I was blessed with a bunch of green apples. I'm trying to make apple butter using a very vague recipe from the Foxfire book #3. I don't like alot of spice...any suggestions? Is it suppose to be so thick? I appreciate any tips
I haven't made apple butter in a long time but the recipe is really simple. You just spice it according to your taste. I personally like spice to I add a lot. You could just add some light cinnamon. In fact, I don't know if you would even need any spice at all. It is really a matter of taste. I am assuming that you green apples are not unripe apples? If they are on the tart side you may need a little more sugar. I would google the ball website as they have lots of recipes.
Green as in unripe, or green as in mature but happens to be a green-skinned variety? If the latter, apple butter is reasonable; if the former though I have never heard of making apple butter from unripe fruits BUT you can put up pints of homemade pectin for later use in making jams/jellies/etc out of any other fruits, and it is REALLY handy.
Yes, apple butter is generally quite thick, I'd say thicker than applesauce. But of course if you're making it yourself you can suit your own tastes
Pat, I've never put up my own pectin. I use the fruit in with things to help them set, but never made pectin. If you get a free moment (I know, I know!) would you share how you do it, or point me to a recipe that seems like yours?
I actually ended up typing in the small-batch pectin recipe on the thread about crabapples (you can use un- or under-ripe regular apples just as well as crabapples, and just wash and stem them, do not peel or core them as the peels and cores have a lot of pectin in em)
Yeah they're ripe, just a green type of apple. My first batch turned out good but the second one I added to much sugar....Oh well, I have about 2 more batches to go. Thanks for the advice.