Apple Butter in the Crock Pot -

Every year, we have apples that fall from our trees too early to eat. They’re small, tart, and usually a little bruised. They may even have bug holes in them. Our tree is giant, old and hasn’t been well cared for, so we lose more apples than we would like to, but we’ve found a way to use these little apples. Homemade apple butter!

Today, I’ll share our process in making it.

How to Make Homemade Apple Butter

Step 1: Collect the apples. Lots and lots of apples! About two grocery sacks full to fill a crock pot. My husband goes out every day and picks up apples off the ground. You want to get to them fast…before the bugs do!

Step 2: Wash and peel. See the bruises? My husband was peeling this time around and he just ignored the bruises. We find it easier to remove them later. Step 3: Cut the apples. Remove the cores and any large bruises. You don’t have to be too picky about small brown spots as it’ll all be turning brown in the crock pot soon anyway. Step 4: Place apples in the crock pot. It’s just fine if they’re mounded over the top a little. They’ll cook down…a LOT! Step 5: Add sugar and spices on top. For a crock pot this full, we use the following recipe. Mix it all together and pour *carefully* on top.

1.5 Cups granulated sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 Teaspoon ground cloves
1 Teaspoon nutmeg
A pinch of salt

Step 6: Place the lid on top and cook on low overnight (and the rest of the next day if you’re too busy to get to it!) This is what it’ll look like the following morning. Stir with a whisk and let cook a couple more hours. When you’re ready to put it in jars, either use an immersion blender to smooth it out or place it in your blender in batches. Blend until smooth. From here, you can either can it, freeze it, or eat it! Enjoy!