Flashback to Amish Life

Saturday , October 24th , 2004

Apple Butter

Some facts you may need to know before reading my flashbacks:

1. My daughters and I lived on an Amish farm for eight years in Grabill, Indiana in a house with NO ELECTRICITY or INDOOR PLUMBING. We were basically Amish minus our church and attire.

2. The Schmuckers lived just down the lane. We rented our home from a lovely Amish family who lived on the other end of our driveway. The mother and father were Mary and Paul and they had seven (or eight children, it's hard to count the fast-paced) Julie, Joshua, Joses, Joanna, Reuben, Paul Jr., and Justin. We were also close friends with Mary's sister's (Margaret's) family and many other friendly Amishfolk.

 At Mary's, we watched as her family made apple butter over an open fire. The kettle they used was probably the largest kettle I have ever seen. It was also copper-lined. Ten gallons of apple cider and three bushels of apples later, the finished product of forty-eight quarts of apple butter emerged.

It seemed as if Mary had been making apple butter over an open fire in this fashion her whole life. As I was conversing with Mary's mother, I learned that as a young child her mother taught her just how to do this.

 Whilst the brew simmered, we ate a lunch of chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, turkey, salad, and dessert. (Every meal with the Amish is a feast).

The apple butter cooked all day, from 6 AM to 2 PM. We took the kettle that was hung from log chains and it took two men to carry it. Then, we formed an assembly line and began filling all forty-eight quart jars. Each of us family members shared the precious butter and we began discussing who would receive a quart of their special butter for Christmas.