I need help properly canning apple butter....?!?!
(p.s. if ingredients prove important to the process, they are simply: apples, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt.)
Answers: As an inexpensive gift for mine and my fiance's coworkers I am making my famous apple butter and clay pot bread for Christmas this year. Last year, I simply put the apple butter in jars and advised them to keep it refridgerated...and I was so nervous for several weeks that someone was going to call me up bc they got sick (which they didn't). This year I would like to properly sterilize and can it for them. I DO NOT have a machine but I have heard that with fruits there is an effective method by boiling. Can anyone give me the steps to do so, so that I can give them sterilized, sealed and SAFER gifts? Thanks in advance!!!
(p.s. if ingredients prove important to the process, they are simply: apples, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt.)
You don't need a machine - you need a pot that is deep enough to cover the jars with water by 1" and still has room for the water to boil.
Go to any store where you can purchase canning jars, and you can purchase the 'Ball Blue Book' (no kidding). This has all kinds of canning information in it and recipes, too.
Purchase canning jars (do not reuse old food jars, they are not made with as thick of glass as canning jars, so they may crack), and new lids to fit them. The jars should come with rings. Also get a canning funnel, and have some tongs and a couple of clean dishtowels available.
Boil water and put the jars, rings and lids in to sterilize them. Boil the jars, etc. for about 5 minutes. Remove the jars from the boiling water, and immediately pour your boiling apple butter into them. Place the lids on and seal them gently with the rings. Do not tighten the lids (tightening the lids squishes the hot sealing compound, and can make it so the jar will not seal). Place the jars in an area without a draft (a draft can cool the jar too quickly, and cause it to break).
Each lid has a slight bubble on it, in the middle. As the jars cool, you will hear each one make a *pop*. This will take up to four hours, depending upon the size of the jar. When they are completely cool, you should be able to push on the center of the lid and not wiggle the seal button. This is a sign that it has sealed. If it has not sealed, it must be refrigerated and eaten within two weeks.
Apples are an 'acid' food, I believe, so you should not need to cook them in a pressure canner. If it makes you more comfortable, add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to the mix.
Properly sealed canned goods should not grow mold or spoil within one year. They should not be used if they have a funny odor, or discoloration. When you are finished, label each jar with the contents and the month and year they were canned.
Here are step by step instructions. It's called water bath.
http://www.pickyourown.org/applebutter.h...