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 cc 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 ” 
