In this tutorial I am going to teach you how to make and can gold rush apple butter. People have cooked down fruit to preserve it for hundreds of years. Apple butter is just apples that have been cooked until the sugars in them have caramelized. In this recipe we add sugar to speed up this process. Apple butter does not have any dairy products in it. It is just called "butter" because of its thick, soft consistency. Many cultures have modified the butter by adding spices such as allspice or cinnamon, licorice, a sweet herb found in Europe and Asia, and sometimes even vinegar to make a tart butter. Today I will just use spices.
Apple butter has many uses. I prefer using it as a spread on toast, muffins, or rolls. There are many recipes that use apple butter as well such as apple butter pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple butter bread, apple butter cake, etc. Gold Rush apples tend to have a grittier texture than most apples and have a hint of sour, perfect for apple butter.
WARNING!!! FOLLOW THIS RECIPE AS STATED. DO NOT MODIFY UNLESS I SAY YOU CAN. IT MAY GET YOU SEVERELY ILL OR EVEN KILL IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THE RECIPE AS FOLLOWS.
Add enough water in water bath canner to cover the jars by about 2 inches. Bring water in water bath canner to rolling boil. In a large pot place six half pint (8 ounce) jars or jelly jars, six bands, and six lids. Pour in enough water into the pot so that the tops of the jars are covered. Bring to a simmer. No more and no less, otherwise you may not be able to create a good seal or the jars may crack.
Peel, slice, and pit the apples. Slicing the apples into eighths should be good. Give the apples a quick rinse and place in a large saucepan. Add 2 cups of water to the apples and bring to a simmer. If water simmers out and uncovers the top of the jars during the process, add more water. Occasionally stir the apples and water until they can easily be pierced with a spoon. Now strain the water out and puree apples. Do not liquefy!! If you want you may leave a few remain chunks of apple in the mixture if you want a chunkier butter. Return to high heat and add sugar and spices. Once brought to a boil stir frequently to avoid sticking to the sides and clumping together. It will be done once it has turned a dark brown (sugars caramelizing) and can barely hold its shape. If you think it is too thick you can add a little water or apple juice.
Now you are going to want to remove one of the jars (dumping out the water of course) and pack with the apple butter till' there is ¼ inch head space (Measure from top of jar to surface level of apple butter). Clean the rim of the jar with wet cloth, removing any residue that may have gathered there. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE A SEAL! Take a band from you water and place on top of jar. Now screw on a band until finger tight. Repeat with the rest of the jars. Now place all jars in water bath canner and place on the lid. Let boil in the water for 10 minutes, no more, no less. Now you are to remove the jars and let set for 12 hours before you proceed to the next step. If you had left over apple butter that you couldn't fit in the jars you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
After 12 or more hours have elapsed you want to remove the band and push down on the top of the seal. If it is flexed down and doesn't move when you push, then it has a good seal. You also want to lightly twist the top to see if a seal has been created. If so, label and store for days, weeks, months, or years. If a seal hasn't been created, then you are going to want to try to reseal in the water bath canner for another 10 minutes and let set for another 12 hours. If a seal still isn't created the jar is bad. Do not try to use another jar. You will either have to throw out the butter or eat it before it goes bad.
If you go to your butter after a few months and mold has grown on the top, chances are this is a friendly mold and you can scrape it off of the top. If mold has grown on the middle or the bottom throw out the butter. If there is no seal when you come to open the jar, throw out.
Thanks for watching!! Have a good day.
Jake E. Stief
If you have any questions or comments E-Mail me at crazyjake451@yahoo.com
Lz Productions Baken' Jake Productions
Jake E. Stief; Jakob Stief
Apple butter has many uses. I prefer using it as a spread on toast, muffins, or rolls. There are many recipes that use apple butter as well such as apple butter pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple butter bread, apple butter cake, etc. Gold Rush apples tend to have a grittier texture than most apples and have a hint of sour, perfect for apple butter.
WARNING!!! FOLLOW THIS RECIPE AS STATED. DO NOT MODIFY UNLESS I SAY YOU CAN. IT MAY GET YOU SEVERELY ILL OR EVEN KILL IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THE RECIPE AS FOLLOWS.
Ingredients:
- 12 (4 lbs) Gold Rush Apples
- 4 Cups Sugar
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Cloves
Add enough water in water bath canner to cover the jars by about 2 inches. Bring water in water bath canner to rolling boil. In a large pot place six half pint (8 ounce) jars or jelly jars, six bands, and six lids. Pour in enough water into the pot so that the tops of the jars are covered. Bring to a simmer. No more and no less, otherwise you may not be able to create a good seal or the jars may crack.
Peel, slice, and pit the apples. Slicing the apples into eighths should be good. Give the apples a quick rinse and place in a large saucepan. Add 2 cups of water to the apples and bring to a simmer. If water simmers out and uncovers the top of the jars during the process, add more water. Occasionally stir the apples and water until they can easily be pierced with a spoon. Now strain the water out and puree apples. Do not liquefy!! If you want you may leave a few remain chunks of apple in the mixture if you want a chunkier butter. Return to high heat and add sugar and spices. Once brought to a boil stir frequently to avoid sticking to the sides and clumping together. It will be done once it has turned a dark brown (sugars caramelizing) and can barely hold its shape. If you think it is too thick you can add a little water or apple juice.
Now you are going to want to remove one of the jars (dumping out the water of course) and pack with the apple butter till' there is ¼ inch head space (Measure from top of jar to surface level of apple butter). Clean the rim of the jar with wet cloth, removing any residue that may have gathered there. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE A SEAL! Take a band from you water and place on top of jar. Now screw on a band until finger tight. Repeat with the rest of the jars. Now place all jars in water bath canner and place on the lid. Let boil in the water for 10 minutes, no more, no less. Now you are to remove the jars and let set for 12 hours before you proceed to the next step. If you had left over apple butter that you couldn't fit in the jars you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
After 12 or more hours have elapsed you want to remove the band and push down on the top of the seal. If it is flexed down and doesn't move when you push, then it has a good seal. You also want to lightly twist the top to see if a seal has been created. If so, label and store for days, weeks, months, or years. If a seal hasn't been created, then you are going to want to try to reseal in the water bath canner for another 10 minutes and let set for another 12 hours. If a seal still isn't created the jar is bad. Do not try to use another jar. You will either have to throw out the butter or eat it before it goes bad.
If you go to your butter after a few months and mold has grown on the top, chances are this is a friendly mold and you can scrape it off of the top. If mold has grown on the middle or the bottom throw out the butter. If there is no seal when you come to open the jar, throw out.
Thanks for watching!! Have a good day.
Jake E. Stief
If you have any questions or comments E-Mail me at crazyjake451@yahoo.com
Lz Productions Baken' Jake Productions
Jake E. Stief; Jakob Stief
