Sunday, August 3, 2008

Applebutter

Did you know you had to make applesauce before you can make apple butter? I didn't,til the other day. I really wanted to make apple pie filling and apple butter. The apples are Jonathan apples. They were given to me and I was determined to use them.
I don't like frozen apples. To me they have a funny taste.Anyways, I cooked the apples yesterday and made applesauce. Today I made the apple butter. It was late and I needed sugar for the apples..I was tired and didn't want to go to the store. I started looking to see if I had some stored in one of many containers....Nope, but I did have brown sugar.
So that's what I used, and its good.Very tart but good. The recipe called for cloves, I'm not too crazy about cloves so I only used about half of what it called for.It also called for cinnamon to taste.
Hummmm, I love cinnamon.I used a lot of cinnamon. I then cooked it down and canned it.
I like it, Luci likes it, and hubby likes it too!!!! Poor Jon don't know what he's missing.
I made 7 pints out of 1/2 bag of apples. Now I wish I had something else to can. I did put up another quart of pickles, the ones I put up recently are going fast.We have eaten 2 quarts ,and started on the gallon jug.So it was time to start again.
I have also put another dozen eggs in the incubator. I have 12 chickens out of the 19 I started with. I was leaving them out at night, I went out one morning and something had killed 7 of them. I borrowed a live trap, and started baiting it. So far I have trapped 2 possums.. That's opossums to some. Here they are possums. Young possums. Small enough to go through a chain link fence. Now I'm not opposed to putting a pest like this out of my misery. But 2 kids that live here are against that. They think they're cute......You ever see a possum? They are NOT cute. Anyways, I happen to know the ranger at our local state park. So I called him to see about releasing wild animals in a state park. I get the usual questions : is it a baby? yes it is. Is it weaned? uhhhh, Yeah its teething on my chickens. Anyway I've caught 2 possums so far and my chickens are coming in at night. The kids are enjoying the trips to the park too. The little possums are glad to see the end of us too.I never saw a possum run that fast.LOL
Jon bless his heart, wanted to know how many I was gonna catch....uhhh, Jon, I don't know how many are out there.
Anyway,nothing else happening here. I'll try to get some pictures on here in a few days. It's bread making time again. So I will be doing that and maybe pick some more apples. I missed the peaches and the corn. But we don't really like canned peaches or corn. I have put up soup, and odds and ends. So the grocery bill is a little lower.With gas prices what they are, every little bit helps.
Take care everyone, stay out of the heat. God bless.
Donna

11 comments:

Peggy said...

I got tired just reading what you have been up to!

Nancy said...

Yummmmm....I LOVE applebutter! You are just so ambitious...you make me tired just reading about all that you do!

I had a pet opossum when I was a kid, but they can be pests. I am glad you released them as they are God's little creatures, too. I also raised chickens, and I know the loss of baby chicks. A mean old rooster pecked a couple of mine to pieces one time!!! It's so sad as the little chicks are so cute! Of course, all 300 of my chickens were pets to me. Then my dad decided it was time for them to go, so he sold them to someone by the pound, reassuring me that they wouldn't be Sunday dinners! (But they were!!!)

Keep on trapping there, Trapper Donna! LOL

(((((( HUGS ))))))

P.S. I am so far behind in reading blogs....I started from the bottom of my list this time and working my way to the top, a little at a time! Been busy with my poor ole cat all week and work, too!

Brenda said...

Busy, busy lady! I canned several jars of pickled okra yesterday and we put a couple hundred ears of corn in the freezer two weeks ago but that's about all I've done this year. The garden is so lacking this year so I reckon we'll be suffering with the prices of things this winter.

kansasrose said...

I tried making apple butter but it didn't turn out...now I know what I did wrong. My garden is the pitts this year...my corn looks terrible. The heat and no rain is cooking everything. I sure hope my grapes hang in there. The birds are always a pest, then the deer, coons. Possums are hideous to me...those long rat tails and beady eyes. Didn't know they ate chickens.

Take care in the heat...yesterday I was so hot I sat in the sprinkler with my dog. Loveya hon! Jen

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Sure would have loved to been there helping you peel those apples! Wonder if we would have gotten much done or if we would be to busy laughing and visiting?

Sam said...

Wow, Donna,
This is all so impressive. I love apple butter, but I have to admit that I've never had homemade apple butter. Just the kind you buy at the store. I bet yours was delicious.

Yes, possums are God's creatures, but I keep my distance from them. Those long tails give me the creeps. But I have to say, I am glad you let them go at the park. And glad your chickies are safe inside at night now.

Have a wonderful week,
Sammy

Jess said...

we had a possum on our front porch the other day...in town!

Aunt Jenny said...

I love applebutter..yum!! Maybe I will get some made this year. My grandma made the best. I did it one year by cooking down the applesauce and spices in my big old crockpot..that was nice..not as hot in the kitchen...maybe I will do a batch that way this year...it isn't quite apple time yet. I did eat a half ripe one off my Yellow transparent apple tree today though. I like those better not quite ripe..they are just good for cooking when they are ripe for me..but the tree is small so there arn't alot yet this year. Someday it will be an awesome tree for my applesauce.
I call them possums too. And I agree..they arn't cute at all to me either. We had real problems with them in Calif where we lived. Here I havn't seen any at all. We must have them somewhere here!! I am fighting the grasshoppers right now..at least they don't eat the chickens!!
It is raining a little tonight..rained hard for a little bit last night...still hot though....have a wonderful rest of the week!!

Lucy Stern said...

You are just sooo busy with your canning....I think it is about time for people to go back to doing more family canning.....I used to do it but it started getting cheaper to buy things at the grocery store, we didn't have a garden either. Now it is getting so expensive to buy at the store that we need to be doing our own canning again. I wish jars didn't cost so much. Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I had no idea possums killed chickens! EEK! :oO

kansasrose said...

I gave ya an award on my blog! :) :)