Fill a very large kettle with cider, and boil it until reduced to one-half of the original quantity; then have ready some fine, juicy apples, pared, cored, and quartered, and put as many into the kettle as can be kept moist by the cider; stir it frequently, and when the apples are stewed quite soft take them out with a skimmer that has holes in it, and put them into a tub; then add more apples to the cider, and stew them soft in the same manner, stirring them nearly all the time with a stick; have at hand some more boiled cider to thin the apple butter, in case you should find it too thick in the bottle; at night leave the apples to cool in a tub, covered with cloths, and finish the next day by boiling the apples and cider till the consistence is that of soft marmalade, and the color a very dark brown; twenty minutes or one-half hour before you finally take from the fire, add powdered cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to your taste; if the spice is boiled too long it will lose its flavor; when cold put into stone jars, and cover closely; it must not be boiled in a brass or metal kettle, on account of the verdigris which the acid will collect in it, and which will render the apple butter extremely unwholesome, not to say poisonous.

2. One-half bushel of pippin apples, one gallon of sweet, fresh cider; cook thoroughly, and put through a colander; place on the fire, and add six pounds of white sugar; stir constantly while cooking, to prevent burning; in the course of two or three hours take a little out in a dish, and if it has a watery appearance it should be cooked longer, or until quite thick.

Apple Butter

Take tart cooking apples, such as will make good sauce. To three pecks, after they are peeled and quartered, allow nine pounds of brown sugar and two gallons, or perhaps a little more of water. Put the sugar and water in your kettle, and let it boil, then add the apples. After they begin to cook, stir constantly till the butter is done. Try it by putting a little in a saucer, and, if no water appears around it, the marmalade is ready for the cinnamon and nutmeg "to your taste".