One iron,
We use the same process and it turns out great. Janet also does Peach and Pear Butter that way using basically the same recipe. While we wash the jars in the dishwasher prior to filling, and pour the ‘Butter’ while it is hot after cooking, we DO NOT process the full jars in the old-style canning kettle. We refrigerate the jars and they have lasted for months without any other special attention.[:p]

I too have memories of the big kettle hanging over a wood fire in our neighbors yard for days , slowly cooking down the apples to that very dark brown goop that tasted so great !! These are not childhood memories…these are recent year neighbors. Our crockpot efforts are close but miss the taste of product created at the multi-day event.