According to "Gene Logsdon's Practical Skills", this is how to make traditional apple butter: 5 pounds cooking apples 7 cups water 2 cups apple cider 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon allspice 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Wash and quarter the apples. Put them in a large, heavy pot with the water and apple cider. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Press the apples through a sieve or process in a food mill to make about 2 quarts of apple pulp. Put this pulp back in the pot, add the spices. Bring to a boil and cook gently for a few hours, until thick, stirring frequently so that the butter doesn't stick and burn. Can or freeze for long-term keeping. You can make pear butter the same way, using ginger to spice it. Then below this: There's a faster way to make apple butter, too, compared to the old all-day cooking arrangement. To make a batch, slice the apples but do not bother peeling them. Add half as much cider as apple and cook for about an hour, until the apple slices are very soft. Then run the whole business through a Victorio or Squeezo, which separates the skins from the pulp. Then add your spices: cinnamon, cloves, a bit of nutmeg. cook for about another hour on a low flame, stirring often, until the butter blobs off a spoon rather than runs off, like a syrup. Then if you wish to make the butter perfectly smooth, whirl it in a blender for a few seconds. Lynn -----Original Message----- From: Mbdiggin@aol.com <Mbdiggin@aol.com> To: KENTUCKY-LEGENDS-L@folklore.rootsweb.com <KENTUCKY-LEGENDS-L@folklore.rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, September 12, 1999 10:21 PM Subject: Re: [KENTUCKY-LEGENDS AND FOLKLORE] biscuits >Hi Kim, >I asked my mother if she remembered how to make applebutter and she gave me a >rough idea. She is 82. Peel & slice apples, add sugar according to amount >of apples you have, add cinnamon red drops, and cook slowly in large cast >iron pot, oudoors if possible over open flame. Cook slowly and all day. >When cooled put in jars. If someone has a more exact receipe, please let us >know. >Mary >