Apple Butter and Tattler Lids

Apple season down here means apples are shipped in from more northerly places so I usually do not do any apple kind of things. Pears are what we have down here and you can really substitute them for apples in most things. I do make a batch of apple butter every year though,which you can make with pears if you need to but I will usually splurge and buy some  nice organic apples. Besides,with the heatwave and drought, mostly the drought because pears can take the heat, we had no pears this year. Usually we are pear poor down here! Seriously, folks will abandon buckets of them on your doorsteps!
So, I made a batch of apple butter in the crock pot. I love the ole crock pot,it is the busy or lazy persons friend! I am both!

I also tried out the Tattler Lids for the first time. I had a perfect success with them! I like that they are BPA free and reusable!

The cost of  regular lids just keep going up so I figure they will pay for them selves in no time. The BPA thing is getting to be such an issue I suspect Ball and the rest will soon be making their lids BPA free but that will probably be another excuse for them to raise the price! They are already advertising their freezer containers as BPA free. I don't figure I will ever collect up enough of the Tattler Lids to do all my canning unless the company has  something like a thousand lid giveaway and I am lucky enough to win but still....I think I will just get a box here and there and who knows..like my jars I may get a closet full eventually! Maybe I will ask for Tattler Lids as Christmas gifts! The lids have a slightly different way to do them so read the instructions..no big deal, it just tells you when and how to tighten them. I like them and if you haven't tried them I do recommend them. The Tattler folks did not give me anything to say that, although if any of them are reading I would be happy to have some free ones!

I will give you my super easy and, we think, yummy recipe for crock pot apple butter.This is so simple a recipe it is a great thing to make if haven't canned before and wanted to try something!

5 1/2 lbs of apples       I usually do half granny smith and half some other sweeter apple
4    C  sugar                I do half brown sugar because I like it that away
2    tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

Peel,core and finely chop apples. Mix everything in your crock pot. Cover and cook 1 hr on high. Reduce to low and cook 9-11 hrs or until your desired  thickness. We don't do smooth apple butter we like ours chunky so I usually get out the ole tater masher and just mash it up good. You can run it through a food mill or blender ,again what ever way you like it! BWB can it.