And of course when you're there, you have to stop in Nashville and pick up some apple butter. Yum! If you don't know what apple butter is, it's an apple spread with lots of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc). It's a super thick apple sauce consistency, and my favorite thing to put it on is homemade biscuits (this recipe pairs VERY well with these biscuits).
I adapted my recipe from this one (I prefer some of the ingredients, and I wanted to do it in the crock pot since slow cooking is important in making apple butter) and from the Utah State University Extension--the latter is my go-to when I'm canning because I know I can trust them to give me a safe recipe that has all of the correct directions. ***Sidenote, whenever you find a canning recipe online, it would be wise to check it with a trusted source. I've seen so many that don't mention the amount of headspace needed or leave out key ingredients (spaghetti sauce and green beans, for example, have to be done a certain way or with certain ingredients, or you're putting yourself and anyone who eats it in serious danger of some major food poisoning.) Just because your grandma did it that way, or you've never gotten sick, it doesn't mean it's safe. One of the most important things to check is processing times. If the recipe gives you an exact time for processing (i.e. 15 mins in a water bath canner), check with another source. Processing depends on the size of your jar (pint vs. qt), whether you're doing hot pack or cold pack, and the altitude of your location. Fifteen minutes might be correct for the blogger, but it doesn't mean it's right for you.***
If you'd rather not can it, just put it in jars and place in the fridge (or freeze it). I'm not sure of the shelf life. Usually jam is a couple weeks, but many people say it keeps longer, so use your best judgement. That is another reason I use pint jars, so I don't have an open jar for too long.
Printable Recipe
Crockpot Apple Butter
Use
Jonathan, Winesap, Stayman, Golden Delicious, MacIntosh, or other tasty apple
varieties for good results.
8
lbs apples
2
cups apple cider
2-1/4
cups white sugar
2-1/4
cups packed brown sugar
2
tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2
tsp ground cloves
1
tsp nutmeg
Yield:
About 8 to 9 pints (I ended up with 6 pints)
Procedure:
Wash,
remove stems, quarter, and core fruit. (I used an apple corer, peeler, slicer
and that made the process a lot faster.)
Place all ingredients in
crock pot and stir so all apples are coated. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce to
LOW for 8 to 10 hours; stir occasionally.
Once the apples are a rich
brown color and mash easily, drain off excess liquid.
Use either a blender, hand-blender or food processor, and blend just for a few seconds to get a good, thick consistency (it should look like a thick, slightly chunky applesauce).
Fill
hot into sterile half-pint or pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Quart jars
need not be presterilized but should be clean and kept hot until filling.
Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a
dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process.
Recommended process time for Apple Butter in a
boiling-water canner
(from the USU Extension)
Process Time at Altitudes of
Style Jar 0– 1,001– Above
of Pack Size 1,000 ft 6,000 ft 6,000 ft
Hot Half-pints 5 min 10 15
or Pints
Quarts 10 15
20
