It maybe a bit out of sequence (sorry utahs.f.) but I keep meaning to post my experiences this season with apple butter, which is highly popular around here. I used Roma apples - roughly chopped, wormy bits (few) removed, and enough to fill a 3 gal stock pot, stems, seeds, skin and all. Added a couple cups of water and simmered on low until soft, 2-3 hours. Let that cool overnight, then I ran it all through the tomato strainer, resulting in a thick applesauce, seeds, skin, and stems removed. I ladled all that out (approx two gallons)and used the dehydrator to make fruit leather. Started another batch of chopped apples in the stock pot. The next morning, the leather was done, the chopped apples cooked and cooled, so I made apple sauce from that, tore up the sheets of fruit leather, and added brown sugar, cinnamon, and a bit of lime juice and put the whole thing in the 2+ gal crock pot. Turned it on 'high' until it started to blurble, turned it on low. It was all done, deep brown and so thick a fork would stand up in it, that evening, 7 hours later. Yield was 13 pints. So, I dunno, I still used a lot of electricity, with simmering the stock pot twice for a total of 6 hours, 14 hours of food dehydrator, and another 7 hours of crock pot. Pretty good stuff, though. We did this twice, used about 2 bushels of apples, and ended up with 30 pints. It seemed to me that cooking the peels and all made for lots of pectin, which thickened it up. It was really easy to run it all through the strainer, only took a few minutes. Making fruit leather with half of it kept the intense apple flavor, which went back into the final result. I think we'll do this the next time as well.

Maybe it is a southern thing (even though the NCHFP recipe calls for vinegar) as Mom and Grandma were both from Georgia and none of the brothers or sisters ever heard of making it without vinegar either. But just out of curiosity I Googled other recipes for it and found that there are actually quite a few Apple Butter recipes that include vinegar (cider vinegar) so I guess we aren't TOO weird down here in the hills. ;) Try a small batch of it. You might just like it. And if you want to make Apple Butter Bar B Q sauce, here is our recipe: 1 1/4 cup apple butter 1 cup diced onion 1/4 cup ketchup 1-2 T prepared yellow mustard 1 t Worcestershire sauce 3 t liquid smoke Salt and pepper to taste (if you have Cavenders add 1 t) 1 t diced garlic 1-2 t cider vinegar (to thin to desired consistency) 1 t minced garlic 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon paprika Mix everything together in a sauce pot on medium heat and simmer (do not boil) for approx. 15 mins. Let cool and put in a jar. Keeps in the fridge for up to 30 days. If you prefer a sweeter sauce add 1-2 T honey or pancake syrup to taste. Dave

That sounds absolutely delicious, Dody. I love hot apple desserts (and cold ones too!). Should the glaze be very thin, the kind that would drip off the side of a cake? Or should it be thicker like a typical cake frosting? Our oven runs hot so I'll set it for 50 minutes and watch it. Thanks, Jen

Maybe! You never know. He can be very good about me calling someone to meet when we are on the road, but we only had 2 weeks, and the weather decided not to cooperate the last few days. M does like his cider, especially if it hasn't been pasturized. And I would have even eaten the rabbit, even though we have had them for pets and DD still does! The leaks? I would at least have tasted them. It's been a tiring 2 days. Mom fell last evening and broke her hip. The did surgery about 5pm today, and it went well. She didn't break the "ball" so they could put a rod and screws in. DB & I were at the hospital until after midnight, then there most of the day today. I did not go back up tonight. She wouldn't have even known I was there & I am just to tired. Didn't help that I had a fibromyalgia flare yesterday morning and Tues. night. Makes me even more tired. Now the weather front has moved thru I am feeling better. Hopefully Mom will heal well, and cooperate with the PT. She has some dementia, and is on the highest dosage of the patch for her memory. We have more good days at this dosage, but she was very confused and agitated last night and right before surgery. Doesn't remember falling. Her sister passed away last month, and she hasn't hardly gotten out of bed since. DB had to make her get up when she did. She has given up. Don't know what this will do. She, for some reason, decided to get up, without her cane or walker, to get a drink of water instead of asking someone else to get it, which is what she has done for quite some time.