End of the Harvest

This will be the last week for the farmer's market. The past few weeks I have been buying bruised apples from one vendor. He has them deeply discounted. I usually purchased about 10 pounds for $3. They were not even really bruised, not that it mattered because they were going to be cooked or baked. I ended up making enough apple butter to take several families through winter. I used this recipe that I modified somewhat. I could not believe that it called for more than twice this amount of sugar. I also split the sugar amounts between white and brown instead of all white. The recipe suggested using a whisk during the last hour of cooking in order to smooth out the mixture. I opted to use an immersion blender and completely smooth out the mixture.

Apple Butter

• 5 1/2 lbs apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

Place apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl mix sugars, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour mixture over apples and stir to coat. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for 9 to 11 hours stirring occasionally until the mixture is thickened and brown. Blend with immersion blender. Remove cover and continue cooking for last hour. Spoon into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.