The evening before apple butter day, we all would meet at the “hall” and pair apples for the next day. It was a fun time for our church family. All the kids came with their parents. Our job was to either hand apples to the men who were putting the apples on the parers, or keep the ladies supplied with the pared apples, so they could core and quarter them. We anxiously awaited the times when someone would give us one of the crisp, tart apples to snack on --- or sneak one for ourselves!
Early in the morning, the next day (about 6:00 or 7:00), the men would build the fires and the ladies would put the apples on to cook. They stirred the apple butter with big wooden paddles. The men kept the fires going and took turns with the ladies, stirring the bubbling brew.
(A funny thing happened one year during applebutter makin'! Our church was growing and we were getting "newer" members---city folk that worked in/near Washington and Baltimore (prounounce "Baltmer" in my part of the country!) and who wanted to 'live in the country" OR who traveled through the country to get to the interstate! Some of those folks drove by the hall on their way to work and saw the ladies outside with scarves on their heads, aprons and long coats. They saw the kettles over the fire and the men and women stirring the kettles with big long wooden paddles. What a strange sight, so early in the morning! Some wondered if it was witches stirring their brew!!!! For sure, they were "new to town" and knew nothing of a "good ol' homemade applebutter makin' "! )
After the apples had “cooked down“, they added the sugar and spices. That usually happened after lunch. . .
It was so hard for us kids to go to school that day, knowing what was happening at the hall. My cousin Sandra, my brother, Dwayne, and I couldn’t wait for the last bell to ring at 2:30 so we could get on the bus and head for the hall. About the time we would get there, the ladies would be ready to dip up the bubbling
, spicy applebutter into quart jars and seal it. We would get there just in time to “sop” up the leftovers in the kettles with bread! Mmmm! Good!! Folks who wanted some apple butter would bring their jars and they would be filled. I don’t remember how much they paid per jar, but they always sold out. They always held some back to use at mealtimes at the annual Damascus Camp Meeting held each August. The recipe was passed down from generation to generation. The original recipe made 40 gallons!! My Aunt Bernadine Beall wrote the recipe down and then “pared” it down to make 4 gallon. She gave me a copy of the original and her 4 gallon recipe. With my mom’s help (Catherine Watkins), we halved it several more times to make 1 gallon! Over the years we have adjusted the spices until it is just right! It is still my favorite and has become a favorite for my children as well. We ration it out when we get down to a couple of jars left! Several years ago my home church stopped making applebutter. The price of sugar became too high, and the “original” ladies were getting older and none of the newer younger ladies wanted to carry on the tradition. So, for a while, only small groups of relatives would make it. The last time I remember “makin’ applebutter” was “up at Ann and Alfreds”, Sandra’s parents’ home. I think it was Ann and Alfred, Randall and Sandra, Aunt Mary and Uncle Milton, and possibly Doris and Alton.
Now, most of the ladies who knew how to make applebutter have passed away. It has becoming a “lost art”! But when the weather starts to get cooler and the leaves begin to turn colors and fall from the trees, my thoughts turn to Browningsville, MD and applebutter makin!! I can still close my eyes and remember the sights and SMELLS of that annual tradition!
I like to carry on that tradition as well! There is nothing better than homemade rolls with applebutter!
Old Fashioned Applebutter
(Beverly Duerksen)
(adjusted from the original recipe used at
Bethesda United Methodist Church in Browningsville MD)
Apples - enough to make 1 gallon sauce
Core and pare apples. Cook down to sauce.
Place sauce in roaster, in 350 oven.
Add ½ cup sugar per cup of sauce (8 cups/1 gallon sauce), reserving 2 cups to add later mixed with the spices.
Cook for a while until bubbly (I start in morning and cook till after lunch)
Mix the reserved 2 cups of sugar with:
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Add sugar/spices to boiling sweetened sauce and cook until thickened.
(Time depends on how juicy the sauce was)
Dip up into sterilized jars and seal. It’s safe to let them seal on their own since the apple butter is boiling hot, but I usually put jars in pressure canner just to insure tight seal, though it’s not necessary. Yield 7 ½ - 8 pints.
Quick Recipe
(For those who don’t have access to fresh apples --- or are too lazy to prepare the apples! Ha!)
Open a gallon can of prepared sweetened applesauce and put in large crock pot. Add 2 cups sugar mixed with spices (above) and cook all day or all night and day. Spoon into jars! Seal!
, spicy applebutter into quart jars and seal it. We would get there just in time to “sop” up the leftovers in the kettles with bread! Mmmm! Good!! Folks who wanted some apple butter would bring their jars and they would be filled. I don’t remember how much they paid per jar, but they always sold out. They always held some back to use at mealtimes at the annual Damascus Camp Meeting held each August. The recipe was passed down from generation to generation. The original recipe made 40 gallons!! My Aunt Bernadine Beall wrote the recipe down and then “pared” it down to make 4 gallon. She gave me a copy of the original and her 4 gallon recipe. With my mom’s help (Catherine Watkins), we halved it several more times to make 1 gallon! Over the years we have adjusted the spices until it is just right! It is still my favorite and has become a favorite for my children as well. We ration it out when we get down to a couple of jars left! Several years ago my home church stopped making applebutter. The price of sugar became too high, and the “original” ladies were getting older and none of the newer younger ladies wanted to carry on the tradition. So, for a while, only small groups of relatives would make it. The last time I remember “makin’ applebutter” was “up at Ann and Alfreds”, Sandra’s parents’ home. I think it was Ann and Alfred, Randall and Sandra, Aunt Mary and Uncle Milton, and possibly Doris and Alton.Now, most of the ladies who knew how to make applebutter have passed away. It has becoming a “lost art”! But when the weather starts to get cooler and the leaves begin to turn colors and fall from the trees, my thoughts turn to Browningsville, MD and applebutter makin!! I can still close my eyes and remember the sights and SMELLS of that annual tradition!
I like to carry on that tradition as well! There is nothing better than homemade rolls with applebutter!
Old Fashioned Applebutter
(Beverly Duerksen)
(adjusted from the original recipe used at
Bethesda United Methodist Church in Browningsville MD)
Apples - enough to make 1 gallon sauce
Core and pare apples. Cook down to sauce.
Place sauce in roaster, in 350 oven.
Add ½ cup sugar per cup of sauce (8 cups/1 gallon sauce), reserving 2 cups to add later mixed with the spices.
Cook for a while until bubbly (I start in morning and cook till after lunch)
Mix the reserved 2 cups of sugar with:
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Add sugar/spices to boiling sweetened sauce and cook until thickened.
(Time depends on how juicy the sauce was)
Dip up into sterilized jars and seal. It’s safe to let them seal on their own since the apple butter is boiling hot, but I usually put jars in pressure canner just to insure tight seal, though it’s not necessary. Yield 7 ½ - 8 pints.
Quick Recipe
(For those who don’t have access to fresh apples --- or are too lazy to prepare the apples! Ha!)
Open a gallon can of prepared sweetened applesauce and put in large crock pot. Add 2 cups sugar mixed with spices (above) and cook all day or all night and day. Spoon into jars! Seal!
