Right after I said the girls had never been to an apple orchard, wouldn’t you know it—I got to take Belle to two within just a few weeks of each other.
Funny how life works out like that.
Our first stop was Altapass Orchard along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I felt like a little young’un up there—wide-eyed and grinning the whole time. It had been so long since I’d been to an orchard that I’d nearly forgotten the magic of it all. We filled a couple of bags with York apples, listened to live bluegrass music, picked out a few mementos, and sipped hot apple cider on the balcony while looking out over the mountains. The view was breathtaking.
The second trip took us to Millstone Creek Orchards in Ramseur. Apple season comes earlier that far east of WNC, so the trees were bare by the time we arrived, but that didn’t spoil the fun. We hopped on a hayride through the orchard, enjoyed frozen apple cider (which is way better than it sounds), and came home with a bushel of Golden Delicious apples.
Poor Brandon about had an old-fashioned conniption when he saw how many apples I hauled home. Bless him—he never learns. Those apples didn’t last long, though. We turned them into all kinds of goodies: apple pie from scratch, fried apples, and jars of homemade apple butter.
And speaking of apple butter—that’s what inspired today’s post. I thought y’all might like the recipe I use. You’ll find it down below. Enjoy!
Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples (I use a mix of tart/sweet varieties)
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ cup bottled lemon juice
Directions
- Prepare hot water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm, soapy water and set bands aside.
- Peel, core, & cut apples into quarters.
- Combine apples & water in a large saucepan. Simmer until soft.
- Purée mixture.
- Measure 2 quarts of apple pulp; return apple pulp to saucepan. Add sugar, bottled lemon juice, and spices, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Cook on medium heat until apple butter is thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If mixture becomes too thick, add a small amount of water or apple juice for desired consistency.
- Remove from heat.
- Ladle hot apple butter into a hot jar, leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lids on the jars and apply bands, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
- Process jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars stand for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool for 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when the center is pressed.
