When my kids were little, I started a food co-op in town called “Back to Basics Discount Foods”. The majority of our food came from the distributor, FORC (Federation of Ohio River Cooperatives). FORC made some changes to their business model and alas, they no longer exist and hence, our little co-op died as well.
Along with FORC, there were a few other smaller local businesses that we collectively made purchases from. One of these was Cooper’s Mill. They are located in Bucyrus, Ohio and make all sorts of jams, jellies, pickles and other canned goodies. Some of my favorites are their No Sugar Added Spreads. It’s these spreads that inspired this little goodie!
Mixed Berry Apple Butter
If you’ve never made apple butter before, it’s basically apple sauce with the addition of cinnamon and perhaps some other spices that has been cooked down until it’s a yummy spread. It’s not difficult, it just takes some patience.
Ingredients:
- 2 to 4 cups of Mixed Berry Applesauce (You will be cooking it down so you should start with approximately double the amount you’d like your finished amount to be. So, if you want 1 cup of butter, start with 2 cups of sauce).
You will be cooking your applesauce for approximately 2 hours. See how as it cooks down, I can drag my spatula through and it leaves a trail? The thicker it gets, it will become more prone to sticking so you will need to stir your pot more. By the end, you will be stirring your pot continuously. When your butter can mound up on your spoon, it is finished.
Now just enjoy on your morning toast, english muffin, bagel or other baked good. It will keep in the refrigerator a couple of weeks. You can freeze or can your mixed berry apple butter for use later. If you chose to can, check out this great information sheet from the OSU extension office of Canning Basics.
Doesn’t this look absolutely delicious? This is a treat that won’t be around our house for long!
I’ll see you at 3:00 pm for anther Party Thyme recipe!
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