GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — Apple butter-making dates back centuries as a way to preserve produce from the fall harvest, where farm families would come together to make the product and share with each other at the end.
The Grand Rapids Applebutter Fest has been doing just that, and continues to do so at its 46th annual event scheduled for Sunday.
Steve Kryder, festival co-chair, shared that his family’s recipe is the one that volunteers follow as they’re making thousands of pints for the festival.
“My family has been making apple butter for more than 100 years, and I’ve been doing it since I was 5 years old or so.”
Apple butter-making is a three-day job, he said. There are more than 200 volunteers helping out over the course of the apple butter preparation.
The first day starts at the Grand Rapids fire station where Kryder said volunteers peel and dice apples into small pieces to make it easier to cook in the days ahead. He explained that the process of dicing the apples very small is called “schnitzing.”
On the second day, volunteers gather at Kryder’s farm where the base of the apple butter is started, he said.
“For 50 gallons of apple cider, you need 15 bushels of apples, and we condense that down for about 10 gallons of a thick, syrup-like concoction that we use as the base of the apple butter.”
The last day of apple butter-making consists of continuous stirring of the mixture over an open flame — a process he said takes nearly six hours.
“In the olden days, apple butter was the consistency of almost peanut butter,” Kryder noted. “They poured the mixture into an open crock, and the pectin from the apples would seal the mixture.”
IF YOU GO
What: Applebutter Fest
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Downtown Grand Rapids
Admission: Free; parking with shuttle access is $15.
Information: applebutterfest.org
Today, Kryder finds that modern palates prefer a thinner, more applesauce-like consistency for apple butter.
“Our mixture develops a rich, dark brown color with a smoky context,” he said. “We don’t add any spice to our apple butter, which is different from most commercial apple butters you’ll find.”
Every 50 gallon kettle comes to make roughly 700 ½ pint jars. This apple butter-making process takes place at the “Big Stir” at the Kryder Farm, the “small stir” last Saturday, and again by making two kettles worth on the day of the festival.
At the fest, community members are encouraged to help volunteers stir the apple butter kettles near Town Hall — starting around 6 a.m., volunteers are stirring their kettles.
By the end of the apple butter-making, Kryder said that the society will end up with nearly 3,000 ½ pints of apple butter to sell.
The event has no admission cost to enter, but parking is $15. Shuttle buses are set to pick up festival-goers starting at 7 a.m. at the lots to bus them into downtown Grand Rapids.
Apple butter-making is a clear highlight of the fest, but there are more activities to enjoy, from the farm area, a children’s area, live music, hundreds of arts and craft sellers, and food and drink booths sponsored by local non-profit organizations.
The Applebutter Fest has a key historical aspect to it, said Chuck Thomas, festival co-chair.
“There’s on-site demonstrations for how you used to make things, a cider press making fresh cider, battle reenactors from the Civil War and World War II, live cannons, and historical impersonators,” he said.
On Saturday night, Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by historical reenactor John Cooper, will give a vespers service at 7 p.m. along the canal area behind Lincoln Street.
“We look to do things in a traditional way,” Kryder said. “Our mission over the years is to have an educational, family-oriented, and fun-filled day that teaches people the history of the Maumee Valley, which is vital to the history of the U.S.”
Thomas expects at least 25,000 people to attend the festival, especially considering the good weather.
“Any time we can show off Grand Rapids, we want to do that,” Thomas said. “Our history is important for people to understand.”
He added that the event is not possible without the hundreds of volunteers, and that engaging with the local community is a special element of the festival.
“Our goal is to highlight the town, the history, and the lovely community that surrounds it,” Kryder said. “The primary purpose is to give back to our community and generate funds to support the historical society.”