Sassy Apple Butter in a Crockpot

This was really simple to do.  I will be using this method all the time.  I found these apples growing in my new backyard, and didn't think much of them.  My sister-in-law, who grew up in the house, said the tree was there when she was growing up.  She thought that it had been there prior to the house being built over 65 years ago.  I found one on the ground, that the deer and ants hadn't attacked yet, so I cleaned it up and took a bite.  OMG what a treat.  They were sweet and just enough tart to make them ideal candidates for apple butter.  So I got out a recipe I was going to use someday, and started in.  I soon realized that about the only thing I could use from the recipe was the times for the crockpot.  So I decided to wing it with the recipe.  It turned out so well that I had to share this.

Tools:

• Apple Peeler & Corer-It can be done by hand, but this also sliced them thin for quicker cook down.
• 6 to 7 Jelly Jars, lids and rings
• Water Bath Canner-I have this sweet little granite ware one that works for 7 pints, and of course jelly jars
• Funnel, ladle, jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, and clean towels.
• Large capacity Crockpot-I know they vary in size, so the amount of apples will need to be adjusted accordingly as will the spices and sugar.

Recipe

• About 10-15 pounds of apples-enough to totally fill the crockpot, as the apples cook down a lot.
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 1 to 2 cups sugar or to taste-this will depend a lot on the type of apples used.  Sweet tart apples are best, and the web abounds in recommendations for this.  I have no earthly idea what kind of apples mine are.
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1/4 scant teaspoon of salt-salt is not my friend
• 5 tablespoons bottled lemon juice-put into crockpot 5 minutes before turning off to can.

Process

Please consult the USDA home canning guide found HERE  My instructions are what I have used for years, and if this is your first time canning you must read this guide for safety precautions.  I insist on that.

I start this process a about 4:30 PM so I can turn my pot on by 5:00 PM.  Pack the crockpot full of peeled and sliced or cubed apples.  Combine the dry ingredients and pour into the pot.  There should not be any room to stir that in if the pot is packed.  Turn the pot on low.  Let this cook for a few hours or until you can stir it, and stir with a plastic or wooden non-reactive spoon.  "Metal will react with the acidy apples and cause a metallic taste in the applebutter. The same is true for tomatoes"

Let this cook on low overnight.  When you get up in the morning the house is filled with the lovely scent of apple butter.  Now is the time to taste the stuff and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.  Turn the crockpot on high, and cook for two hours or until it reaches the consistency that you prefer for your apple butter.  It will get a bit thicker when it is cold from the refrigerator.

Add the lemon juice about 5 minutes before completion of cooking time, this raises the acidity enough to allow for waterbath canning.  If this makes it too runny, just cook on high a while longer.

I use what is called a hot pack, which means that I boil my jars in the canner for at least 10 minutes before filling,  I actually just boil them 10 minutes, and pull them out of the hot water with my jar lifter, fill them, and return them immediately to the wire carrier in the canner.  The apple butter is also hot when put into the hot jars.  This method reduces the process time, and assures good sterility of the process.

I use a little saucepan to boil the lids for a minimum of 5 minutes, but leave the lids in the boiling water until I'm ready to use them so the seal is nice and soft for a good seal.

Fill the jelly jars with a plastic ladle using a funnel.  Clean the lip of the jar with a damp clean towel to remove anything from the sealing area.  I use a magnetic lid lifter to take the lids out of the boiling water, place them directly on the jar, and screw on the ring it should be tight, but don't have Hercules tighten it up for you, as a vacuum seal is created from the heating and cooling process.  You just need it tight enough to prevent water from seeping into the jar.

Lower the jars into the canner and make sure the water covers the lids by about one inch.  Process for the recommended time stated in the canning guide above.

When the jars are done, I set them on a clean towel and let them air cool.  Be sure to leave plenty of space between the cans so they cool quicker.  Any that do not seal, as defined in the canning guide should be used within a month.  You will know if you have a good seal, as the lids will be concave a bit, and when pressed they will not give.  I'm always cautious, and any off smell will be a good reason the throw it out.

I hope you enjoy.

Namaste


















 

Fresh Italian Tomato Sauce for Canning

It’s easier than you think.

INGREDIENTS

20 pounds of Roma Tomatoes[1]

2 medium onions

2-6 garlic cloves-to taste or Substitute 3 tablespoons Tastefully Simple Garlic-Garlic

Scant 1/2 cup of Good Olive Oil

2-187 mL Merlot Red Wine[2]

3 Tablespoon Italian Herb Mix-I prefer Penzy’s as it is very good quality.

2 Tablespoon Dried Sweet Basil-also from Penzy’s

4 Bay Leaves

2 Teaspoon of Ground Stevia[3]

2 Teaspoon Sea Salt-for low sodium users, but it is still marvelous,add to your              taste. You really don’t need any salt to can this.

Fresh ground pepper mélange to taste-black will be adequate if no mélange is available.

1 Teaspoon High Quality Cocoa Powder[4]

1 Teaspoon ground red pepper flake.  Just process with the flat blades of you magic bullet or other such grinder.

INSTRUCTIONS

Tomato Pereparation

Use the large jar on a magic bullet, or a blender.  I prefer the magic bullet as it pulverizes them better, but you can get more in the blender.  Clean the roma tomatoes, and take most of the seeds out ( don’t worry if they don’t all come out.) 

I leave the skins on the tomatoes, as they are pulverized in the processor. This dramatically increases the lycopene in the sauce; as the skins are where most of it is.  It also reduces the preparation time.  You won’t even know the skins are in there.  Along with a couple of bullets full I will throw in the onions and garlic, if used, to also pulverize.  That way all those finicky eaters will not even know they are there (read grandson here.)

I squish as many tomatoes into the jar of the bullet as possible, and shove the blades into the jar and whip it up.  If you are using a blender, don’t pack it in like that as it won’t process as easily.  There may be some small chunks, but they will cook down, and disappear. Pour this into a non-resistive pan, like ceramic, or enamel or Teflon (without scratches).  You do not want to cook tomatoes in a metal pot, as they pick up the metallic taste, yuk.  Tomatoes are extremely acidic, and will actually begin to corrode a metal pot, which is what gives it a metallic taste when cooked for as long as this sauce will need to cook.

Once all the tomatoes, onions and garlic are ground up, I add all the rest of the ingredients.  Let this cook uncovered for at least 2 hours or more, until it is reduced to a consistency that you like.  Make sure that you stir this occasionally as it might burn, but if the heat is low enough to prevent it from splattering all over the stove, then it shouldn’t stick or burn.  I will taste this about 1 hour into the cooking, and adjust the seasoning.  Make sure you let this cook in a while before going to the next step.

This is enough for about 7 pints.  You will process these according to the instructions found on-line from USDA or the Ball Blue book.  I will add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the can.  Some things to think of are removing the air bubbles with a knife or tool designed for this, by running it down the sides of the jar; fill jar leaving ½ inch head space.  Sanitize the jars and tools by placing them in the boiling water of the canner, I just leave the empty jars in the water until I’m ready to fill them. 

If you want to make more, just increase the seasonings accordingly.  I find this to be an excellent size for how my home garden produces tomatoes.  By the end of the season I will have about 28 pints, with very little effort.  I use an organic growing method, so my tomatoes don’t require enormous amounts of cleaning.  If you use commercially grown tomatoes, clean them well.  I would even remove the skins from those, just to reduce the amount of pesticides that I ingest.

Ideas for Use

I add ground beef to mine for meat sauce.  I make spaghetti and baked zucchini boats.  This is also good as a sauce for chicken or veal parmesan.  Recipes on the way shortly, just have to make them so I have pictures for the recipes. 

I always leave a little out for a meal instead of canning it all.  This is wonderful the next day; it actually improves with age, as do most tomato based sauces.  

Enjoy.  

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[1] You can use others but they all have more water, so add a few more pounds of tomatoes, and longer cooking time. I did find that having some sweeter tomatoes like early girls and grape in the batch improved the taste a bit.

[2] I use two of the bottles from the small 4 pack bottles; the sauce is richer because of this.

[3] This is Green powder, but white powder if adequate if it isn’t available; this cuts acid in tomatoes without added calories.

[4] Use this in all your tomato based sauces, soups and stews to add a rich flavor to the sauce, but no chocolate taste.