Welcoming the harvest

It’s fall! And that means it’s the best time of year for things like the harvest, which is followed by things like canning, preserving, and storing food for the cold months ahead. People have done this I’m pretty sure since the beginning of time, and it is a tradition that I am actually really sad that my family hasn’t carried on much. I was excited to see that my younger sister made a few things and jarred them up (like homemade salsa! Yum!), but for the most part, I fear that this is a dying art.

Luckily, I plan to keep carrying this tradition on for as long as I need to eat food to sustain me! And so, given that it is fall, it seems to be a great time of year to make some apple butter.

Homemade apple butter is one of those guilty pleasures of fall that are just too good on EVERYTHING! Looking for something to spread on your toast? Try apple butter, Need something to top your celery sticks with? Apple butter. Finding yourself with a teaspoon in hand, but nothing to eat? Yup, you guessed it – apple butter. It’s the best creamy, savory, delectable thing and it isn’t even really unhealthy – if you use real cane sugar (I have also used raw honey with some pretty great success), this is a great way to get the abundance of fibre that apples have (the fibre in apples is amazing for your gut as well, as it contains both soluble and insoluble fibre!) and the nutrients (from the fact that it is a whole food, which contain loads of vitamins C and K, plus copper and potassium).

Try to find apples that are as close to straight off the tree as possible for the freshest taste and longest shelf life (although I really don’t think that this will last long enough for that to be an issue! People tend to gobble it up pretty quickly).

Enjoy the harvest, everyone!

Homemade Apple Butter:

· 4 lbs. apples (I like using Cortland, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)

· 2 cups water

· 1¾ cups organic cane sugar (it doesn’t have to be organic, but I like the integrity that organic foods have for certain things, and sugar is one of them)

· 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

· ½ - 1 tsp. ground cardamom

1) Core and peel the apples, then cut into quarters

2) Combine the apples and water in a large saucepan and cook at a simmer until soft. Puree the mixture using a high speed blender

3) Return the apple pulp to the saucepan. Add the sugar and spices, stirring until everything dissolves

4) Gently boil over medium heat until the apple mixture is thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from heat

5) Ladle the hot apple butter into a hot jar leaving a ¼” headspace. Remove any air bubbles with a spoon. Wipe the jar rim. Centre a clean lid on the jar and apply band, adjusting to finger-tight

6) Place the jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled

7) Process the jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars stand 5 minutes

8 ) Remove the jars and let cool for 12 to 24 hours (listen for the “pop” to know they are sealed). Check the lids for seal 12 hours later, they should not flex when center is pressed

9) Store in a dark pantry for up to 6 months

Ooey, gooey, warm and slightly spicy. Apple butter is my favourite part of fall.