Spiced Apple Butter

The art of Homesteading lies in the balance between what we consume and what we make. In my family, I make our own Spiced Apple Butter and we use it in place of jelly on lots of things like waffles, pancakes, french toast and on our almond butter sandwiches with sliced bananas. My kids really love the cinnamon and the fresh ginger. You can even add it to your baked goods like muffins and sweet breads. When you make it yourself, you can control the sugar content, the freshness and the quality of the ingredients you are using which is exactly why I do it. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish but half of that time it is simmering and you can work on something else in the kitchen, weed your garden or check your email! You will find the recipe at the bottom, but I have included simple step-by-step directions with each photo. This recipe yields roughly a quart. 

You will be adding some brown sugar to your recipe so always use a tart apple such as a Granny Smith. Start by cutting your apples into halves WITHOUT peeling or coring. The pectin needed comes from the core and is important to achieving the butter consistency, though it does not actually contain dairy butter. I've found this is a common misunderstanding about this simple confection. This is a vegan treat!

Put the apple halves into your stock pot. Add 3 cups of high-quality apple cider vinegar such as Bragg's, pictured above, or 1 cup vinegar and 2 cups filtered water. The ratio you choose will affect the acidity and flavor of your butter, which is entirely a personal preference. More vinegar will make the butter tart. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook 25-30 minutes.

When the apples are done, they will start to fall apart and the flesh will separate from the skin. You can separate the core, seeds and skin at this point by ladling scoops into a sieve and pressing the mash through with a spoon, or by allowing them to cool slightly, then separate by hand, which is what I prefer. I like feeling it with my hands and there is something very zen about working through the pot. The other method requires a little elbow grease.

The discard bowl should look like this and everything else is returned to the pot. It will be the consistency of applesauce. You can either leave it as is if you want applesauce or continue on to turn it into butter.

Next, you will be adding your spices to your puree. Add about 1/2 cup sugar for every 1 cup of puree, give or take. I use a little less because I prefer mine on the tart side. Add the lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, grated nutmeg, ginger and pinch of salt.

Your mixture will turn a deep brown and begin to thicken. Do not cover the pot at this step because it needs to reduce and lose some of the water content which will give you a beautiful, thick butter. Your kitchen will smell amazing as these aromas fill your home. Cook another 25-30 minutes until the consistency is where you like it.

Can your butter using a canning jar with a two-part lid, such as Mason, Ball or Kerr brand. You want to pour it in and seal the lid when it is hot because the heat creates a vacuum seal. It will pull the button down on the lid and you can store it in your pantry for months. You will know that it has sealed properly when you open it and it pops. It will keep in the fridge for equally as long because the lemon acts as a preservative. I like to change up this recipe seasonally when different fruits are in season that are easy to substitute for half of the apples, like peaches, apricots or pears in summer and fresh cranberries or pomegranates in winter. BE CREATIVE!

INGREDIENTS
About 4 pounds of organic apples such as Granny Smith
3 cups raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar such as Bragg's
or 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 2 cups filtered water
brown sugar, about 3 cups or 1/2 cup as per each 1 cup apple puree
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
freshly grated nutmeg
peeled and grated ginger root
juice and zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt