Canning -
Homemade Spiced Apple Butter
I always had this notion that canning was very complicated. When I was growing up my family always made strawberry jam, pickles and pickled carrots. I LOVED eating them, but never participated in making them. I always appreciate when my Auntie Iris gives me homemade strawberry jam she’s made from freshly picked strawberries. When visiting my auntie I always sneak a homemade pickle or two as these are so much better than store bought. It is truly a treat, so thank you.
I have been talking about canning all summer and my friend Tracey came over with a beautiful book called Canning for a new generation. We were very excited to can for our very first time. Canning isn’t just for old folks or our parents. This book is filled with new and fresh ways to preserve natures bounty throughout the year, as author Liana Krissoff writes. The preserves and jams are all natural and not loaded with sugar or store-bought pectin. The author uses less sugar than most traditional recipes and we used less than that without sacrificing the taste (didn’t need tons of sugar as the fruit was very sweet on its own).
We flipped through the book and were inspired to make Spiced Apple Butter as apples are plentiful this time of year and it’s Tracey’s favourite so it was a great place to start. The Spiced Apple Butter exhibits intense fruit flavour and is perfectly sweet, spiced and smooth, mostly from the fruits own sugar and gelling action. It is SO YUMMY…. I have been having it on my oats, slathered on toast or just eating it right of the jar. In my opinion it is superior to store bought apple butter.
Canning turned out to be far less complicated than I had imagined and was a lot of fun. We are already planning our next canning session!
Canning turned out to be far less complicated than I had imagined and was a lot of fun. We are already planning our next canning session!
Spiced Apple Butter
(makes about 6 half-pint jars or 3 pint jars)
Ingredients:
6 lbs organic apples, gala
6 cups filtered water
½ cup organic cane sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ground
½ tsp aniseed, ground
½ tsp all-spice, ground
½ tsp cloves, ground
1. Core, peel if necessary and cut into 1-inch pieces (if have Vitamix can leave peel on; if using food processor or blender remove peel so have a completely smooth apple butter, which you can do after the boiling process). Put the apples in large pot with 6 cups of water and bring to boil over high heat. Stir occasionally, until the apples are completely broken down and the peels have separated from the pulp, 30-40 minutes.
2. Now puree the cooked apples in batches in Vitamix or pass the mixture through a fine screen strainer to remove peels, then blend in food processor or blender. Return to pot.
3. Add the spices and sugar. You can add more or less of both spices and sugar, depending on the taste you prefer (the author used 1 ½ cups sugar). Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring carefully every 10 minutes or so with a long-handled spoon, for several hours (we simmered for about 4 hours) – until the puree is dark and thick enough that it mounds up in a teaspoon, and you can dollop a bit of it onto a plate and no liquid seeps out around the edges of the dollop.
3. Add the spices and sugar. You can add more or less of both spices and sugar, depending on the taste you prefer (the author used 1 ½ cups sugar). Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring carefully every 10 minutes or so with a long-handled spoon, for several hours (we simmered for about 4 hours) – until the puree is dark and thick enough that it mounds up in a teaspoon, and you can dollop a bit of it onto a plate and no liquid seeps out around the edges of the dollop.
4. Prepare for water-bath canning. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Gather all your supplies: a jar lifter, heat proof bowl, ladle, wide-mouth funnel, wooden chopstick or small spatula to remove air bubbles and clean paper towel for wiping jar rims. We bought a home canning tool kit from Canadian tire that had everything in it.
5. Wash the jars and submerge them in the water and make sure the water coving the jars has been at a full boil for at least 10 minutes before pulling them out and filling them (this sterilizes them). Put the lids in heat proof bowl (ensure aren’t stacked so water so water makes contact with all the lid seals and softens them) and cover with boiling water from canning pot. Clear off some counter space and set two folded towels on it. Take out jars with the jar lifter and place the hot empty jars on the towels (absorbs the heat and protects the counter top).
6. Put the funnel in the first hot jar and ladle in the hot preserves. Fill to ¼ inch from the top. Repeat with the remaining jars. Use chopstick and stir to remove any air bubbles. Wet paper towel with hot water and wipe rims to ensure no preserve got on them when filling. Drain hot water from heat proof bowl and use jar lifter to put lids on jars. Put the rings on, tightening them just “finger tight” – don’t force them at all (you don’t want them screwed too tight, because the air in the jar needs to escape as the contents are heated in the canning pot).
5. Wash the jars and submerge them in the water and make sure the water coving the jars has been at a full boil for at least 10 minutes before pulling them out and filling them (this sterilizes them). Put the lids in heat proof bowl (ensure aren’t stacked so water so water makes contact with all the lid seals and softens them) and cover with boiling water from canning pot. Clear off some counter space and set two folded towels on it. Take out jars with the jar lifter and place the hot empty jars on the towels (absorbs the heat and protects the counter top).
6. Put the funnel in the first hot jar and ladle in the hot preserves. Fill to ¼ inch from the top. Repeat with the remaining jars. Use chopstick and stir to remove any air bubbles. Wet paper towel with hot water and wipe rims to ensure no preserve got on them when filling. Drain hot water from heat proof bowl and use jar lifter to put lids on jars. Put the rings on, tightening them just “finger tight” – don’t force them at all (you don’t want them screwed too tight, because the air in the jar needs to escape as the contents are heated in the canning pot).
7. When all the lids and rings are on, use the jar lifter to carefully return the jars to the hot water in the canning pot, making sure they’re standing upright and not touching one another or the sides of the pot. Also ensure the water covers them by at least 1 inch. Boil 10 minutes to process spiced apple butter.
8. Remove the jars with jar lifter to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn’t sealed and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. We would hear a tiny “popping” sound when the jar would seal and got very happy because we knew it worked! With the jars that weren’t sealing we loosened the ring slightly and then shortly after that it sealed.
9. After 12 hours label the jars and store in a cool, dark spot.
9. After 12 hours label the jars and store in a cool, dark spot.
Now the BEST part – Enjoying this decandent preserve you have just made and sharing it with loved ones.
This mouth-watering Spiced Apple Butter can be used in oatmeal, yogurt, in cakes, muffins or cookies, French toast, pancakes, sandwiches (ham, brie, turkey), used as a glaze or as frosting in between cake layers.
Canning is a great way to extend the seasons of your favorite ingredients and the memories that those foods invoke.
For me, having a warm biscuit with a spoonful of strawberry jam, made by my auntie brings back loving memories of her and my family back home. I am filled with love and goodness to start my day :)
A jar of homemade preserve goes much deeper than the tasty fruit inside.
For me, having a warm biscuit with a spoonful of strawberry jam, made by my auntie brings back loving memories of her and my family back home. I am filled with love and goodness to start my day :)
A jar of homemade preserve goes much deeper than the tasty fruit inside.
enjoy.
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