November 17, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Apple Butter.

What were they doing in the shed? Several peoples faces could be seen, along with a large pot being stirred over an open fire. The person stirring the pot was Erin who is nine years old. Ken and I recognized several of the people but could not figure out what they were doing, so we sat in the truck for a few moments to try to figure it out... but we gave up. The handle for stirring was made of wood with a handle at least ten feet long. The stirring part was a solid piece of wood about one foot long and four inches across, so stirring the large pot was not easy. When we went into the shed it was obvious by the smell that apple butter was being made, the same way as the apple butter had been made on that farm for the past four generations. All the people there were are friends, consisting of two older ladies and one daughter and one daughter-in-law, plus Alan the farmer along with two other men and as is the custom, two children. They have been at it all day. First the apples must be well washed and cut into quarters with the core cut out. They start with a bushel of apples. With a small amount of water they boil down the apples, using the large copper pot over the open fire. A stand holds the pot over the fire. After the apples are soft the apples are put through a type of sieve to separate the peel from the fruit. Then the apple mix goes back into the clean copper pot and starts cooking and cooking and cooking, of course being stirred all the time. Of yes, sugar is added to the pot. When they started out, the pot was full, but by the time I arrived, the pot was half full.

I arrived just when all these good folks were gearing up to pour the finished apple butter into all the jars which were all lined up on the tables. Of course, being a city person, I had dozens of questions about the process, the most important was "how do you know when the apple butter if ready to put into the bottles?" I received many answers, none quite the same. I did get the important information from Patty that one year the apple butter was poured too soon and the jars all went rancid. Everyone had a different answer, but finally they all agreed that now was the time to pour it up so we all sprang to action. I dipped the apple butter out of the big pot as that required the least amount of expertise while the four adult women poured the apple butter into the jars and put on the lids and ring, all the while one of the men kept stirring the big pot. It was quite an operation. One of the most interesting aspects of this whole operation was that this could have been 1908, and probably was done exactly the same way. The long wooden stirrer was probably the same one, as was the large copper pot. The worst thing for me is that I don't even like apple butter... but I surely loved being part of the process.