Super Easy Crock Pot Apple Butter

[cravenchicken]

This is a great reason to go to the good-will ( my favorite store of all stores ) and buy stuff...(canner and a crackpot ) I had one them fancy walmart ones but busted the lid. I have never canned anything.I am going to try . I dislike the thought of having to keep the food cold cause it would make it hard to mail out for Christmas gifts. DH says ya'all are bad influences on me. I keep coming up with all these new ideals,or I have other people like me just confirm my thoughts are valid.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Wow, lloks like it was a good thing I didn't get a pumpkin today!!! I just saw a few scrawny ones and though I would check at walmart instead...dang, doesn't sound like canning pumpkin butter is good idea..drat. I have another bag of pears I hope to get peeled and canned this weekend..thank you all for the info on the pumpkin canning...and I also had no idea a halloween pumpkin was not what you use, lol!!! What a mess I would have made of this whole process!!! ...guess I'll stick to what I know, the apples and pears!!

 

[WriterofWords]

I used a Halloween pumpkin and it came out fine.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I'm pretty afraid to can the pumpkin now with all the research showing up on it growing bacteria with it's low acidity..especially since I am mostly canning for gifts..would hate to be thyphoid mary, lol!!!!!

I just canned another bag of pears I was given this week, only made 3 pints and all I had was the pint jars so it packed 3 of them full..really has great flavor..that vanilla is the secret weapon I think!!

 

[1mommahen]

SE, out of 7 jars of pumpkin butter I got 6 empty jars back from friends and no one's croaked yet??? I can't see how bacteria wouldn't be killed with 11 hours of boiling in a crockpot and then jarred and water bathed? My friends grandma always canned pumpkin with no problem. I guess ya gotta go with your gut, , , , and mine went with the pumpkin butter!

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Betcha can find a few CRACKPOTS right here on BYC - no need to even leave the house.

 

[blossom hen]

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
I told DH about the botulism thing. He asked an old lady working at the National Park. She doesn't even water bath her pumpkin butter. Just dumps some parafin on it, and then puts a lid on after it cools and sets. She told him every now and then you get a little mold in it, but you can just scrape it off and eat the rest.

She thought he was goofy for worrying.

I read another article that said pumpkin butter keeps for 6 weeks in the fridge, unsealed. So our sealed jars are in the fridge and we plan on eating and sharing it ASAP, then trying again.

And if you can add lemon juice to tomatoes to raise their acidity, why can't you add a few tablespoons Fruit Fresh to the pumpkin before adding the other ingredients? Cook it all up and have higher acidity?

All the old-timer canners claimed never to have heard of illness from pumpkin butter.
And a Japanese lady told me to add more ginger if I was worried, that the ginger kills germs. Gonna have to do more research on that one! She claims it's why they have ginger sauce and wasabi and stuff like that; to kill bacteria. I'd heard that before about the sushi, but never thought of dried ginger having any special properties.

If nothing else, this pumpkin butter issue has generated a LOT of conversations with interesting people!!
And the 'poison' horror stories all had to do with store-bought foods or restaurant foods. Interesting day...
Think I'll go slop some pumpkin butter on a graham cracker while I tune in Saturday Night Live!

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Betcha can find a few CRACKPOTS right here on BYC - no need to even leave the house.

Hey!
I represent that remark!

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Quote:
Betcha can find a few CRACKPOTS right here on BYC - no need to even leave the house.

Hey!
I represent that remark!

ME TOO!!!! Sooooo funny!!! Good catch on that one Wildsky!!! lol!!!! I really like the taste of pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread...so I feel sure I would love the pumpkin butter. I used a pinch of ginger in with my pears so I could go that route with the pumpkin too..maybe I'll just make it and freeze it, that should solve all my worries AND leave me with the good stuff, lol!! Can't do it this coming weekend but will give it a try soon and just put it in those screw top containers for the freezer. Thanks Lori and everyone that weighed in on this topic..yes, it was good conversation, here on the forum and sounds like alot of others had opinions about it too!!