The Annual Apple Butter Boil – Barner’s Church
The following is offered by Bruce I. Barner – 4th great grandson of Adam Barner – in an email to several of our other cousins.
All:
This should be the last email in this series of emails re the Adam Barner Family Reunion and activities. I was not aware of all of the plans for October and wanted to share what I received from Beth Sowers.
Help with Apple butter boil: We actually boil two Saturdays. October 1st, Snitzing apples. You can join us anytime on that day. The guys who peel the apples will be at the church around 8 am. People starting slicing (snitzing) around 1 pm. The main group usually shows up between 5-6 pm. The fires are lit around 11 pm. The first apples dumped into the kettles usually happens around 2 am. That’s when the stirring starts (October 2nd). We will boil 8 kettles that day. The “big” weekend is the day of the festival, October 9th. Starts the same way on Friday, October 8th. We have a crew that makes ice cream that day too. Saturday, the 9th, we will have a kitchen crew who will make a pot pie dinner. The Dutch style, not the meat pie style, and serve it starting at 11 am. I will have a second crew in the grove making soups and sandwiches. There will be a craft tent, where we sell crafts, baked goods, etc. So if you prefer to come during the day on Friday, get some sleep early Friday night and come up early Saturday morning (2-3 am). That’s fine. We greatly appreciate any and all help.
Beth Sowers
This is a tradition that is practiced in that whole region of Pennsylvania … I know of several other apple butter boils in surrounding communities and counties … the Adam Barner Family has been making apple butter this way for more than 200 years. If you don’t volunteer to peel apples or stir the kettles, come for the “Dutch style” dinner or soup and sandwiches, some homemade ice cream, and the rest of the festivities. It is not my intention to get you to stir the kettles … just to share the information, in case you are interested.
For cousins who are local, you can purchase apple butter on October 2nd after about 10 am. That is all that is for sale on this day. Thanks, Beth