30 Days of Thankfulness – Day 2

Today I’m thankful for the bountiful supply of Michigan apples which Will and I have been enjoying this year. I’ve never really had a taste for apples before, even when my family lived in Washington state and they were readily available – I didn’t have a wild dislike for them really, but I usually got bored halfway through eating one. I’ve never really understood why that tempting forbidden fruit that Eve tasted was always depicted as an apple, or why you’d call a loved one the “apple of your eye,” or why Hera wanted Hercules to steal the apples of the Hesperides. Okay, well... I guess that last one I can understand, the apples in question being all golden and mysterious and guarded by a dragon and what-not. Still, a golden pineapple would have been much more impressive. In short, my relationship with apples has always been apathetic at best. However, living within a few miles of more family-run apple orchards than I could shake a stick at (however many that mythical number may be), I’ve begun to see the appeal. I never knew there were so many unique varieties, or how crisp and refreshingly tart-sweet a newly-picked apple can be.

Will and I have been enjoying munching on Crispins and Ginger Golds, but I’ve also been enjoying finding other uses for them. I made a few pies with our Ida Golds, and tried my hand at apple butter for the first time today. We had an overabundance of Cortlands, so I tried this recipe. It was super convenient in that it practically cooked itself all day while I worked around the house and ran errands with Will – all I had to do at the end of the day was heat up the canner, spoon the finished apple butter into jars, and process them for 10 minutes before I went to bed. The best part was how the delicious scent of simmering apples and spices filled up the kitchen all day. It made our home feel like such a cozy oasis, especially with the bright gold and orange of the leaves outside the kitchen window and the patter of cold rain on the panes.

Photo via allrecipes.com

All Day Apple Butter
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Prep Time: 30-90 minutes*
Cook time: 11 hours
Ready in: 11 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 128 (fills about 3-4 pint jars)

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 pounds apples (peeled, cored, and finely chopped)
• 3 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place the chopped apples in your crock pot. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
2. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
3. Reduce heat to low and cook for 9 hours (longer if necessary), stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
4. Uncover and continue cooking on low for 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.
5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover, and refrigerate or freeze. I spooned mine into warm, sterile canning jars and processed them for 10 minutes in the canner so I could store them in the pantry.

*Note: The original recipe stated that prep time should take about 30 minutes. It's very possible that it might go that quickly if you are using large apples, or wrangle up a group of friends to help you, or are simply an apple chopping maniac, but it took me quite a bit longer to peel, core, and finely chop 30 apples or so. Plan accordingly. :)