Comfort Me with Apples 213 



utensils used in making Apple butter is shown on 

 page 21 1 ; these are from the collections of the 

 Bucks County Historical Society. Opposite page 

 214 is shown an ancient open-air fireplace and an 

 old couple making Apple butter just as they have 

 done for over half a century. 



In New England what the " hired man " on the 

 farm called " biled cider Apple sass," took the place 

 of Apple butter. Preferably this was made in the 

 " summer kitchen/' where three kettles, usually of 

 graduated sizes, could be set over the fire ; the 

 three kettles could be hung from a crane, or 

 trammels. All were filled with cider, and as the 

 liquid boiled away in the largest kettle it was filled 

 from the second and that from the third. The 

 fresh cider was always poured into the third kettle, 

 thus the large kettle was never checked in its boil- 

 ing. This continued till the cider was as thick as 

 molasses. Apples (preferably Pound Sweets or 

 Pumpkin Sweets) had been chosen with care, pared, 

 cored, and quartered, and heated in a small kettle. 

 These were slowly added to the thickened cider, in 

 small quantities, in order not to check the boiling. 

 The rule was to cook them till so softened that a 

 rye straw could be run into them, and yet they 

 must retain their shape. This was truly a critical 

 time ; the slightest scorched flavor would ruin the 

 whole kettleful. A great wooden, long-handled, 

 shovel-like ladle was used to stir the sauce fiercely 

 until it was finished in triumph. Often a barrel of 

 this was made by our grandmothers, and frozen 

 solid for winter use. The farmer and "hired men " 



