim of liquid does not separate around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning.

Fill sterile half-pint or pint jars with the hot product, leaving ¼-inch head space. Quart jars need not be pre-sterilized. Adjust the lids and process.

At 0 to 1000 feet in altitude, process pints or half-pints for 5 minutes and quarts for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Add 5 minutes to processing times at altitudes above 1000 feet. Yield: About 8 to 9 pints

Reprinted with permission of the University of Georgia. Anne Rood &Elizabeth L. Andress. 2003. Apples are Peaking; Choose the Best Preservation Method. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension Service.
 

Other September 2006 Articles:
   Pick a Peck of Apples for Later Enjoyment
   Store Canned Foods in a Dry, Cool Place
   Store Your Canner Wisely
   Sterilizing Jars
   May I Can Pumpkin Butter?