I love apples. So, what better way to embrace the apple season than going to pick your own? My family and I went apple picking at Crane Orchard in Fennville, Michigan a few weeks ago. We love this orchard for two reasons; number one because it’s so user friendly. And, also, about 1/4 mile down the road you’ll find the Crane family restaurant and bakery. The food is solid and straight forward, but we really go for the pie. Apple, blueberry, cherry, raspberry-rhubarb, peach. It’s all so good because the fruit comes from their orchards.
When we arrived at the orchard we were greeted by an extremely enthusiastic apple aficionado. He explained that the Golden Supremes, Galas and Blondees were ready to pick, and then he cut us samples of each apple. They were all delicious, but the Golden Supremes were by far the best.
We grabbed a wagon, and made our way into the orchard. Tip: The deeper you go the more apples there are on the trees.
We picked all three varieties and came home with about 20 pounds of apples. Our favorite way to enjoy apples is to make apple butter because it’s such a versatile condiment. It can go sweet or savory.
Making apple butter is incredibly easy, and amazingly delicious! We use the crock pot method which is totally the way to go.
Apple Butter
Peel and core your apples (roughly 7 pounds), and cut them into 1/2-inch wedges. Place them in your crock pot with about 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar.
Turn your crockpot to low, and cover with the lid. Cook until the apples are caramelized and soft. They reduce by about 2/3 of their original volume. This takes about 10 hours. We did this part overnight.
Stir in a pinch of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and salt. Add a splash of lemon juice or cider vinegar, too.
With the lid removed, continue to cook the butter for an additional 2 to 3 hours or until thick.
To finish the butter puree it in the blender, or use an immersion blender. This final step blends in any apple skins that may be lingering, and makes the butter silky and smooth.
Chill and enjoy!
What’s my favorite way to enjoy apple butter? Spread it on rolled out pizza dough (I love Trader Joe’s pizza dough when I don’t have time to make my own). Top with thinly sliced apples and finish with a sprinkling of blue cheese. Bake until golden brown and crispy. Whoa!
Now is the season to break out the crock pots, so why not christen yours by making a big batch of apple butter?
