Last weekend, my sweetheart and I drove over to Blowing Rock and had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, a British styled pub called Sixpence.  Have you ever been there?  Great food & atmosphere!

On our way home, we picked up a half bushel of mountain apples and a bag of chestnuts.  Chinquapin; I believe that is what the old timers called the type of chestnuts we bought.  They will be a tasty snack after we roast them.

The variety of apples that I purchased was Winesap, and I was very busy this week making them into apple butter.

Have you ever made apple butter?  It is sinfully easy.  Apple Butter doesn’t have butter in it; it get’s its name from the smooth texture that occurs after a lengthy cooking time.  The old fashioned way of making apple butter involved cooking it outdoors over an open fire and usually in a copper pot.  I couldn’t manage to procure a copper pot without shelling out a ton of cash for it, so I opted for an easier method and a cooking vessel that most kitchens have; a crock pot.

To make apple butter, you need a large crock pot, enough apples to fill it, sugar, vinegar and apple pie spice.

Begin by peeling, coring and slicing up your apples, fill the crock pot full of them and add  3 cups of sugar and 1 cup of apple cider vinegar.  Add two heaping tablespoons of apple pie spice and let it cook all day on high.  You will need to stir it on occasion to break down the apples.  Be careful, the mixture will be very hot!

Next week, I will tell you how to preserve your apple butter by canning it in a hot water bath.

I wanted to remind you of our Herbal Workshop at Sweet Harvest Homestead on October 8^th.  It is not too late to sign up.  This is going to be such a fun and informative class!  We are privileged to have Dr. Partick Ess as our guest speaker.  Janice Efird will be our guest demonstrator and show us how to make an effective earache remedy.  The workshop starts at 10:30 and we will make tinctures, herbal salves, and an herbal body cream as well as The Master Tonic ( a natural cold and flu remedy).  A delicious lunch will be provided.  The class is limited to 12 people, and your spot is reserved upon payment. Cost is $99.  You will go home with three tinctures, a jar of The Master Tonic, handouts, a jar of body cream, salve & a full belly.  These classes fill up quickly!  Reserve your spot now.

That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week.