Malus domestica (Nebraska)

APPLE

August 25, 2022

Just a short overnight stop in the cornfields of Nebraska for these weary travelers. We found an apple tree in a park near the campsite but all the apples on the ground were too rotten to be salvaged. There were still a couple on the tree but, unfortunately, out of reach.

Joe came to the rescue! He climbed the tree and shook the limb until two apples fell and we decided to make the world’s smallest batch of apple butter.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Apples were domesticated 4,000-10,000 years ago in Central Asia, and then travelled along the Silk Road to Europe, where colonists eventually brought the fruit to North America.

Apple trees are deciduous and the leaves are alternately arranged ovals with serrated margins and slightly downy undersides.

Pinkish white blossoms appear in the spring and then develop into a pome fruit (where the ripened ovary and surrounding tissue both become fleshy and edible) in late summer or autumn.

Apples are usually roundish, 2–4 inches in diameter, and some shade of red, green, or yellow in color but vary in size, shape, and acidity depending on the variety.

RECIPE

LILLIPUTIAN CROCKPOT APPLE BUTTER

• 2 apples, cored and chopped with the skin on
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp water – added because reduced volume will reduce cooking time and I didn’t want the apples to burn in the crockpot overnight

Add chopped apples to a crockpot and add rest of ingredients. Cover with lid and cook on low overnight. Puree the apple mixture until smooth. Use like jam or jelly.

Our apple butter was a little chunky from leaving the nutritious apple peel on, but not an unappealing texture and it had a delicious caramelized apple flavor.

References

Apple. (2022, August 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple