Apple Butter

1. Quarter the apples:

   Cut the apples into quarters without peeling or coring them. Much of the pectin is in the cores and flavor in the peels. Cut out damaged parts.
2. Cook the apples:

   Put the quartered apples into large pot, add the vinegar and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Push the apples through a food mill:

   Ladle apple mixture (cooked apples and liquid) into a chinois sieve (or food mill) and using a pestle force pulp from the chinois into a large bowl below.
4. Add sugar, spices, lemon zest, and juice:

   Measure resulting apple pulp. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar for each cup of apple pulp. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Cook the apple mixture and stir often:

   Cook the apple sugar mixture uncovered in a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot on medium low heat, stirring often to prevent burning. Scrape the bottom of the pot while you stir to make sure a crust is not forming at the bottom.

   Cook until thick, smooth, and dark brown in color (about 1 to 2 hours). A small bit spooned onto a chilled (in the freezer) plate will be thick, not runny.

   You can also cook the puree on low heat, stirring only occasionally, but this will take much longer as stirring encourages evaporation. (Note the wider the pan the better, as there is more surface for evaporation.)

   If you went with the lower amount of sugar, taste the apple butter and add a little more sugar if you think it needs it.

How To Can the Apple Butter

1. Prep the canning jars:

   Midway through cooking the apple butter down, place a steamer rack in a large stockpot, and place 6 to 8 (8-ounce) canning jars on the rack. Fill the jars and the pot with water up to the rim of the jars.

   Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

   Wash the lids in hot, soapy water.

   Simple Tip!

   Because the jars will be processed in a water bath for 10 minutes, you do not need to sterilize the jars. They do, however, need to be warm.

2. Pour the apple butter into hot jars and seal:

   Remove the jars from the water bath using jar lifters. Fill the hot jars with the hot apple butter, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Screw on the lids so they are fingertip tight.

   Lower the jars into the boiling water bath. If needed, add enough water to cover the tops of the jars with at least 1 inch of water. When the water returns to a boil, process in the water bath for 10 minutes.

   Remove the jars from the water bath and set on a clean dishtowel. As the jars cool, you should hear the lids "popping" as they seal the jars.

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