Wit, Wisdom, & Whining: Fall Means Food

Well, when you are a foodie it does.

In the summer it is too hot to cook a lot of lengthy meals. Most of the things we eat when the heat is cranked up are off of the grill and out of the garden. They are great- but for a person with a love of cooking and all things food, it gets old. But, then fall comes around.

There is nothing better than the smell of apples cooking down on the stove, on their way to becoming apple butter or a pie. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices float through the air and out the windows. Neighbors practically show up at the door asking to come inside for a sniff.

This fall, we had the chance to pick apples at my parent's house. Picking apples at the local orchards is fun (for a photo opportunity) but you just can't beat the apples my parents grow organically and let us pick as many as we want of (for free!) So far, I have cooked and processed nearly 80 pounds of them into so many jars of apple butter I am giving it away to anyone who will take it. I also made a couple of pies and crisps, and several large jars of applesauce. For those asking me for recipes, here you go!

Apple Butter Recipe:

Start with freshly picked and rinsed apples. These are the kind we picked. I would tell you what kind they are if I actually knew. My parents don't know either. When I asked last time, the response I got was, "red ones".

So, rinse these bad boys and then cut them into quarters. Leave the skin, leave the seeds, even the stems....you can cut out any bad spots or insects though. For every four pounds of apples that will fit in your pot (I use my handy dandy food scale for this), add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar.

Let them simmer down for nearly an hour. Remove from heat and let them cool for a while (apple burns are no fun-- just ask Barb. She suffered a tragic burn last week making caramel apples). When the apples are at a safe temperature for handling, spoon the contents into a food mill and work them through. This is when the seeds, stems, and skins come out-- but by keeping them in during the cooking process, you are getting the benefit of much of the pectin they contained.

Add your puree back to your stock pot and on low to medium low heat, begin cooking your apple sauce into apple butter. Add 1 cup of white sugar for every 2 cups of apple puree. Some recipes I have seen call for more of this, but I like to use as little as possible- you can add more if you like it sweeter or if you think the apples you had were not quite sweet enough. Also, at this point, begin seasoning your mix.

My favorites are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice- but mostly cinnamon.

As it cooks, it will thicken and start to turn from yellow, to golden, to brown. When it is dark brown, it is ready to go into jars.

This is not ready. This is barely starting to turn brown. I think I cooked this 8 more hours before it was finally done. I then ladled it into sterilized canning jars, put on loose lids, and processed the jars in batches of boiling water for 15 minutes each. Now, if you make your own English muffins, (we use Alton Brown's recipe), there is simply nothing better.

Any more apples? Make this.