likes them apples just fine
September 28, 2009
This weekend, I purchased a half-bushel of Cortland apples. As is usual, I totally underestimated how many apples that is.
This is half of them, spread out on an average size dish towel. Like I said, a lot of apples.
So I made apple butter.
This is what the peels from 20 apples plus one lemon look like. In case you were wondering.
After cooking the apples and spices and juice from one lemon down for 7 hours, this is the result.* It's damn tasty, by the way, and full of appley goodness. Next batch -- and given the number of apples I have, there very well might be a next batch, as well as an apple cake or pie or two -- I'll cook at a higher heat at the start or let it go longer. The house smelled fantastic yesterday, too.
Two other pixs from the weekend:
We took a celebratory trip to the BING! on Saturday because the Boy has figured out how to poop on the potty and why it is important to do so. This is what Maddy chose to wear:
It's a lot of look.
And the Boy got all artistic with my camera once he saw that I had it in my hand to take a picture of his sister's outfit.
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* Actually, this is one-seventh of the result. I filled seven half-pint (I think) canning jars with the end product. The Pie Goddess and I arranged caramel apple for apple butter swap so that some of the product will be leaving my house. The rest is going into the freezer.
something that helps me with the making of apple butter... I cook it overnite in the crock pot on low which speeds up the canning process for me the next day. (I also end up putting in like a cup of white wine or even better.. a cup of gin with pears. THAT is delish.)
Posted by: anj | September 28, 2009 at 01:59 PM
Cortlands and MacIntoshes (McIntoshes?) are two of my top apple varieties for just plain eating. Galas are the ones I usually wind up buying, as the others are harder to find and more expensive in the stores hereabouts.
Posted by: Heidi | September 29, 2009 at 08:47 AM
Heidi - the sheer variety of apples we have up here is staggering. The Macouns just came in and I am happy. But I can't buy them until I get through my Cortlands. Which is a lovely problem to have, frankly.
Anj - I usually do the crockpot thing but decided to try it on the stove. Not sure I'll do it that way again. I did add a wee nip o' brandy to this batch. Yum.
Posted by: Adrienne | September 29, 2009 at 10:09 AM
We don't get a lot of apples locally. The stores get whatever they grow north of here...probably shipped in from yous guys. We do get amazing fresh local tomatoes, blueberries and peaches, though.
Posted by: Heidi | September 29, 2009 at 12:28 PM