It’s that time of year again. Pumpkin and spice and everything nice. Lattes, cereal, kale chips… I like pumpkin spice just as much as the next person, but let’s not go overboard. If you’re curious about some of the weirdest pumpkin spiced foods, check out this Top 10 list. Instead of pumpkins in this post, I’m going for the other fall favorite fruit–apples!
October marks roughly the start of the 3rd month of school for myself and fellow educators around the U.S. of A. We’re getting into a groove and the honeymoon is over with new classes of kiddos. Fall inevitably makes my mind think about apples, which makes me think about teaching. But why is this?
Let’s take a trip back in time to the lush Garden of Eden, and scantily clad Adam and Eve. We all know that Eve defies orders and pirates a forbidden fruit, causing more problems down the road. In artwork, that fateful fruit is not depicted as a kumquat, persimmon or a pear, but as an apple. This apple tree is also known as the “Tree of Knowledge” because of what Eve and Adam learn from that one tasty, albeit outlawed, bite. Teachers subsequently pass knowledge on to their pupils (aka students).
What really cements the connection between apple giving and teachers is the humble beginnings of teaching in America. Free “public” schools began in the late 1830’s in New England. Teacher wages then were meager, so appreciative families gave them extra gifts like eggs, butter, and fresh fruits and veggies. For example, a female teacher in 1849 Iowa earned $32.08 per year. Today, for kicks, Apple TV+ is $6.99 a month or $83.88 a year. (FYI…teachers in Mississippi make a starting salary of $41,638 today.)
Apples, both for their biblical knowledge connection and great storage ability, made the perfect sweet, portable treat to give a special school marm. Oh how I have cherished all of my apple decorations over the years!
Not too long ago, The Hubby gifted me with an abundance of apples from New England. I adore anything made with apples and spice and everything nice, but I’ll end up being the only one eating the apple pie cinnamon rolls, applesauce salad, cake and cookies made with them. To use up these wonderful apples, I turned to one of my favorite teachers and friends, Mrs. A. (She originally wanted to be a teacher before opting to be a nurse. Her Cheese Crack Dip is legendary! ) Mrs. A.’s cooking is scrumptious to say the least, but she learned from a fabulous teacher…her mom! Mrs. Irene homemade, scratch cooking easily feeds a hungry kid crowd, or a growing guy. (Remember my earlier post about Mrs. Irene’s cooking and Son B?) This Baked Apple Butter recipe is straight from their family cookbook.
When making this silky, sweet-tart topping, start with homemade applesauce. Peel and cut your apples into slices or chunks. Put them into a large pot and cover with just enough water to cover the tops of the apples. Boil until apples are soft and smash with a potato smasher. You can also use an immersion blender or regular blender to process until smooth. If you use a regular blender, wait until the apples are lukewarm. Otherwise, you’ll have an apple eruption in your kitchen!
Blend the applesauce with all recipe ingredients and pour into high-sided pans. Place in the oven and stir frequently until caramel colored. Store the spicy apple butter in hot-water bath processed glass jars or freezer safe containers. Enjoy on toast, baking powder biscuits, ice cream, or by itself!
Baked Apple Butter
Borrowed from a truly amazing cook! Don’t let the name apple butter fool you. This easy to follow recipe is silky smooth, tart and sweet, and oh so scrumptious! Apple butter is divine on a slice of homemade toast.
- Yield: About 6–8 Pints of Apple Butter 1x
Ingredients
16 cups fresh apple sauce (Tart, juicy apples work best, such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Jonathan varieties.). Irene likes wild apples if you can find them!
3–1/2 cups brown sugar, packed (Sugar in the Raw works well too!)
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. If the apple sauce is chunky, blend all ingredients with a blender or immersion blender to make the apple mixture smooth. Pour into a large casserole or baking dish with tall sides. Stir often for 3 hours, scrapping the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula. The finished apple butter will be thick and have a deep caramelized color. Remove apple butter from the heat and process/store as desired in canning jars or freezer safe containers.
Irene recommends putting the apple butter in washed and preheated pint jars. Have the lids and screw-top rings boiling in hot water and ready to use. As you pour the hot apple butter into the clean jars (leave about a 1/4-inch space at the top of the jar), wipe the jar tops with a clean cloth and immediately seal with a hot lid and ring. Screw the rings down and cover with a cloth. The jar lids should “pop” to let you know they’ve sealed. (*Be sure you’re working with hot jars, apple butter and two-part lids to ensure proper sealing.)
You can also hot-water process the jars. Fill and seal like above, but submerge the sealed jars into a canner filled with boiling water. Process the jars for 10 minutes. Remove immediately from the boiling water and allow to cool completely on the counter. Apple butter canned this way will last up to 12 months (or longer) if properly sealed. Don’t forget to write the date it’s made on the jar lids or container.
IMNPB
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