So…
The other day I was given 5 pounds of red apples–which I do not eat.
LadyG is a Golden Delicious type of girl!
But I digress.
Anyway, ever the gracious Southern woman, I did not decline the gift… I kindly offered thanks for the apples while simultaneously wondering what in hell’s bells I could possibly do with these things.
Then it hit me!
I could make applesauce!
So, I shared this wonderfully inspired idea with LadyJ, my daughter and full-time shenanigans partner.
Well, Lady J, with her sardonic personality and mannerisms (Think Daria, the 90’s cartoon character) immediately gasped with fright!
Yeah, she killed my vibe–instantaneously!
So, I thought a bit more about my options; I mean, I didn’t want to see the apples go bad and there was no way that I’d trash them.
Then, my mind began to pitch a few ideas…
What about apple pie?
Oh, hell no, I thought.
Who wants to do all that?
Seriously, the chemistry of it all made that a no go.
Then…
EUREKA!
Old memories took hold and caused me to yell out loud…
Apple butter!
That’s it!
I decided to make apple butter…whether LadyJ liked it or not!
I ain’t scared of her!
And so…
I knocked on LadyJ’s bedroom door and told her that we were going to make apple butter, and, surprisingly enough, she was good with it!
Between you and me, I didn’t give a damn if she was or wasn’t good with it, we were making this freaking apple butter if it KILLED ME!
That’s right, following the dictates of Napoleon Hill, I had developed a “definite chief aim” to make apple butter.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know nuthin’ bout makin’ no apple butter.
My mother never served it.
In fact, I never knew it existed until I met my son’s father–his folks ate it all the time.
Hell, when I first saw it, I thought it was apples mixed with butter in a jar.
Clearly, your girl was clueless!
Anyway, my son’s grandmother educated me on apple butter and encouraged me to try it.
It tasted okay for something store-bought.
Now, let me just add that my son’s father’s family could throw down in the kitchen, but I guess none of them could be bothered with making apple butter homemade–it was much too time consuming.
Enter the instant pot!
Thank God for technological advancements!
Thirty years later and I now have a tool that makes that gig a helluva lot easier!
It still takes time, but not nearly as much as it would doing it on a regular stove–or even worse, a kettle of some sort!
Perish the thought!
Anyway, below, is a video that shows a bit of our apple butter making journey.
If you want the recipe, comment below.
I am on a serious journey to learn how to cook things that I usually buy at the store. That said, food storage and preservation are a priority for me.
If you are interested in tracking your food storage projects, I created a little log for myself that I decided others might want as well.
You can purchase on amazon.
Video time: >2 mins.
