This weekend we had an opportunity to harvest a whole washtub full of Granny Smith apples and couldn't decide what to do with them first.

Actually, I suppose Garrison, our 2 year old who ate several of them on the way home technically decided what to do with them first.



Once home we found something for Garrison to do so he'd stop eating all the apples and Amy found a recipe for crock-pot apple butter. So we set to work peeling, coring and slicing them to fill the crock pot.

Actually, that's not entirely true. Amy did all the work and I left the kitchen to get out of the way. Garrison and I went outside to play in the mud.



About now you might be wondering why I'd bother mentioning a recipe on my bee blog?

The recipe we found said we could substitute sugar for honey and having plenty of homemade honey on hand we thought it was worth a try.

I decided if it turned out good, I'd mention the recipe.

I'm eating the apple butter by the spoonful. Its not even making it onto toast or biscuits, so I figure its worthy of a post.

At any rate, after the dry spices are added, it's time to add in the honey.



It simmered in the crock-pot overnight, which I have to say, it smelled so good I woke up hungry several times during the night.

At periodic intervals we'd stir the butter to make sure it wasn't burning and to help soften the apples until eventually there weren't any lumps.



Once it was done cooking and the texture was just right, Amy cleaned and prepped a bunch of jars with lids and bands and she canned the apple butter.

The picture below looks like it's a distorted picture, but it's just a very short jar. A perfect size jar to give away to friends/family.



Homemade apple butter is delicious. Knowing you harvested both the apples and honey makes it even sweeter.


For those interested, here's the full recipe:

CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER     
Approximately 3 lb. apples
1 cup honey
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
Dash of salt
3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider

Fill Crock-pot 3/4 full with peeled, cored and sliced apples. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.

If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.

Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Freeze or can for longer storage.

Variation: can substitute 3 cups sugar for the 1 cup honey.