A Fall Day in Appalachia

My kitchen is a cluttered mess. Canning pots and jars are scattered. Bushel baskets of apples line the wall. Apple peelers are attached to my table, and full stainless steel bowls sit in the middle. Crocks of apple peels submerged in water sit in corners. In a few weeks, I will have several gallons of vinegar to bottle. Pots of hot vegetable soup and chili sit on the stove. Apple pie cools in the oven, and a pumpkin roll is chilling in the fridge. All ready to feed family coming to help stir. The apple butter kettle sits in the middle of the yard, washed and ready to fill. A pile of wood to keep the apple butter cooking is close by. I work setting up the food tables. The tables are heavy with soups, desserts, breads, and gallons of apple cider. Hot coffee is brewing in the house as family starts to arrive.

Kids are already running through the yard, excited for a day of exploring the woods, creek, and barn. The adults gather around the food table. Casserole dishes are added to the packed tables. We fill the copper kettle with apple slices and enough water to make stirring possible. The fire is built, and the scent of wood smoke and fall drifts on the breeze. I pour a cup of steaming coffee, add cream, find a chair, and wait for the apples to reach a boil. I sit quietly and listen as conversations begin to flow. Family catches up on each other’s lives, old Appalachian stories are told, and hunting adventures are recounted. They talk about the weather, past and present, also making predictions of the coming winter.

The apples begin to boil. We all take turns stirring. We add more apples as it cooks down. Once the kettle is almost full, I add sugar and cinnamon. Stirring continues as the sugar dissolves.

The fire burns low to keep the apple butter simmering hot. I fill a stock pot full and take it inside to start canning. Quart jars, lids, and rings are sanitized in boiling water. I add a tablespoon of lemon juice to each jar. Then begin filling them with thick apple butter. The mouths of the jars are wiped clean and topped with lids and rings. I carefully add each jar to the boiling water bath canning pot. I fill and process all the jars. Quarts of apple butter line the countertops. Pops sound in the kitchen as the jars announce a successful seal.

Outside, I call all the kids to the apple butter kettle and give them a loaf of bread to wipe the kettle clean. Silently, they eat slices of bread smeared with apple butter. Their little hands and faces are sticky from their treat.

All the adults jump in to help with the cleanup. The fire is built back up. The day fades into evening, and everyone winds down. Conversation slows, and voices soften. Little ones doze in their mamas’ laps. A few at a time, family members say their goodbyes and head home with a couple of jars of warm apple butter.

A good ending to a day of family, work, and good food. I’m already looking forward to next year.