With the abundance of apple orchard posts that have been popping up on all of my East Coast friends' blogs I figured it is time for me to chime in with my own. My mom has a lovely house on about an acre of land. There's blackberries, deer frolicking, pear trees and apple trees. After living in the city for the past several years, these country perks that I took for granted have piqued my interest.
I picked about 5 pounds of apples that were still a little tart and got to work coring and quartering them. I had just been to a diner with those little jelly packets of apple butter, it was so delicious that I decided to try my hand at it. My mom told me about the university extension websites that have detailed how to's on everything from gardening to canning to butchering. If you need any type of "live off the land" instruction google it with the word "extension" and you're set. I followed this apple butter recipe very loosely and used about 5 pounds apples, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and lots of spices. I cooked it all down till it was mush, strained it (with a pasta strainer!), cooked it for an hour longer and then canned it using the boiling method. I am happy to report that my first canning trial turned out perfectly! The butter is delicious and I have about 5 jars to give as gifts this fall.
I picked about 5 pounds of apples that were still a little tart and got to work coring and quartering them. I had just been to a diner with those little jelly packets of apple butter, it was so delicious that I decided to try my hand at it. My mom told me about the university extension websites that have detailed how to's on everything from gardening to canning to butchering. If you need any type of "live off the land" instruction google it with the word "extension" and you're set. I followed this apple butter recipe very loosely and used about 5 pounds apples, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and lots of spices. I cooked it all down till it was mush, strained it (with a pasta strainer!), cooked it for an hour longer and then canned it using the boiling method. I am happy to report that my first canning trial turned out perfectly! The butter is delicious and I have about 5 jars to give as gifts this fall.
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