Apple Butter Day (Ladies in the Kitchen)

March 08, 2019




Happy Lady Day 2019!

While most of the secular world is celebrating the communist holiday International Women's Day, I've chosen to mark out this day with fellow traditionalists by celebrating Lady Day. You can find out more information on this year's Lady Day celebration HERE.

I mentioned in last year's post that true femininity revolved around the interior. Taking this years' theme about courageous motherhood in stride, I want to document one aspect on how my mother and I work together to provide food for the family - making apple butter.

Does anyone recall reading the Felicity books from American Girl, when Felicity was helping her mother make apple butter? That scene always resonated with me because we go through a lot of apple butter. My brother Robert loves a thick layer of it on practically every piece of bread....and we do give some away to our car mechanic (after all, it's a full time job keeping our fleet of used cars running in tip top shape....)

So, when we were going through the stores this fall....it was no surprise that the apple butter was running a little short. 

So, what is a woman to do...but roll her sleeves up and get to work!



First step was to wash all the jars. We store all of our jars in the basement, and there are lot of nasty things down there (spiders, dust, etc.)  



We do water-bath canning for all of our canning needs. 
The next step is to fill the jars with water.



And then the big jar is filled 2/3rds full with water. 

We set that to boil, and then we turn our attention to the apples!


We used Winesap apples, which are meant more for cooking than eating. We have a local orchard that we source them from every single year. 

The scale is for determining the weight of the apples, but we only use it for half the apples. Don't ask, I haven't been able to figure that one out either. It's one of those secrets I still need to learn from my mother....




The next step was to wash the apples - because Mommy always taught me to wash stuff before cooking with it. Don't they look just gorgeous??



Chopping all the apples into pieces came next. Because of the not-so-ideal storage conditions, we had several with rotting spots on them. Yick.These pictured were quite honestly the best of the bunch.




And now, to the stove to cook down. We don't peel or core them at first because the peels/core are a natural source of pectin, which binds the apple together into a smooth puree rather than a watery lump of fruit solids.




The cores and seeds get removed here by placing the cooking apples into a strainer (on the left). It's over a glass measuring cup.



Working it like a pestle, the puree is forced out the little holes leaving the big seeds and pieces of cooked peel behind. This is often my favorite part of the process - and I think it's my mother's favorite too!


What's left after straining. Often times, I'll scrape the pestle and inside of the strainer half-way through and mash it again to make sure it all gets out.




Forgive the angle of this picture, it was the only way I could catch all three posts. On the far right is the pot with the cooked apples (complete with it's own spatula), in the middle is the strainer with all the yummy applesauce, and to the right is another measuring cup with applesauce from previous "strainings". It's important to keep track how much applesauce is made from the apples, as that determines the amount of sugar and spices go into the final product.




After all the applesauce is strained and measured, it's returned to a (now clean) pot and then cups of sugar and spoonfuls of spices (cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg) are put in. A little lemon juice is also added to cut the sweetness. 

In the background, you can kinda see the pot with the rings and lids. These were set to boil while the apple butter was reducing to sterilize them.


The above picture proves that even in my mid-twenties, I still need guidance from my mother on some things....

Bonehead Mistake #1: Forgot to add water while jars were boiling. Result: Water boiled away.

Remedy: more water.

Proceed to Bonehead Mistake #2: Adding cold water to boiling hot glass jars.

Let me 'splain something about glass: adding cold water to hot glass shocks it. And when glass gets shocked....it breaks. In this case, the bottom of the jars cracked away from the rest of the jar.

There were only two casualties, thank heavens, and the glass was very easy to clean up.

So a word to the wise.....always add HOT water when sterilizing jars!!!!!! 


Once the apple butter has thickened to the point of "sheeting", it's time to put it in the jars. Here, my mom is using a canning funnel to catch all the drips off the ladle, and holding it by a set of canning tongs. After all, the jars are ridiculously hot. 

The jar rims are then wiped off and a lid and ring are put on the jar. They are then carefully placed back into the water bath, where they will boil for 10 minutes.



Once this is done, the jars of apple butter are lifted out and placed on the counter. Over the course of several hours, little pops will be heard as the vacuum seals activate. Any jars that don't seal get immediately placed in the refrigerator to be used.


And there is the finished product! All that is left is to label it and stick in the pantry shelf....where I dare say, it won't last more than a few months, LOL.

Working alongside of my mother during this past year or so, has really cemented our relationship further. It is not just teaching me skills that I will need in my future, it's giving that courageously hidden example of embracing the cross of womanhood.

Now it is your turn to talk! What quality time activities do you do with your mother? Do you have a favorite canned food? Chat with me in the comments!

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

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8 comments

  1. Mmm apple butter. :D We make our own as well and it's loads of fun to make (and eat).
    My mom and I have always bonded over books and British television. :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh that's cool, Kathryn!

      That is neat - books and TV are always great things to bond over and Brit TV is one of the best out there :)

      Delete
  2. LOL that breaking off the jars is totally something I would do. :) We put the jars in the oven on 350 to warm them up. I like apple butter :D

    Lia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL!

      Really? How would you sterilize them? (that's the reason we boil them).

      I do too :)

      Delete
  3. Oh this is so neat! Makes me want to run into the kitchen, roll up my sleeves, and start making something. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Megan!! I know what you mean - everytime someone posts a recipe or something, I want to go try it!

      Delete
  4. Yum! My grandma always used to make apple butter!! It's so good, and definitely doesn't last long...

    ReplyDelete

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