Free apples, the best kind.

I processed them using my Squeezo.

Simmered it all down in two big crock pots.

And canned it up!

If you’ve never heard of the fabulous Squeezo, it is the best food strainer ever invented. I have a Squeezo tutorial here.

These apples came from Morgan’s boyfriend, Justin. He picked them and brought them to me with a request for apple butter. I was happy to oblige! I used my favorite apple butter recipe, Whiskey-Raisin Apple Butter, and kept a few jars back to send my dad and am giving the rest to Justin. (I’m not selling any apple butter this year.) I will probably pick up a box of canning apples from the farmers market sometime in the next few weeks to make a batch for myself, and that’ll be it for me this apple season as my fall is really packed this year.

In case you didn’t get my apple butter recipe last year, here it is again. This recipe is written per quart so that you can multiply it by however many quarts of sauce you have available.

How to make Whiskey-Raisin Apple Butter:

Per quart applesauce–
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar*
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup whiskey

*Adjust amount of sugar to suit your tastes. Start with the lower amount and see how you like it. I use 1 3/4 cups.

I simmer my apple butter in crock pots. Whatever you’re using, combine the applesauce, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and cloves in the pot (NOT the whiskey yet) and mix well. I use half and half golden raisins and “regular” raisins. I just think it looks pretty.

Simmer for several hours, stirring occasionally. When the butter is thick–rounds up on a spoon–stir in the whiskey. Get your sauce as thick as you can before adding the whiskey. The less you cook after adding the whiskey, the better–you don’t want to cook it out. I try to not cook it more than another 15-20 minutes after adding the whiskey. Process pints or half-pints in a boiling water bath 10 minutes.

Get the uber-super-printable recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.

This is also pear time, and I have a passel of pear recipes, too!

This pear jam tastes like vanilla ice cream:
Double Vanilla Pear Jam

Another simple jam, this one relies on brown sugar for a caramel flavor:
Caramel Pear Jam

Here is my pecan pear butter, which can also be canned as pecan pear sauce, depending on what you want to use it for and how much time you want to spend simmering. The best idea is to can some both ways for the best of both worlds!
Pecan Pear Butter

I like this one best as a sauce, but it can be simmered down to a butter, too.
Coconut-Raisin Pear Sauce

Happy apple and pear season!