Apple Butter

Apple Butter

(7-8 half pint jars)

Ingredients:

6 cups Sliced Apples (your choice), peeled & cored

3 cups Sugar

1 tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg

½ tsp. Ground Cloves

As needed Paraffin Wax

Directions:

In a large sauce pan with a half inch of water, place the sliced apples.  Cover with a lid and turn heat on to low.  Cook until the apples get mushy.  Using either a cone sieve or a ricer put the apples through the devise.  Now return apples to the pan and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves combining ingredients.  Turn the heat up to medium and cook uncovered until mixture thickens.  Remember to stir the mixture often as it will take about 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and fill sterilized jars to within a half inch of the top.  Add melted wax (see note below) to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch.  Let apple butter and wax cool down before putting lids on jars.  The apple butter does not need to be refrigerated until after you have removed the wax seal.  Store the jars in a dark cool place.

Note:               To seal with paraffin wax, please be careful.  Place a small to medium sauce on the stove top with an inch of water in it.  Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.  Place a disposable foil pie pan on top of the sauce pan.  Cut one slab of wax (4 in a box) into several pieces and carefully place them in the pie pan.  The heat will melt the wax.  Once all the wax in the pie pan has melted, carefully pour over the apple butter in the jars.  Repeat the process until all the jars are sealed.

Note:               If you don’t have fresh apples, you can use unsweetened apple sauce instead.  This way you can make apple butter year round and it’s less expensive, too.  Just combine all the ingredients over medium heat until thickened (30-45 minutes) to your desired thickness.  Remember to stir often.

Note:               To sterilize jars, you can place them in boiling water for a few minutes.  USDA guidelines suggest 15 minutes of boiling for the jars.  Be sure to use only clean equipment when making jellies or canning other products.

Efforts Ideas for Future

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