Along Melnea Cass Boulevard here in Roxbury MA, stand a handful of Heirloom Apple trees, the Roxbury Russet. Crisp, sweet and tart, they make great baking apples and yesterday I did a big batch of Spiced Apple Butter. It’s a great activity for a cold rainy day.
A couple of years ago I picked up some legit canning tools; just a jar funnel and jar grabber, but it makes it so much easier.
My amounts are again to taste because I’m doing about a bushel of apples, you could do a decent home batch with a dozen.
To do :
Wash, core and peel apples.
Roughly chop into about 1/8 pieces.
Put on stove at medium heat in double walled, or at least double bottomed pot.
Cover, stirring frequently until liquid starts to come up. Turn down to simmer uncovered for about an hour.
Use stick blender to purée and then add your ground spice. I used:
Mace, Clove, Vietnamese Cinnamon, Ginger.
Turn heat down to lowest possible and keep stirring frequently with stick blender, adding some sugar to taste. I only added about 2 cups for this bushel batch. Using the stick blender repeatedly gives the butter a velvety texture.
You know your butter is reduced enough when it mounds on a spoon and holds it’s shape. At least another hour.
I ended up with about 28 jars.