Making Jam: Cranapple Butter

This Cranapple Butter is the perfect spread to go with delicious Thanksgiving dinner rolls. I found this recipe after I made and posted about the other Apple Butter a few weeks ago.  It's from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The recipe sounded so festive, I just had to try it.

My family loves my homemade yeast rolls so I'm excited about serving them with this apple butter.  As it turns out, I'll be having a few more guests for Thanksgiving dinner this year so it's a good thing I've been making all of these jams, preserves and butters.

 

If you've been reading my blog recently, then you know that I've been in a canning frenzy for the past several months.  I was a little sad to think I'd have to wait until next summer to start canning again.

Well, I've found the solution, it's a new challenge - just what I need, right?  I'm excited about this one!  It's a monthly canning challenge, called tigress' can jam that starts January 1, 2010.  We'll be canning in-season fruits and vegetables every month for 12 months.  You can join too by clicking on the button to the left.  You have until December 22nd to sign up.  Come on...it'll be fun!


Cranapple Butter
Makes: About nine 8-ounce jars or four to five pint jars

 

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs apples, cored, peeled and chopped (I used a combination of green Mutsu and red Cameo apples)
• 8 cups cranberry juice cocktail
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Directions:

In a large pot, combine apples and cranberry juice cocktail. Bring to a boil over medium-heat.  Boil, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer apple mixture to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved.  This time, I used my new handy-dandy food mill.  It made easy work of this.

In a clean large - I mean very large - stainless steel saucepan, combine apple puree, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon.  This takes awhile.

You will definitely want to use a large pot for this so the butter doesn't splatter everywhere.  Believe me, I learned the hard way the last time a made apple butter.  It's a mess to clean up!

Prepare canner, jars and lids while the butter is cooking. Once the butter holds it shape on the spoon, ladle the hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove the air bubbles, and adjust the headspace, if necessary, by adding hot butter.  Wipe rim and center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.   Bring to boil and process for 10 minuets.  I processed mine for 15 minutes because Atlanta's altitude is a little higher than 1,000 feet.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions on the National Center for Home Preservation site.

Remove canner lid and wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

This is what the cranapple butter looks like in the jar.  I would open it and give you a peek but I'm saving it for Thanksgiving.  Sorry!  It tasted really good on the spoon though!

 

Happy Canning & Baking!
Cathy

In addition to the Ball Book on Canning, I've been using the following sites as a reference in my canning adventures.  You might enjoy them as well:

• Canning Across America
• Well Preserved
• National Center for Home Preservation 

 

I also enjoy using the resources in the book: Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioff & Gretchen Mead.

Here are some delicious breads that would go well with this jam!

• Light Wheat Bread 
• Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire
• Sprouted Wheat Bread
• Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

Making Jam: Apple Preserves

I've said it before, but I love this time of year!  I'm really enjoying the crisp air and the beautiful colors on all the trees.  It's the peak of apple season and that means I also get to enjoy my new found love (obsession rather) of canning.

My sister and I went to our favorite farm last weekend to get more apples (a bunch more), pumpkins and tomatoes.  This weekend it was time to start canning those babies.  So far, I've canned salsa, apple butter and apple preserves.  I still have a bunch more apples to can and haven't even started on the pumpkins yet.  I'm saving those for next month.

Here is a photo of  the delicious apples we got from Jaemor Farms.  The green ones are Mutsu apples and the red ones are Cameo apples.  Both of them are crisp and a little bit tart.  Great for canning and eating!

I really like these apple preserves!  They have just a hint of lemon flavor and are beautiful in color due to the thinly sliced lemon (with lemon peel).

Apple Preserves
Makes: About six 8-ounce jars
(I had enough preserves for twelve 4 oz jars and one 8 oz jar)

The recipe for these apple preserves is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  I just got this book and I've already fallen in love with it! I've placed post-it notes on all the jams, butters, pickles, etc. that I plan to can over the next year.  My poor boyfriend is wondering how I'll have time for him.  I just remind him of all the wonderful jams and jellies (not to mention bread) that he gets to taste test for me.  That usually helps!  

Ingredients:

• 6 cups sliced cored peeled apples (I used a combination of Mutsu and Cameo apples.) 
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 package (1.75 oz) regular powdered fruit pectin
• 1 medium lemon (unpeeled), seeded and thinly sliced
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (See the dark flecks in the jar in the photo? That's nutmeg!)
  

Directions:

Prepare the canner, jars and lids.  In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine apples, water and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat, cover and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in pectin until dissolved.  Return to high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add lemon slices, sugar and nutmeg.  Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

 

Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot preserves.  Wipe rim clean.

Center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

 

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process 10 minutes.  Atlanta is a little bit above 1,000 altitude and according to the chart, I need to process the jars 5 minutes more.  So I processed them in the water bath for 15 minutes rather than 10.

Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

 

Canning Resources:

In addition to the Ball Book on Canning, I've been using some sites as a reference in my canning adventures.  You might enjoy them as well:

• Canning Across America
• Well Preserved
• National Center for Home Preservation 

 

I also enjoying using the resources in the book: Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioff & Gretchen Mead.

 

Here are some delicious breads that would go well with this jam!

• Light Wheat Bread 
• Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire
• Sprouted Wheat Bread
• Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

 

Happy Canning & Baking!
Cathy

Making Jam: Apple Butter

October is one of my favorite months and it's my birthday month!  This year for my birthday, I took the day off to go get apples and pumpkins from one of my favorite places, Jaemor Farms. I've been having so much fun canning and jamming this season that I wanted to try my hand at making apple butter and possibly applesauce. My tastes tester said that apple butter was his favorite so of course I had to make some. 

I came home with several varieties of apples: Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Mutsu.  We've been eating the Jonagold and Golden Delicious apples as snacks but I wouldn't let my sons eat the Mutsu apples because I wanted to use them for the apple butter. They're good for making apple butter because they're a little bit tart.  I had never had Mutsu before, but they are delicious!  I had a few left over from making the butter so we ate them!  Yummy!

Apple Butter Recipe
Makes: 5 or 6 pints


This particular recipe utilizes the whole apple (including the peel and core) for added flavor.  Once the apples are cooked, you use a food mill or sieve to separate the apple pulp from the seeds and peel.  I didn't have a food mill so I used a sieve.  It was a rather ardous process rubbing everything through the sieve but the end result was definitely worth it.  Even so, I just ordered a food mill so I won't have to do that again.


The recipe is from Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioff & Gretchen Mead.


Ingredients:

• 6 pounds apples (24-26 medium apples)
• 2 quarts water
• 1 quart apple cider
• 3 cups sugar
• Cinnamon, ground
• Cloves, ground

Directions:
Wash the apples and cut into small pieces, leaving the skins and cores.

Add the water and boil the apples until they are soft (about 30 minutes).  Put through a food mill or rub through a sieve.  This part took awhile as you can imagine. 

In the meantime, boil down the apple cider to half its volume.  Add the hot apple pulp, sugar, and ground spices to taste, and cook until thick enough to spread.

Stir the mixture occasionally to prevent sticking or scorching.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and seal.

Process in a boiling-water bath for 5 minutes, up to 1,000 feet altitude.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions on this site: National Center for Home Preservation.

Remove the hot jars from the canner using the jar lifter and place them on the counter overnight (for 12 hours).  The jars should making a popping noise as they seal.  If any of the jars don't pop, that means they didn't seal properly so you'll need to place them in the refrigerator. 

This apple butter tastes great!  Definitely worth all of the effort.  When my oldest son tried it, he said "this isn't enough!"  I agree, I plan to make more.  I'm going back to get more apples this weekend.  Yummy!


This apple butter tastes great on Anadama Bread  (the 1st BBA Bread) and Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread.  I imagine it would taste great on most breads.  I plan to find out.


Happy Canning!
Cathy