Apple Butter

[Too Tall]

Lay it on me. I need your best Apple Butter recipe for crockpot cooking.

In a few weeks I'm going to have access to a unlimited supply of apples. The trees were planted at our trailer camp by the good folks who created the place around 1970. There are two varieties, neither are for hand eating. From past results I'd say one is for pies and the other cider. Regardless, both will make for fine apple butter.

I've got my trusty White Mountain apple corer peeler and access to about 6 large crockpots.

The basic plan is to round up some people, pick apples and process them directly into the crockpots. I'll get my helpers to do a very quick rough chop as each apple gets added to the vessels.

This is for refrigerated use, no canning I do not have access to a indoor kitchen or the gumption to boil water ;) LOL I figure there will be enough sugar in these to ward off evil spirits.

This is the recipe I'm starting with:

6 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (added after heat is turned off)

[jmgorman]

That's about what we used last year to great effect. I would add 2T apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to brighten it up. We did one batch with ginger and anise instead of nutmeg and cloves and it was weird but awesome.

[ours were all hand-eatin' apples, though, so don't be bashful with that sugar!]

[JoB]

agreed on the cider vinegar. i also add a lemon per crockpot. The rest just depends on how long/dark you cook it and in a crock pot that isn't easy - take the lid off and let it go dark IMHO.

That's about what we used last year to great effect. I would add 2T apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to brighten it up. We did one batch with ginger and anise instead of nutmeg and cloves and it was weird but awesome.

[ours were all hand-eatin' apples, though, so don't be bashful with that sugar!]

[Will Neide]

Warm fresh bread and apple butter.....yummmmm!

[Too Tall]

Cider Vinegar and a lemon in every pot. Double check.

[RichTheRoadie]

Apple butter?? Never heard of it - now I'm intrigued...

[Too Tall]

Apple butter?? Never heard of it - now I'm intrigued...

Son, this is what you do with too many apples ;)
There are many family traditions I've heard about. Some of the most interesting have common threads. My neighbor's family is from West By G-d. Once a year everyone gathers at the traditional home where all the accoutrements are stored. They use a 100 gallon copper pot, cook over a hardwood fire and the "rule" is that the giant wood stirring paddle never stops moving. My pal gives me a jar every year, it is smokey and wonderful. Each family brings apples from their own trees so the mix is special and unique.

Great stuff, a bit labor intensive.

[WFSTEKL]

I've changed a few diapers in my day. When I was on diaper duty, and my wife was foreman, she would always ask, "vinegar or apple butter?" as I released the little rascal from the custody of the old diaper. I haven't had apple butter since. Is it good?

[Too Tall]

I've changed a few diapers in my day. When I was on diaper duty, and my wife was foreman, she would always ask, "vinegar or apple butter?" as I released the little rascal from the custody of the old diaper. I haven't had apple butter since. Is it good?

Baseball....Clouds in the sky...Ginger Rodgers....Puppies....

[rydesteel]

E.C. Beshears, my Grandpa, made the occasional Brandy with a surplus of apples. back before my day I've been told he made whiskey from a surplus of Corn :>). Apple Butter sounds good Josh, I may need to try some this fall.