The Jefferson UMC men's group has been getting together once a year for over 25 years to do a traditional applebutter boil. The kettles are designed just for this - copper lined and very heavy; meant to withstand long hours of high temperatures over an open fire. Some have been used by local families for several generations and are over 100 years old. They put the first kettle on at about 5 a.m. and stagger the remaining 7 over the next few hours. The last won't be taken off until mid-afternoon. From the moment the steam begins to rise, the apples are stirred constantly until almost all of the moisture has evaporated and the 'butter' is a rich, dark brown. They use long wooden paddles, designed to keep the stirrers well away from the rising steam.
The latest boil took place on a cool morning with the mist of the rain from the night before still hanging in the air, blending with the scent of cooking apples. The seasoning wouldn't be done until the kettles were taken off the flames and then, as one man said, "the arguing starts." Is there enough cinnamon, or too much cardamom .. is it too sweet or not sweet enough? The debate is intense, but not particularly long - and when it's all said and done, the applebutter lives up to its well deserved reputation as "the best around."