It is that time of year again. Now I know I have been doing a LOT of canning lately……tomatoes (which you have already seen), carrots, which you have NOT already seen so here is a photo of all the carrots (there are more to still do yet).
HOWEVER, it is now time for apple butter. Why? You might ask? Because I am such a nice person! Why does it make me a nice person? Well…(take a sip) (only a couple people will understand the “take a sip” thing) so for clear understanding go to http://thegoodgreatsby.com/2011/11/03/the-take-a-sip-punctuation/ but oh well….it’s because I plan on giving them away during the holidays to my neighbors and people that I like. I won’t be giving any to people I “don’t” like.
I already put up some apple butter (that is canner talk for “I canned some”) last night, but it didn’t seem to thicken as much as I would have liked so I “may” give those to people I do not like. So I am making a whole new batch today.

First you need this handy dandy apple peeler...it will slice too if you want it to. I didn't want it to so I only peeled.

You will need 1 apple peeler, one scale and about 6 lbs of apples ....and a pretty bowl...ugly bowls will ruin the batch. Please keep this in mind.

....as I've said before, you cannot do this without coffee, and it has to be in a pretty cup. If you don't have coffee, and it's not in a pretty cup, the whole batch will taste like crap.

I consult with the ladies and gentlemen that I trust in the most, Betty Crocker, Better Homes and Gardens, and James Beard to see which has the best recipe. Because last nights didn't work the best.
I ended up with a variation on BH&G and James Beards recipe. I used honey instead of sugar this time to sweeten. Also less Apple cider and cooked it down longer.
Then you put them through the food mill or the blender and put them back into the pot to cook another 30 minutes adding the honey and cinnamon. When it reaches the desired thickness your done. (Don’t ask me what the desired thickness is supposed to be because I don’t know) the recipe didn’t say! So I just did it to where “I desired” and I desired it to be thicker than applesauce.
I would like to make cute little tags that hang on them to make them seem extra special as well. So the receiver really feels like they are getting something worthy of true excitement. But I won’t be doing that part for the people I don’t like.