Hillbilly Apple Butter, Sebastian, Fla.

Sebastian, Fla.—Homemade, old timey, apple butter tastes the best. It is especially good if the apples are just a week old and the Buttering (slow cooking process that includes spicing and sweetening) is done in a copper kettle. This is the way Carl and Nellie Treadway make their apple butter.

Hillbilly Apple Butter making, at Treadway Family homestead, Sebastian, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

For the past three years or so, according to Florida born Nellie, they have been driving to Virginia to buy apples from a local farmer. “If we bought the apples here it would be too expensive to sell,” said Nellie about her apple butter.

They bought 40 bushels of apples this year to make sure they had enough to meet demand and to adjust for spoilage. A family friend helped with the peeling and coring of the apples. “We was two days peeling them apples,” said West Virginia born Carl.

Canning hot apple butter, Treadway Family Homestead,
Sebastian, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

The next day they invited friends and acquaintances over for a day of cooking and canning. “It took eight hours and a half for the boiling process,” said Carl. And it took several more hours to get the hot, aromatic, applesauce like mixture into sterilized glass jars.

They don’t make a lot of money selling their products, actually they make just enough to go back to Virginia each year for more apples.

So why do they do it, you may ask?

Nellie and Carl Treadway, Treadway Family homestead, Sebastian, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

They do it to preserve culinary history. “There is so much of that stuff that has been forgotten," said Nellie about her apple butter cooking.

You can buy their Hillbilly Apple Butter for $6 a pint at LaPorte Farms' Build A Scarecrow day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 11th. They are located at 7700 129^th St., Sebastian, FL.

Or you can call the Treadway’s directly at (772) 589-4922