T HE OBJECT of this bulletin is not to cover the entire range of products which may be made from fruits nor to publish a long list of recipes, but rather to revive an interest in a few of the more common home fruit products easily made and rel¬ ished by most people. The various butters considered in the following pages have all been made and tested in one of the laboratories of the United States Department of Agriculture and can be recommended as good, wholesome, home-prepared fruit products. The principal new features presented here are the short time in which apple butter may be made and the adding of the peeled and sliced apples to the fresh cider without first boiling down the cider. Those who do not grow fruit may take advantage of heavy supplies of fruits in the markets to buy cheaply and also to help conserve foods which might otherwise be wasted. Washington, D. C. Issued September, 1917 Revised September, 1922 2 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN BOOKSTACKS Gyt-ij CCr^ HOMEMADE FRUIT BUTTERS By C. P. Close, Extension Horticulturist, Office of Extension Work CONTENTS. Page. Necessary equipment_ 3 Apple "butter_ 3 Apple butter with cider_ 4 Apple butter without cider_ 5 Apple butter with grape juice_ 5 Apple butter with lemons_ 5 Apple butter with plums_ 5 Apple butter with rhubarb_ 5 Pear butter_ 6 Page. Peach butter_ <3 Peach butter made with dried and canned peaches_ 6 Peach butter with lemon juice_ 6 (Plum butter_ _ 7 Garfield butter_ 7 Sterilization of containers for fruit butters_ 7 T HE USE of many fruit products is doubtless restricted because of a lack of familiarity with them, and also because of the labor required to prepare them; but a goodly number are very easily made. Although canning and drying are always largely practiced as a means of saving perishable fruits, there are other ways of utilizing a portion of them to add variety to the menu and volume to the larder. As much of these fruits as can be handled satisfac¬ torily should be used in making fruit butters. While it is desirable to have only good grades of fresh fruits for making these products, the sound portions of inferior fruit may be used with perfect success. NECESSARY EQUIPMENT. The usual utensils in almost daily use in every kitchen are all that are needed in the making of fruit butters in small quantities. It is desirable, but not absolutely necessary, to have an enamel-lined, aluminum, or other good preserving kettle, such as is kept for fruit¬ cooking purposes only. Other utensils needed are a colander, wire sieve, potato masher, measuring cups, knives, and pans. The large iron and copper kettles, used so much on the farms in the past in making considerable quantities of apple butter out of doors (see title-page illustration), are still in use in many sections of the countrv. APPLE BUTTER. Apple butter has probably not lost its old-time popularity, but it does not seem to be made in such generous quantities nor in so many 2455°—28 Q 4 Farmers' Bulletin 900. homes as formerly. There is no better way to use good apples and the sound portions of windfall, wormy, and bruised apples than to make them into butter, either in small or large quantities. While almost any apples wdll make good apple butter, those which have a distinctively rich tart flavor and good cooking quality are most satisfactory. Such old standard varieties as Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Tompkins King, and Smokehouse rre excellent for this purpose. It has been found in recent tests by the United States Department of Agriculture that the summer varieties make as rich and snappy apple butter as the fall and winter varieties. Varieties of coarse texture naturally make a rather coarse product unless put through a colander or wire sieve after first being made into apple sauce before adding them to the cider. Sometimes sweet apples are used with tart apples, the usual proportion being one-third of the former to two-thirds of the latter. Overripe apples are not desir¬ able, but if they must be used add a little vinegar to give some snap to the butter. The proportion of vinegar required must be deter¬ mined by the taste. It has been accepted generally that the sweet cider must be boiled down at least one-half before the apples are added and cooking begun and that slow cooking for hours was absolutely necessary. This, however, is not necessary; in fact, it is a loss of time and fuel to boil down the cider first and then cook the apples in it for a long time. Just as high a grade of butter will result by adding the apples to the unboiled cider and cooking rapidly until finished. Small lots of apple butter may be made in one hour, or less, by put¬ ting the apples into sweet cider and cooking as fast as is safe without scorching. Large quantities take a longer time, but may be cooked as rapidly as possible. Strict attention must be given to stirring, in order that the butter may not scorch and stick to the kettle. Apple butter with cider.—Either fresh cider or commercial steri¬ lized cider may be used. The usual proportion of peeled and sliced apples and cider is gallon for gallon, but from one-half to three- quarters of a gallon of cider to a gallon of peeled and sliced apples will give a rich product if the apples are good cookers. Less than half as much cider as prepared apples is likely to make an apple sauce rather than a butter, unless it is cooked very slowly for four to six hours. Continue the cooking until the cider and apples do not separate and the butter, when cold, is as thick as good apple sauce. Deter¬ mine the thickness at frequent intervals by cooling small portions. If sugar is used, add it after the cooking of cider and apples is about two-thirds done. About a pound of either white or brown sugar is the usual proportion per gallon of apple butter, but more or less (or not any) may be used, to suit the taste. Homemade Fruit Butters. 5 Apple butter is spiced according to taste, about half a teaspoonful each of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice being used for each gallon. These are stirred into it when the cooking is finished. Vanilla extract added after the spices are stirred in improves the quality and adds to the snappiness of the butter. Use from 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls per gallon of butter, according to taste. Apple butter without cider.—Good apple butter is often made without the use of cider. Acid apples of good quality are best for this purpose, as they make a snappy product. Add enough water to the peeled and sliced apples to make a thin apple sauce, cook very slowly, or simmer, over a low fire for three or four hours and stir often. Brown rather than white sugar is usually used, being added when the cooking is two-thirds done. The sugar which settles at the bottom of a barrel of New Orleans molasses is excellent for this purpose. A pound per gallon is usually sufficient; but this amount is a matter of taste, as is also the amount of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and vanilla to be added when the cooking is done. Apple butter with grape juice.—If a grape flavor is desired in apple butter it may be obtained by the use of grape juice. To each gallon of peeled and sliced apples, cooked into sauce and strained, add 1 pint of grape juice, 1 cup of brown sugar, and one-quarter of a teaspoonful of salt. Cook slowly and stir often for two hours, or until of the desired thickness; then stir in 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon. Apple butter with lemons.—Slice four lemons, cover with water, and let stand over night. Next morning put them in a preserving kettle with 8 pounds of apples, pared, cored, and sliced. Cook for one hour, add 3 pounds of sugar, and cook slowly with frequent stir¬ ring one and one-half hours longer, or until of the proper thickness. Apple butter with plums.—An exceedingly rich and snappy but¬ ter is made with apples and plums. Use 1 measure of plums to 2 measures of peeled and sliced apples. Wash and cook the plums and rub through a strainer or colander to get out the pits. Cook the apples into sauce, add the stewed plums, and continue cooking an hour or two or until of the right consistency. When two-thirds cooked, add 2 pounds of sugar per gallon. When finished use spices and vanilla according to taste. Apple butter with rhubarb.—A fairly satisfactory butter, or per¬ haps relish, is made of apples and rhubarb. Peel and cut the rhu¬ barb into short pieces and use from one-eighth to one-quarter as much as of peeled and sliced apples. Place the rhubarb and the apples together in the kettle and add enough water to make a rather thin sauce. Cook until the proper thickness. Use sugar and spices, as mentioned for apple butter with cider. This must be sterilized and tightly sealed at once, because molds attack and grow in it so readily. 6 Farmers 9 Bulletin 900. PEAR BUTTER. Pear butter is made like the apple butter without cider. Use pears ripe enough to cook up well. Peel, core, and slice them; put in a preserving kettle with a little water and cook slowly until soft. Then add the sugar, 1 cup to 1 quart of sliced pears, and continue cooking very slowly, with frequent stirring, for one and a half to two hours. The butter should then be smooth and of the consistency of thick apple sauce. Stir into the hot butter a little lemon juice, with ginger, cinnamon, or other spices to taste. Pack while hot in hot sterilized containers and cover with paraffin, or sterilize with steam as directed for apple butter. PEACH BUTTER. Put the peaches in a wire basket and dip them in boiling water a few seconds or until the skin slips; test by raising the fruit out of the water and rubbing the skin between the fingers. Dip the peaches into cold water, peel, and pit them. Well-ripened freestone varieties are best. Mash the pulp and cook it in its own juice without adding water. If it is rather coarse, put it through a colander or coarse wire sieve to make a butter of fine texture. To each measure or pound of pulp add a half measure or half a pound of sugar, cook slowly, and stir frequently until the product is of the desired thickness. The sugar may be added before cooking begins, if desired. The meats of several pits may be cooked either whole or sliced in each gallon of butter. While still hot, pack in sterilized jars or glasses with tight-fitting tops and sterilize like apple butter or cover with hot paraffin. Peach butter made with dried and canned peaches.—When ripe peaches are not available, peach butter can be made from dried and canned fruits. To each 4 pounds of dried peaches use 2 quarts of canned peaches. Soak the dried peaches in water several hours and cook until tender. Add the canned peaches and rub the pulp through a colander or wire sieve. Stir 2J pounds of sugar into this pulp and cook slowly, stirring often, for two hours or until of the right thickness. Pack while hot and cover with hot paraffin, or steri¬ lize like peach butter. Peach butter with lemon juice.—Pare, pit, and slice 15 pounds of peaches, put in a preserving kettle, and bring slowly to a boil in their own juice. Cook 45 minutes and add 5 pounds of sugar. Cook 15 minutes longer, add the juice of 1 lemon, and boil 1 minute longer. Boil slowly and stir often. Pack while hot and cover with hot paraffin, or sterilize like peach butter. Homemade Fruit Butters. PLUM BUTTER. Wash the plums, place them with a little water in a preserving kettle, and cook until soft. Then separate the skins and the pits by rubbing the pulp through a colander or a coarse wire sieve. In the case of large freestone plums it will prob¬ ably be easier and quicker to dip the fruit into boiling water a few seconds until the skins crack, then dip into cold water, so that the skins can be readily slipped off, the flesh split open, and the pits removed. If the plums are very juicy, the pulp put through a colander will be quite thin and ought to be boiled down to thicken it somewhat before the sugar is added. For each measure of pulp, whether put through the colander or not, use a half to three- fourths of a measure of sugar and cook slowly with frequent stirring until the butter is as thick as desired. If a tart butter is favored, less sugar should be used. Cinnamon, allspice, and cloves should be added to suit the taste when the cooking is finished. Plum butter should be packed hot in hot steril¬ ized jars or glasses and then covered with hot paraffin, or else sterilized as directed for apple butter. GARFIELD BUTTER. Take two-thirds plums and one-third peaches. Pare, pit, and slice the peaches, and if the plums are freestones remove the pits. Cook the peaches and plums together slowly until soft and rub through a colander or coarse sieve. If the plums are clingstones the pits are removed by this opera¬ tion. To each measure of pulp add three-fourths of a measure of sugar, cook slowly, and stir often until of the right thickness. Pack hot and cover with hot paraffin, or sterilize like peach butter. STERILIZATION OF CONTAINERS FOR FRUIT BUTTERS. The ordinary glass or stone jars (fig. 1), hermet¬ ically sealed stone jars (fig. 2), or any glass or stoneware containers with or without air-tight covers may be used for holding fruit butters. Ster- 7 Fig. 1.-—Six types of glass containers and a stone jar for storing fruit butters. 8 Farmers ’ Bulletin 900. ilize all containers and pour in the boiling hot butter. If the contain- ers do not have air-tight covers, r~- the but- ter at once to seal the top and ke II rntain- ers with tight covers on by setti a false bottom and deep enough to hoh 3 0112 078505374 P ut on the cover to hold the steam, and set over the tire. JBegin to count time when the steam starts to escape, and after 5 minutes for quart or smaller sizes, 10 minutes for half-gallon sizes, and 15 minutes for Fig. 2.—Three sizes and types of hermetically sealed crockery jars. These are satis¬ factorily used for storing fruit butters. gallon sizes, take tho containers out to cool; then set them away for future use. Do not disturb the covers until the fruit butter is to be used. If the covers do not fit tightly, place waxed or oiled paper in them to make a tight fit before sterilizing. This sterilizing is for the purpose of preventing any molding, spoiling, or infection of the top layer of fruit butter and also to take the place of paraffin, which is now quite expensive. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I 192S