Saturday, July 4, 2015

Old-Fashioned Apple Cider Butter (1860)

  • 1 gal apple cider
  • 4 qts peeled, cored, slices apples (about 7 lbs)
  • 1 lb sugar
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tbspn ground cinnamon
  • 1 tspn ground cloves
  • 1 tspn ground allspice
Pour the apple cider into a large (about 4-gallon) heavy enamel kettle, set on to boil, then boil uncovered, until volume is reduced by half.
Add the apples, a few at a time, stirring all the while.  Boil, uncovered, until all pieces of apple disappear and mixture is thick and glossy.  You'll have to stir constantly lest the mixture "catch on" (stick).  

Stir in the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and allspice, and remove apple butter from the fire.  Continue to stir until sugar are completely dissolved.  

Ladle hot into hot, sterilized pint-size preserving jars, filling to within 1/8-inch of the top. Seal, process for 10 minutes in a simmering water bath.  Cool, then store on a cool. dry shelf.  Makes about 6 pints.

(Origin - "Recipes from America's Restored Villages" by Jean Anderson, 1975. This recipe was taken from Au Glaize Village in Defiance, Ohio, a restored historic village circa 1860 to 1890.)

More Historic American Villages Recipes

2 comments:

  1. Deborah, thanks for all the recipes. They are part of our cultural past and should not be forgotten. It is fascinating to see the changes in cooking over the years.

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