Apple butter (recipe)

Apparently there are big festivals in the US where all they make is apple butter. You can also make pear butter, or even pumpkin butter, using this recipe. Back in period, it would take several days to cook the apples on an open fire and was very time consuming. But you can make it at home, or at your local cooks guild much more quickly these days over your conventional oven, although it still takes a while to prepare.

1. Peel and cut up into small pieces enough fruit to fill a quart canning jar 3 times (3 quarts) with 4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup apple cider to prevent the fruit sticking to the bottom of the pot.

• • Optional Spices to add: Apple butter is spiced with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and/or ginger and/or nutmeg, and/or ground cloves.

1. Place fruit, sugar and juice into crock pot and turn up the heat to the hottest it can get for a couple of hours. Turn it down and let it cook for about 7-8 hours.
2. There will probably be a lot of fluid that has come out as the fruit has cooked. Dip the fruit & liquid out by the cupfuls and place in a blender.
3. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Do not to put too large a batch in the blender at one time: the mixture is hot and will steam up.
4. Once you have blended all the contents of the crock pot, return mixture to crock pot. Cook on high with the lid off until the fruit butter is as thick as you want it to be.
5. Place in clean, hot canning jars and place lid on immediately. Tighten jar lid. Place the jars upside down until they are completely cool to help them seal better with all the heat against the seal.