4 ½ pounds tart cooking apples* (about 14 medium apples)

4 cups apple cider or apple juice

2 cups sugar

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ ground cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Wash, core, and quarter apples.

Combine apples and cider or juice in a large Dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until apples are very tender. Stir occasionally to avoid scorching.

Press apples and liquid through a food mill.** Return mixture to Dutch oven. Stir in sugar and spices. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over very low heat, about 1 ½ hours or until thick, stirring often to prevent sticking.***

Ladle apple butter into hot, sterilized pint or half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints or 5 minutes for half-pints. Remove jars from canner; cool on racks. Makes 4 pints or 8 half-pints.Notes:

*The classic Granny Smith apple is a great choice for Apple Butter. I happened to be able to get some McIntosh apples, too, so I made this batch from a mix of the two. I should also note that I used apple juice instead of cider because I found a “buy one get one free” sale.

**If you don’t have a food mill, you can press the apples through a sieve or colander using the back of a large serving spoon or ladle. By the way, after helping me do this with a batch of apples, my hubby bought me a food mill.

***This recipe can also be cooked in a crock-pot. If you don’t want to tie up your stove top for a couple of hours, place the spiced mixture into the crock-pot and cook uncovered, on high, for two hours. It takes a little longer, but frees up the stove top.

I love Apple Butter on toast, on oatmeal, and, don’t laugh, swirled into cottage cheese. However, if you do make this, Beware! As the scent of apples and spices simmering together begins to waft through the air, you just might be tempted to play Christmas music way too soon.

After being so pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make Apple Butter, I decided to try my hand at canning applesauce. Wow! That’s even easier than Apple Butter!

12 pounds tart cooking apples

Fruit Fresh™ (optional)

½ - 3 cups sugar

 Directions:

Wash, peel, core, and slice apples.

Optional step: Make a solution of 3 tablespoons Fruit Fresh ™ and 2 quarts water. Soak apples in solution for about ten minutes to prevent browning. Drain completely.

Place apples in large Dutch oven with ½ cup water. Cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until apples are tender. Depending on the variety of apple this should take 5-20 minutes.

Press apples through food mill or sieve for smooth applesauce or simply mash with a potato masher for a chunkier sauce.

Add sugar, if needed, stirring to dissolve completely. The amount of sugar will depend on the tartness of the apples and personal preference.

Reheat to boiling.

Fill hot, sterilized jars with hot sauce, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water bath canner for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts. Remove jars from canner; cool on racks.

As always, when canning, be sure you are familiar with all basic canning procedures to ensure safe canning practices. Cool jars completely and check seals before storing.

My favorite canning resources for both the beginner and the experienced canner are:

Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving, by US Department of Agriculture

Complete Book of Home Preserving, by Ball

Canning & Preserving, by Better Homes and Gardens

Pick Your Own Farms website

If you check out these resources, you’ll notice my recipes are a little different than the ones in the books. I like changing things a bit. However, the canning directions provided here are safe and accurate.

Now, just because I can’t help myself, I’ve added one more Apple-y recipe.

Ingredients

1 orange

1 lemon

1 gallon Apple Cider

5-6 whole cloves

5-6 whole allspice

2-4 cinnamon sticks

¼ cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

Wash and slice orange and lemon into ¼ thick crosswise slices.

Pour Apple Cider into a large crock pot. Add orange and lemon slices, spices and brown sugar. Stir well to dissolve brown sugar.

Heat on low for at least 4 hours to blend flavors. Strain into serving mugs. Strain any leftovers and refrigerate. Mulled Cider reheats very well!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy the recipes!

Betty

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Obviously, with all this baking going on, I go through a lot of supplies which can really strain the budget. One of the most expensive yet most commonly used ingredients is vanilla extract. Since I do not like using imitation anything, my baking habit can get pretty expensive just in vanilla alone. In order to combat the ever-rising price of real vanilla extract, I started making my own. It’s surprisingly simple to make, but please note, the recipe contains alcohol, just like real vanilla extract.

Ingredients

1 quart vodka or brandy*

1-3 vanilla beans**

Pour vodka or brandy into a quart-sized jar.

Using a very sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean(s) down the entire length of the bean but not all the way through. The objective is to expose the seeds inside, to slice the bean into two pieces.

Submerge the bean(s) in the alcohol, and seal the jar tightly. Store jar in a cool, dark place. The mixture needs to steep for about two or three months and should be shaken weekly. I keep mine on my baking shelf behind my most used items so I don’t forget to shake it every once in a while. You should see the tiny seeds floating in the alcohol.

After about two months, open the jar and test the vanilla. I do this by smelling it. At first, you’ll probably smell just alcohol. Leave the lid off the jar for about five minutes and that will dissipate. How does it smell now? If the smell of vanilla isn’t strong, reseal the jar and let steep for another month. If your scent of vanilla is rich and strong, then your extract is ready to use. You might find it easier to refill a small bottle continually rather than trying to work out of the quart-sized jar. Also, be careful to filter out the seeds as you refill your bottle.

*Both vodka and brandy are good choices for making vanilla extract because they absorb the flavor of the vanilla easily. The biggest difference is color. Both vodka and brandy will yield a brown vanilla extract, however the vodka will be a lighter shade. Also, some people will swear that only the finest vodka or brandy will create a good vanilla extract. Me? I buy the cheap stuff, and have yet to be disappointed.

**Vanilla beans can be difficult to find and very expensive to purchase. Believe it or not, I recommend checking out a local health food store. Many health food stores carry Frontier organic herbs and spices at amazingly low prices. Also, the strength of the beans you use will determine how many you use. Does the bean have a really strong scent? Then you might need only one. I usually use two or three. When the jar is looking a little empty, I refill it with vodka, and add one vanilla bean, leaving the old beans in the jar to help flavor the new batch.

Making vanilla extract at home does require patience. However, it has saved me a significant amount of money. My initial investment on a quart of vanilla extract was equal to the price of a 4-oz bottle. I got eight times the vanilla for the same price! Now that’s a savings!

Thanks for stopping by.

Betty