From Storm to Blessing: Making Apple Butter with My Daughter

A couple of weeks ago, a strong summer storm rolled through our neighborhood. The wind howled, rain pounded the windows, and I watched my garden sway and bend. When the skies finally cleared, I went outside to assess the damanage – and my heart sank.

One of my beloved Honeycrisp apple trees, one I planted five years ago and have nurtured season after season, had a huge branch snapped clean off. This tree has been part of my daily life for half a decade – I’ve watered it through hot summers, pruned it in the fall, and prayed over its growth each spring. Seeing that branch lying on the ground, heavy with fruit, brought tears to my eyes.

I knelt beside it, running my fingers over the leaves and small apples. I couldn’t save the branch, but I could save what it had given me. That afternoon, my three year old daughter and I gathered two grocery bags full of underripe apples from the fallen branch, determined to make something beautiful out of what felt like such a loss.

Finding God’s Blessing in the Storm

It’s funny how storms can strip away something you’ve cared for – yet still leave behind unexpected gifts. The Bible reminds us in Roman 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

This branch may have been broken, but it gave us an opportunity to create something sweet, to spend time together, and to remember that God can bring goodness from disappointment.

Turning Underripe Apples into Apple Butter

If you’ve never worked with underripe apples, you might think they’re only good for compost. But here’s the secret: underripe apples have more pectin, which actually makes them perfect for apple butter. With a little sweetness and spice, they turn into something warm, comforting, and downright delicious.

My daughter was my little helper from the very beginning. She helped wash the apples, giggled at the funny shapes of some of them, and proudly helped me load them into the crockpot.

Well… proudly for about three minutes, until…

“Are they done yet, Mommy?” she asked.

Three minutes later: “Now are they done?” And again… “What about now?”

This went on all day long until the house was filled with the cozy scent of cinnamon and cloves.

Homemade Apple Butter Recipe (Perfect for Underripe Apples)

Ingredients:

• 6.5 lbs underripe apples peeled, cored and sliced (can also use ripe apples!)
• 1 cup brown sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pur vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar (or honey), cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is dark brown and has thickened.
3. Uncover and stir in vanilla. Continue to cook uncovered on low for about 1-2 hours.
4. Use an immersion blender or transfer to blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
5. If you want silky smooth apple butter, run it through a mesh strainer (optional).
6. Spoon the mixture into sterile jars. Cover and can, refigerate or freeze.

Tips:

• If you want no added sugar, replace the brown sugar with honey or maple syrup or leave it out entirely – just cook longer to concentrate the sweetness.
• A dutch oven on low heat in the oven (250 degrees F) works too – stir every hour.
• Great spread on toast, pancakes, biscuits, or stirred into oatmeal and yogurt.
• If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid with the slicing attachment, get it! It will cut your prep time down by hours!
• Looking to upgrade your crockpot? I’ve been very happy with my new Ninja crockpot.

Canning with a Pressure Cooker

Preserving apple butter means you can enjoy it for months – or gift it to friends and family. I use a pressure canner for safe, shelf-stable storage.

Basic Canning Steps:

1. Sterilize jars and lids in hot, soapy water, then rinse well.
2. Fill jars with hot apple butter, leaving 1/4 inch headspace
3. Wipe rims, place lids on top, and screw bands until fingertip-tight.
4. Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude as needed).
5. Cool and check seals – any jars that don’t seal can be stored in the fridge and used first.

The rhythmic hum of the pressure cooker and the rows of golden jars colling on the counter felt like a quiet redemption of the storm’s damage.

Canning Essentials I Use and Love

• I’ve had this pressure cooker for years and it works perfectly every time.
• Mason jars – you will need wide and/or regular.
• Lids – again, you will need wide and/or regular to match the jar the lid will go on.
• Jar lifter set – funnels, tongs, and magnetic lid lifter, this set makes life so much easier!

A sweet ending to a Stormy Beginning

What began with tears ended with laughter, sticky fingers, and shelves lined with apple butter. This experience reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3:1:

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Some seasons bring storms. Others bring harvest. And sometimes, they happen all at once.

The branch may be gone, but its fruit lives on – not only in jars, but in the memories my daughter and I made together, and in the lesson that even broken things can bless us.

If you’re just getting started with canning, here are my tried-and-true tools that make the process simple:

• I’ve had this pressure cooker for years and it works perfectly every time.
• Mason jars – you will need wide and/or regular.
• Lids – again, you will need wide and/or regular to match the jar the lid will go on.
• Jar lifter set – funnels, tongs, and magnetic lid lifter, this set makes life so much easier!
• A dutch oven
• If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid with the slicing attachment, get it! It will cut your prep time down by hours!
• Looking to upgrade your crockpot? I’ve been very happy with my new Ninja crockpot.