That will free up a lot of storage space.
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I watched this video when he first made it. I was impressed with how well it kept when he did a review a year later. I would like to try and make some like that , just to try out.
Here is my report;
Boiled down 5 qts cider ,until it was about 1qt.
Added this to pealed ,cored sliced apples in a large “turkey pan”
In "very slow oven, " about 2hrs the apples were cooked.
Ran through a blender until smooth.
Retuned to turkey pan , oven all day. Stiring only occasionally .
At bed time it was thick, but not thick enough,put in refrigerator over night.
Day 2: oven for 5 hrs, started to get really thick.
I would put dollops on a cool plate to test for thickness .
At first they spread out like a pan cake, then later they would kind of stand up.
I would shape the dollops with a spoon and butter knife while hot in to the tallest cone shape I could , and see if it would stand up, and stay there.
( in concrete work this is called a slump test )
When they would stand up 2 inches. I was (and still am) … happy.
Packed into a boiled stone ware crock, covered with parchment paper.
To be honest I lost count in all the excitement of it all ,but total I think a bu. Of apples in there, approximately 1.5 qt. crock,which is really amazing.
Here are photos of dollops and crock.
The quarters are for size comparison ,
The $100.00 bill would be the miminum esatamated value of the crock !
Thanks-- skillCult ,for the idea
Hillbillyhort
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I believe the hot dollop slump test could be very useful to determine when it’s “ready” . Not saying I have this figured out. ( just sayin )
Awesome report! I like the slump test idea. Better get an apple butter safe…
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Just a closeup of the hot dollop slump test.
As stated above I made these right out of the oven (" hot ")
24hr. Later they are just as befor , Frozen in time ,I knew I was getting in the ball park when I saw that pointy tip standing there,…and it still is.
Thinking of putting them " under glass " in my science experiment museum for observation , eat one every 5yrs or so.?
As stated above I made these right out of the oven (" hot ")
24hr. Later they are just as befor , Frozen in time ,I knew I was getting in the ball park when I saw that pointy tip standing there,…and it still is.
Thinking of putting them " under glass " in my science experiment museum for observation , eat one every 5yrs or so.?
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Nice writeup, Hill! The idea of your slump test samples under glass gave me a chuckle as I imagined that your house guests might mistake it for,some sort of scatalogical display😀
I made another batch over the past couple days, using only my Blue Pearmain apples, and their mild richness comes through nicely, not nearly as zing-y as previous batch where I used mixed apples, some of which were more subacid in flavor. It would be neat to try this with true ‘sweet’ apples, and those are the only ones I will be adding to my orchard this year as I’ve come to recognize their niche in cooking and cider.
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I tracked how many apples I used, and approximate volumes. BPMs are fairly dry, so cider yields are low for this variety. 100 apples went into cider, giving me around 1.25 gal, and 30 apples were peeled cored and quartered for around 12 cups of chunks. Cooked on the woodstove in enamel lined cast iron crock, filled with cider, reduced bymhalf, topped off with apples…2.5 days later with occasional stiring, final volume is around 1/3-1/4 full, meaning it reduced to around a fifth of original volume. Taste is buttery and caramel-good stuff as a spread, in morning oatmeal, and looking forward to trying it as an accompaniment to savory meat dishes, with pork, duck.
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Thanks to the many great ideas here , this is the latest :
Skillcult suggested an apple butter safe .
I like hiding things in plane site.
Jess’s mentioned that it resembled scat. ( shit)
So combining these ideas and a few of my own…
I have them now on display ,in my science museum display,
Labeled as “Apple raccoon scat” do not eat.
Appropriately right next to a photo of my “x” ( another science experiment gone terribly wrong)
Right now I am betting the hot apple dollops will be there long after the photo is gone
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Hey Thanks Skillcult Steven after searching your post came up just saw it now.
Lots of cool stuff to look at, and try
Not for apples but I just bought a bunch of Mexican hawthorns tejotes
and have a bunch already mashed up
(My mistake a few weeks ago I always have just boiled whole fruit, and make syrup concentrate with sugar , & to add to water , and dilute when ready to drink (ponche) to save space
except maybe now I can make those in fridge into shelf stable butter since it’s all messed up
(I still have 5 lbs fruit though for syrup may buy 100 pounds if I can for juice syrup.)
I saw this about apple butter from a 350 acre apple farm Mendus apple farm
(Eau Claire Michigan. 150 S.E miles of me)
Unfortunately In The owner got sick from a Mosquito bite (Eastern equine encephalitis )
So I hope He recovers ,and the new owners do well, but this photo captures his spirit .
His approach was to boil down 20 gallons of cider to 5 ,
and add 80 to 100 pounds of pealed cored apples slices in a 30 gallon copper kettle
https://web.archive.org/web/20060208075111/http://www.tree-mendus.com/articles/apple_butter.html%20
The History of Tree-Mendus Apple Butter
Our unique apple butter began in the 1976 celebration of our Bicentennial, when we chose to plant 200 heritage apple trees…one for each of 200 years as a nation.
Many people ask what flavorings we add to the apple butter we make. We do not add any additional flavoring to our apple butter…its wonderful taste is a blend of the flavors of the heritage apple varieties which we produce on our farm.
We find that the best time for capturing the natural flavors of most fruits is during their normal maturity. In the apple that comes sometime after mid-September and can last into December, depending on the variety.
It has been my desire to learn the special traits of each cultivar. My interest was kindled by reading notes that my father had made. I found them tucked between the pages of a book after his death in 1968.
After reading about the older varities, I began searching the old orchards collecting scion wood then grafting it onto seedling roots. Right about that time I met Mr. Theo Grootendorst and Mr. Robert Nitschke. They had been collecting and propagating heritage cultivars and were willing to supply my needs…so it was easy for me to start my education with many old varieties.
The Apple Butter Process
Every fall during September, we erect a temporary 8’x 8’ shelter on the lawn near our country market. This shelter is designed with screens all the way around so that visitors may view the process of making apple butter as it may have been during the colonial period.
This shelter has a door, which may be secured. All efforts have been made to keep insects out. The aroma of fresh apples cooking does attract many bees, and caution must be taken to protect the public.
We cook the apple butter in a 30 gallon copper kettle that was used by friends and neighbors for many years. We were awarded custody of it about 20 years ago by a senior member. Until that time, a group of neighbors got together to make apple butter collectively each fall.
We start by about 20 gallons of cooking fresh, unpasturized cider down to about 20% (5 gallons) of the original volume to capture the concentrated flavors which are offered in the natural juice from the heritage apples. After we’re satisfied with this blend of flavors from the concentrated juice, we add 80-100 pounds of selected peeled, fresh heritage apple slices, while continuing to stir over medium heat. Selecting the apples for apple butter is much like selecting apples for cider. We consider the flavors of the apples of that year and make our best guess at the result.
The paddle we use to stir the apple butter is home made from a sugar maple tree. As you can see from the photo, this paddle is large enough to reach to the bottom of the 30 gallon kettle, and the handle is long enough so the attendant may stand back from the heat from the fire. The holes in the paddle are there to help move the fruit and reduce friction when stirring. When the apple butter is done, it will stick onto the holes when lifting the paddle up from the kettle.
Herbert F. Teichman
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Great story. Always love eating good apple butter.