664831 Wed Nov 04 19:32:08 -0800 2009 2 31 Home Cooking 0 5157013 On Halloween I was part of an apple butter making and canning event. I thought I'd share a couple of the tips I observed. With 55 lbs. of winesaps and Jonathans to cook, every available cooking method was put to use. Three slow cookers on the countertop bubbled away with covers off. Two big pots of batches further along were on the stove top to reduce down with frequent stirring. And in the oven at 350 degrees, other batches got their start. I'd never done this before, so everything was new to me. But even those more experienced commented that they'd learned a thing or two. One was to run the apples through the giant Cuisinart to shred them before cooking. This cut down the cooking time considerably. Baking some sliced apples in an uncovered Dutch oven gave us another cooking method and also evaporated more water this way. Once softened, we just stirred the baked apples vigorously to break them up and then they went on top of the stove to cook down further. Constant stirring of one closely watched batch on top of the stove and cooking down considerably created a texture akin to cream cheese. This was so thick, it couldn't be poured into the canning jars. Instead this apple cheese was pressed into small loaf pans and refrigerated to form blocks. I guess it's a form of membrillo. Lastly, we had plenty of snacks and wine on hand to fuel a long day (and night) in the kitchen. We canned the first batch of apple butter at 10:50PM, the rest the next day. Photos of the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenmaiser/sets/72157622593639035/ Wed Nov 04 19:32:08 -0800 2009 10039 Melanie Wong 1 5157131 Nice post, nice photos. I used to make apple butter back in the day, in New England, before the advent of crockpots and food processors. Just the stovetop, the apples and me, stirring and mashing, mashing and stirring. It was a labor of love and so worth it. Thanks for the memories. Wed Nov 04 20:38:06 -0800 2009 5157013 1095104 bushwickgirl 2 5160127 Time-honored methods have served us well, as your labor of love proves. We did everything to get through those cases of apples, employing all kinds of tools and cooking methods. I've had some great experiences this year being part of the canvolution of 2009. Thu Nov 05 23:09:37 -0800 2009 5157131 10039 Melanie Wong