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If you're looking for a tasty and affordable way to preserve your apple harvest, then look no further than this easy canning apple butter recipe! It's perfect for spreading on toast or muffins, and it makes a great gift for friends and family. Plus, with these tips, you'll be able to make the most delicious apple butter ever! So, what are you waiting for? Start canning today!
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Can you get botulism from apple butter?
Many say you shouldn't can apple butter but as long as you get it past 248 degrees to kill botulism you will be fine. Do the sight and sniff test when opening ANY canned item and if an itemdoesn't seal properly put it in the fridge and use it within 5 days.
In 2015 there was only 140 deaths caused by botulism…and of those 140, only 2 were home canning related. One was due to improper processing times and the other was because they ate after the jar had unsealed.
Related: Household Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar
Is apple butter safe for canning?
Canning apple butter is a great way to make your apple harvest last for years to come. Canning apples as apple butter is simply one way to use up apples.
If you don't want to can it, you can store it in a mason jar and freeze it for storage if you have the room.
Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring them, and cut out damaged parts.
Put them into a large pot, juice, or cider, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Related: Amish Pear Butter Recipe
Ladle apple mixture into a food mill process into a large bowl below. This is a basic applesauce recipe.Measure out 24 cups of apple puree
Add 6 cups of granulated sugar and cinnamon, and ground cloves.Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduced the heat and boiled gently, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and holds its shape.Process in a water bath. Boil for 20 minutes.
Related: Canning Hot Pepper Plum Jelly
Canning Apple Butter
Lover of Apple Butter? Me too! Here is my favorite recipe and tips on Canning Apple Butter to make your experience the best!
Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring them, cut out damaged parts.
Put them into large pot , juice or cider, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle apple mixture into a foodmill process into a large bowl below. This is a basic applesauce recipe.
Measure out 24 cups of apple puree
Add 6 cups of granulated sugar and cinnamon, and ground cloves.
Stir until the sugar dissolved, then bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduced the heat and boiled gently, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and holds its shape.
Process in a water bath. Boil for 20 minutes.
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The end result was delicious apple butter that I canned and am now using in all sorts of recipes. If you have an abundance of apples, give this recipe a try – it’s definitely worth it! Have you ever made your own apple butter? How did yours turn out?
To thicken your apple butter after puréeing, continue to cook it uncovered, stirring occasionally, in the slow cooker until it's reached your desired consistency. This apple butter will continue to thicken as it cools.
*You can also preserve your apple butter via the water-bath canning method, which uses a canning pot. The recommending processing time is 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts. Home-canned apple butter has a shelf life of about two years. Store in a cool, dark place.
At this point, leave the lid ajar and cook until the apple butter reaches your desired consistency. I wanted mine super thick so I let it cook for like another six hours. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be. Apple butter is high in natural sugar so if you want don't want to add sugar, then use sweet apples.
The apple butter's consistency is the main indicator to know when it is done, not color. Color will depend on the cooking method, how much sugar has caramelized, and even the color of your spices and sugars.
Clear Jel is a modified cornstarch that is recommended for canning because it doesn't lose its thickening powers after extended heating (conventional cornstarch starts to break down at high heat and also doesn't thicken high acid liquids well).
Optional: To prevent applesauce from turning brown while you are prepping use Ball Fruit Fresh or Mrs Wages Fresh Fruit Preserver per their directions. You may also use lemon juice or citric acid - add 1 teaspoon of citric acid (U.S.P.grade) or ¾ cup lemon juice to 1 gallon water. Drain fruit before canning.
During the slow cooking, the sugars that are naturally present in the apples caramelize into a deep, molasses-like flavor, and a dark color. This gives the apple butter its rich, sweet flavor and dark brown hue.
For canning, use Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Mclntosh, Braeburn, Crispin, York Imperial, or other apple varieties that are crisp and firm and will retain their shape and texture (Table 1). Wash jars. Sterilize jars for products that will be processed in less than 10 minutes.
Jars must be covered by water—about 1 to 2 inches of water. Add more hot water from a separate kettle, if needed. Turn up the heat to get water in canner to boil.
Apple butter is notorious for air bubbles, since it is so thick they don't rise to the surface as they would in a product that had liquid in it. The jars should be fine as long as it was processed properly and all the lids are sealed.
It also may be that the kettle was not well seasoned allowing the apple butter to make more contact with the metal of the pot. There is no way to remove the metallic taste or the metallic elements from the finished product.
Apples, however, won't soften as much as you need them to by the time the jam is done, so you must cook the apples until very soft first, then purée them. This purée, cooked with sugar, is what makes a fruit butter — and apples are often or always preserved this way.
Here, we want the fruit to fall apart. Chop, but don't peel or core them, since the skins amp up the apple flavor and the core adds pectin, which helps the apple butter set.
Some indicators for change in quality include the change of color and smell. However, apple butter should be discarded if there are clear signs of spoilage, such as when mold is found on the product surface.
The Arctic apple is the juiciest newcomer to produce aisles. It has the special ability to resist browning after being cut (Figure 1), which protects its flavor and nutritional value.
As we mentioned, flour and cornstarch are the most popular ingredients used to thicken butter sauce for pasta. After you've heated your butter and water combo in your skillet, turn your heat down so nothing scorches as you work in the dry ingredients. Then slowly whisk in your flour or cornstarch.
Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam. Test for thickness and add another tablespoon if needed.
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