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Is this apple butter safe to can?

13 years ago

I'm wondering if I need to freeze this apple butter or if it's possible to can it? It was given to me but has no preservation instructions. It's a tasty recipe, I made it several years ago and froze it but would like to can it if possible.

2 1/2 lbs apples (peeled & cored)

3 cups water

1 1/4 cups apple juie

1 c honey

1 c sugar

1 1/2 Tb lemon juice

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground all spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Bring apples & water to boil, cook 30 mins then puree. Return to sauce pan, add remaining ingredients and mix. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer 1 1/2 hrs, stirring every 15 minutes

Makes 5 - 1/2 pints

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Comments (5)

2ajsmama
13 years ago
That's a lot of water - I think every apple butter recipe I've seen calls for a minimal amount of water. That way you don't have to cook it so long to get it thick. Does this stuff mound on a spoon or drip off? You might have to process following applesauce instructions. In fact, even the applesauce recipes I've seen (I haven't made it, we don't eat it much) call for minimal water, basically the same as apple butter except less sugar and you don't cook it down as thick.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/tips/fall/apples.html
pepfun1
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for that, I'm cooking it down a lot. Processing like apple sauce is a thought. What I am wondering is if it is "safe" to can...acid wise and such...Thanks =)
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digdirt2
13 years ago
Yes, apples are acidic fruits and safe to can. The added lemon juice acidifies it further.

There is a recent discussion here down the page about apple butter recipes - some with vinegar, some without - but just as applesauce requires no added acid (although some is recommended in some recipes) neither does apple butter.

I agree that that is far too much liquid - the water and the apple juice - for such a small amount of apples. For example the approved recipe in the BBB calls for 4 lbs. of apples and no added liquid. And the one at NCHFP calls for 8 lbs. of apples and only 2 cups of apple cider.

I fear you'll be cooking that butter for a long, long time.

Dave
kayskats
13 years ago
It's probably a quite old recipe... they used to put in a lot of water and cook it a very long time. Annie uses her grandmothers recipe (cooks it in the oven) but she cuts the water her grandmother used waaay down just so it will not take so long to cook down.
This is her recipe

GRANDMA'S -APPLE BUTTER

6 lbs.
1-2 quarts sweet cider (Grandma used 2, I use 1 because I can cook a shorter time. Grandma thought longer was better)
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Cook the apples in the cider and press through a food mill or sieve. Mix in sugar and spices to taste. Pour pulp into a non-reactive pan (I use an old enameled roaster) and bake at 250, stirring every hour or so, until "thick enough". If I'm in a hurry, I start at 350, then turn it down after a couple of hours. I usually double or triple the amount, so mine takes a long time to cook down. This amount will still take several hours
When it's "thick enough", pour into hot jars and BWB 10 minutes for half pints or pints, 15 minutes for quarts

I'd say yours is okay to BWB.

kay
2ajsmama
13 years ago
Why don't you try just cooking it in the apple juice and using a stick blender to puree it in the pan? I would can it 10-15 min for pints or smaller.

Linda Zeidrich processes her low-sugar apple butter (5lb of apples to 1C of sugar, so lower than yours) in halfpint jars for 10 min.

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