WHAT EXACTLY IS APPLE BUTTER? Medieval Europeans produced it to preserve their harvest, and it spread โ pun intended! โ across Southern meals after the American Revolution.
Evansville Countryside Orchard owners Kristi and Tim Schulz have sold their apple butter for seven years in half-pint glass containers. Any apple can be used to create apple butter, but Kristi includes Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, and Gold Rush in what starts as applesauce. That already is sweet enough for Kristi, but some recipes call for additional brown or white sugar.
โItโs naturally sweet on its own. You donโt have to add a lot of sugar,โ she says.
Next, itโs all about the spices. The Schulzes use a variety of flavors, and this year have CinnaSpice and two unique blends: Salted Caramel and Chai Spice.
โWe test and play with different recipes to find distinctive flavor profiles,โ Kristi says.
Once mixed, the applesauce goes into the oven for four hours or more, cooking off moisture and turning the sauce into a dark brown โbutter,โ or, more accurately, a spread. A sealed jar can last up to 18 months; once opened, it must be refrigerated and used within two months.
Half-pint jars sell for $7 at the orchard and via online marketplace Local Source. Kristi says the butter pairs well with typical breakfast foods like toast, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, and English muffins. For a charcuterie option, Kristi recommends serving apple butter with cream cheese. Her favorite combo is salted caramel apple butter on a waffle.
