The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-29

been considerably copied, but was not
so exact or full as one we find in the
New York Examiner, from the pen of
our correspondent and friend, r. j.
Black of Bremen, Ohio. Mr.. Black says:
Cider from sweet apples is gener-
ally preferred for apple butter; in which
case any good apple that cooks readily,
like Rambo, or Maiden's Blush, will do
for thickening; but some prefer sweet
apples for both. And if the sweet APP
pies used for cider are boiled instead of
being ground, before the juice is ex-
pressed, the butter will be of the ma
ture of preserves, and very palatable
to most persons, children particularly.
When sweet apples enough cannot be
obtained to make the cider, it is i'm
portant to have sweet apples for the
filling. For this purpose Winter Sweet
Paradise is one of the best. Talman
Sweet is also good, but does not cook
so readily, nor is the tree so good
bearer Both, however, should be
cooked in weak cider before being put
into the boiled cider: otherwise they
incline to remain in Jumps, instead of
becoming smooth and fine. For the
work a large copper kettle is used; and
the boiling should begin as soon as
possible after the cider comes from the
press, on account of fermentation.
When the cider is boiled down to about
one-third the original quantity, the APP
pies, previously pared, cored and sliced,
are added: about the same quantity of
the prepared apples as of the boiled
cider The boiling is then continued
several hours longer, until the mass
becomes of a uniform consistency, and
is considered strong enough to keep.
Care must be taken to stir constantly
and over every part of the bottom, in
order to prevent scorching. The
scorching may be known by the rough
feeling Of the kettle in the bottom: and
when this takes place, the kettle must
be emptied and the scorched place
cleaned and scraped until the copper is
smooth and bright--a very serious
trouble, which should always be avoided,
if possible. The scorching may also oc-
cur from mismanagemento of the fire, bya
piece of burning wood being allowed to
remain for time in contact with the
kettle. The implement for stirring re-
sembles the letter l., the upright por-
ton of which represents the handle,
made about six feet long, so as to al
low the person stirring to be at COM
Portable distance from the fire, and
held horizontally. The lower portion
of the L represents the head of the
implement, the part which goes into
the apple butter, and which is held in
an upright position by the handle to
which it is fastened at the upper end.
This upright part or head is made of
inch-and-an-eighth walnut or other
good lumber, four inches wide and
twenty inches long, with two or three
inch-and-a-half holes bored in the lower
end. Toward the close of the work,
the vessels for storing away the fin
ished product (stone-ware is considered
the besD are heated gradually, to pre-
vent their being cracked by the hot
apple butter, which must not be al
lowed to remain long in the copper ket-
tie after removal from the fire. And
if at any time the work has to be sus-
pended before completion. the contents
| of the kettle must be transferred to
stone or wooden-ware, until the boiling
can be resumed. To avoid this, it is
best to begin very early in the morn
ing. When the process is completed
and the kettle lifted off the fire, the
stirring is continued for several min
utes, during which time spices may be
added, if desired; usually cloves and
cinnamon, finely ground, about an
ounce of each for every barrel of cider
used. If well boiled down, and care
fully put away, apple butter will keep
one or two years. As test of its be-
| ing brought to the proper consistency,
few spoonfuls may be taken out and
| left in a saucer five or ten minutes :;
then, if the cider shows no disposition
to separate from the mass and gather
by itself, the work is done"