Being born and raised in Sonoma County, home of the Gravenstein Apple (and so many others for that matter), I’m almost embarrassed to say that I have never made apple butter. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was until just recently! Super simple, and not even containing any “actual” butter, I’m excited and proud to be able to share this with you. I used the last of the apples from our tree before we lost them to the ground. It all happens so fast!

Ingredients:

10 lbs. organic apples, peeled, cored, and cut in wedges

1 cup North Coast apple cider vinegar

1 ½ cups North Coast apple juice or cider

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Dash of salt

Wash apples in sink filled with cold water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar added if there are any visible worm holes. Place wedged apples in crockpot and add the North Coast apple cider vinegar and apple juice/cider. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours, stirring every hour or so. Next, drain any remaining liquid through a sieve and place the apple mixture back into the crockpot. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt and blend with an immersion blender until smooth and buttery. Replace the cover and cook on high for another 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once complete, pour into pint size canning jars and process with a rapid boil for 15-20 minutes. (See your canning jar instructions for best results). If sealed properly, will keep in a cool dark place for up to a year, if you can save some that long. Enjoy!