Now it tastes like November...

I am sure you think I must be obsessed with this Darby lady... because I am... but I have been itching for a while now to make her apple butter.  Because who doesn't love apple butter.  And if you don't then I love you because there is more for me...

So I picked out my apples... and I am not sure what all I got.  8 of them were galas from tom thumb {on sale, thankyouverymuch grocery game} but the other 7 were from central market.  I had Jenn on the phone with me telling me the recipe {because I didn't plan ahead, and I have no iphone to look up pertinent information like this while on the go} and I really was only paying attention to prices... looking for a variety of apples that weren't imported from God knows where that were a gazillion dollars.  All the while trying to remember the code to punch into the scale!  So here they are in there glory. 

This site does a great job of illustrating the process.  It was so easy!  Go make some apple butter! 
{my favorite part was right after I mixed up all the different apples and then added the sugar and spices...mmmm.... go ahead and dish yourself up a bowl of that goodness.  Warm but still crunchy... so sweet and spicy and tart... mmm.... maybe I should make a second batch!)

And then the really fun part... because I was feeling extra inspired... I wanted to can them.  {not because I had an excess of time or my chores were all done}  So I set out on a search for jars -- which are apparently seasonal for the summer not the fall.  Whatever.  So wal-mart didn't have them, nor did tom thumb, so I had to drive out to the dreaded Kroger because the nice one was out of my way... and sure enough, they had everything I needed.  Next trip I will plan it better so that I can go to the more appealing Kroger...{seriously, I know it sounds bratty, but this grocery store has zero rhyme or reason to it's layout.  Aisle 17 had aluminum foil, ball jars, and depends on it... RANDOM MUCH??  I have never seen anything like it.  Rotel tomatoes are across from vitamins.  Strange??  I do indeed believe so!}

So, back to the canning... I didn't do the {more difficult} pressure cooking method - my sweet mother-in-law will have to school me on that - instead I did the water bath... and it was SO EASY.  Really.  It helped to have the right tools and to read the directions on the web like, 8 times... I was so happy when I heard all 7 of my jars "tink" closed.  Success!

Now I must go clean the kitchen and living room from the canning/chili dinner/husband-watched-the-baby-so-I-could-go-see-New-Moon mess.  {ahh... New Moon... swoon.  That should have a post all of its own!}