Apple Butter
When I was a kid, my family had a great mid-October tradition, we'd drive out in the country to get our Halloween pumpkin at this place where a guy had his front yard covered in pumpkins that he grew and a farm stand filled fresh apples, sweet corn, beans, and other fall goodies. The thing I remember the most about that place was how much I loved the smell! The combination of leaf litter, apples, fresh produce, and maybe a hint of wood smoke, it was the essence of fall.
On our way home we'd stop at this little country store where they sold the world's best apple butter ever. They made it the old fashioned way, which I remember watching one time. Basically, they filled a HUGE cast iron kettle with sliced apples and spices and cooked it over a wood fire all day until the apples had all caramalized into an ugly looking, but divine tasting mush. I've sampled apple butter all over since then, but found none to compare to it.
While DAT and I were out picking blueberries a week ago, we noticed that they also had an apple tree to pick apples from (at around 50 cent/lb no less) so we filled up a bag with somewhat ugly, but perfectly good for cooking apples. DAT and I got out my apple peeler/corer/slicer and we went to town filling up my crockpot with slices (plus some sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of cloves). I cooked them down on high for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until they at least looked like apple butter. I just tried it. It tastes different than the amazing apple butter of my youth, but it's a close second and quite scrumptious, like caramelized apple pie. I consider this a success! Yum!
On our way home we'd stop at this little country store where they sold the world's best apple butter ever. They made it the old fashioned way, which I remember watching one time. Basically, they filled a HUGE cast iron kettle with sliced apples and spices and cooked it over a wood fire all day until the apples had all caramalized into an ugly looking, but divine tasting mush. I've sampled apple butter all over since then, but found none to compare to it.
While DAT and I were out picking blueberries a week ago, we noticed that they also had an apple tree to pick apples from (at around 50 cent/lb no less) so we filled up a bag with somewhat ugly, but perfectly good for cooking apples. DAT and I got out my apple peeler/corer/slicer and we went to town filling up my crockpot with slices (plus some sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of cloves). I cooked them down on high for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until they at least looked like apple butter. I just tried it. It tastes different than the amazing apple butter of my youth, but it's a close second and quite scrumptious, like caramelized apple pie. I consider this a success! Yum!