Apple Butter - Freezer Style

It seems like Fall came upon us really quickly this year. I think that part of it was the lack of true warm summer here in San Diego. I am such a sun/beach baby that it made for kind of a depressing summer, but at the same time, how can I truly complain living here in Coronado. Ok... on to cooking.


I talked with my mom the other day and she was busy in the kitchen canning away. My parents have always had an abundance of fruit (nectarines, peaches, plums) and veges (tomatos, peppers, beans) growing on their property. I remember growing up learning how to can tomato sauce, oven-roasted tomatoes, peaches, peach jam, nectarines, and a lot of other stuff. I currently don't have the room or resources to do full batches of canned goods, but a wonderful alternative is finding recipes that are "Freezer Ready" vs. canned the old-fashioned way.


I started with Apple Butter...
The September 2010 Daring Cooks' challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John's source of food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation. 


Recipe
5lbs Apples - I used Golden Delicious
1 cups water or apple cider
1/2 cup sugar
1tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp  ground cloves

  

1. Wash apples & peel them. Core them & then cut into eighths. 
2. Combine apples & 1 cup of liquid into 8-quart saucepan. Cook slowly & stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until apples are very soft & falling apart.

3. Once apples are done, remove from heat & mash using a potato masher. 

4. Add sugar & spices into pulp. Simmer slowly over low heat, stirring frequently. 

Note: When cooking down apples, you want to leave the lid ajar or use a splatter screen. This will allow for evaporation. Another trick is to lay 2 wooden spoons across the top of the pan and balance the lid on top leaving a small gap.

5. To test for doneness, spoon a small quantity onto a small plate. When the butter mounds on the plate without liquid separating from it, it is ready for processing.

6. Pour apple butter into desired containers. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to a year. 

Apple Butter is often used as a spread on toast, but is also used as a condiment (with pork chops or in marinades) and can be used as an ingredient for quick apple bread.