Halfway through color week and there are so many great photos from fellow participants.
Making apple butter
This photo was taken in my uncle’s goldenrod-insulated pole barn and it documents my favorite fall activity – canning a GIANT vat’s worth of apple butter with my extended family. Gramma and Grampa have been doing this forever, and now my generation of cousins is learning the process.
Gramps checks how far it's cooked down
Everyone brings their dogs. And snacks. And beer. Gallons of diced apples are cooked down with gallons of cider, and then you add an amount of sugar that no dentist would approve of. It takes about a half-day worth of stirring (hence the beer…sometimes with a game of euchre). Then in the words of my gramma, once the boiling bubbles make this noise – “bloOOP bl0OOp” – it’s ready to can (classic gramma recipe instruction). One vat makes about 33 quarts.
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Do we have to drink beer while we’re making apple butter? Is hard cider just as good?
Your hard cider would certainly be acceptable – and fitting with the do-it-yourself theme!
Sorry about my ignorance….I’ve never heard of apple butter before!! What do you use it for?
C
Hi Carol – not a silly question at all. Apple butter is a very thick applesauce that’s been sweetened and cooked down a long time. It’s used like jam. I like it on toast or a biscuit. Here’s a little more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_butter
OK, now I’m confused. I originally had two comments, now the first one disappeared. Anyway, chimenea…yes Newport. The bottom half cracked we think because we used it while wet in the winter with enormous flames shooting out the top.
That comment was from me. Sometimes I love how it automatically plugs in your last info, and sometimes I click submit before I realize it isn’t the right email or blog! Haha!
Yes, we got the chimenea in Newport! We also bought a St. Francis statue, which has fared much better than the fish. We think it was a combo of using it while it was wet AND my husband’s love of enormous fires. I thought we had a picture somewhere of flames shooting out the top like a volcano, but it must be on a camera phone. We’re in Eugene; where are you?
(did i already reply??) Anyway, I’m in Eugene too!