Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 89

SINGING IN THE GARDEN
through the grinding teeth until they are cut into little
chunks which fall into a basket below. When it is full,
the tallest and strongest of us push it under the press
and do the hard work of turning. The rest of us keep
empty jugs lined up to catch the flow of juice running
out the spout.
The apples we use for cider were shaken out of old,
untended trees on our property that produce small
knotty fruit. The more varieties of apples in the mix, the
better the taste, and we all sneak our cups into the dribbling
stream for sips which improve each time apples
are added.
After each pressing, the wooden basket is released and
the pummies are dumped into buckets to be fed to the
livestock. Pummies are what the locals call the mashed
up remains after the juice has flowed. I suspect the word
comes from " pomace. "
By mid-afternoon, the butter is jarred and the cider is
bottled. Now we feast. Of course with a fire right there,
we roast hotdogs and marshmallows and apples. We linger
long after the work is done. The laughter and the
sweet smell of smoke are hard to leave.
We started Apple Days as a way to bring our ever
growing families together. My boys remember making
apple butter with their grandmother who learned to
make it from her mother. Our new family tradition is
based on old family history.
We had to skip last year, for obvious reasons, so this
year's apple butter and cider will be especially sweet. In a
world that's been damaged by fear and loss, tradition is
one glue that can help bind it all back together again.
CROCKPOT APPLEBUTTER
Ingredients
6 ½ pounds apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
 Place the apples in a slow cooker. Combine sugars, cinnamon,
nutmeg cloves and salt. Pour over apples and mix well.
 Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours. Stir
occasionally.
 When mixture is thick and dark brown, add vanilla.
 Continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours.
 Stir until smooth.
 Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate
for up to two weeks or freeze. -GN
EEO/AA Employer
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 89

http://www.wvculture.org/

Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021

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