APPLE BUTTER

Place apples and about 3/4 cup of water into heavy oven-proof saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and cook until apples are soft. Mash until fairly smooth. Stir in brown sugar, salt and spices. Place in 300° F oven and continue to cook until dark brown. Add water as needed when mixture dries out. Cook until thick and spreadable. The entire process will take about 6 hours. Check the apple butter about every hour and stir well. Taste for seasoning and sweetness. If canning, place the apple butter in a pot on top of the stove and heat well. Fill sterilized half-pint or pint jars with hot apple butter, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes at an altitude up to 1,000 feet, 10 minutes from 1,000 - 6,000 feet. Add 5 minutes processing time at each altitude for quart jars. (Processing times are based on guidelines provided by the USDA National Food Safety Database.)

Notes: Many people cook the apple butter on top of the stove rather than in the oven. Although the flavor will not benefit from the long, slow cooking process in the oven, it is still very good. I use a variety of apples, including tart, such as Granny Smith, and sweet, such as Red Delicious. The amount of sugar and spices is approximate and dependent on the sweetness and flavor of the apples. It's best to start with a little less and add more after the mixture has cooked for several hours. Apple cider can be substituted for the water, but cut down on the amount of brown sugar. Serve apple butter with cottage cheese or as a bread spread. Some Dutchman like it on scrapple, pancakes, waffles, even french toast. I particularly like it spread on rye bread with a pork and sauerkraut meal.