Caramel Apple Butter & Blueberry Applesauce

The last days of August have found me busy trying to finish up with apples. When we first planted our two apple trees I wondered if the two semi-dwarfs would produce enough. I’m not thinking that now! I’ve been canning apples slices, freezing pies, and making applesauce.

The other day I made apple butter from a recipe I found in my Ball Blue Book. This book is a classic standard guide to food preservation. It’s been around since 1909, but they seem to come out with a new edition every so many years with up-to-date information and new recipes in each one. The recipe I used came from the 1999 edition, but I tweaked it quite a bit. I cut the sugar in half, doubled the spices, and omitted the lemon juice.

About the sugar. Yes, I know all sugar is bad for you, but I don’t produce enough honey to replace it entirely, so I compromise. I buy an unbleached cane sugar instead of standard white sugar. What’s the difference? Legally sugar can be either cane sugar or beet sugar. Since all the sugar beets grown in the US are genetically modified, I choose cane sugar over it. In addition, this brand is unbleached, economical, and widely available. Plus I like the sustainable way Zulka manages it’s sugar production (you can read about that here.) Okay, so much for the pitch. Let’s move on to the recipes.