Apple Butter

8 Pounds apples -- see * Note
2 Cups cider
2 Cups vinegar, 5% acidity
2 1/4 Cups white sugar
2 1/4 Cups brown sugar - (packed)
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground cloves

* Note: Use Jonathan, Winesap, Stayman, Golden Delicious, Macintosh or other tasty apple varieties for best results.

Wash, remove stems, quarter and core fruit. Cook slowly in cider and vinegar until soft. Press fruit through a colander, food mill or strainer. Cook fruit pulp with sugar and spices, stirring frequently.

To test for doneness, remove a spoonful and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon. Another way to determine when the butter is cooked adequately is to spoon a small quantity onto a plate. When a rim of liquid does not separate around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning.

Fill hot into hot sterile half-pint or pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Quart jars need not be pre-sterilized, but jars should be hot prior to filling. Adjust lids and process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

To sterilize empty jars, place them right-side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 feet. At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 feet elevation. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time as filled.

This recipe yields 8 to 9 pints.

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