Tess Owens' Baked Apple Butter

Place apples in a large nonreactive pot; cover with water. Bring to a simmer; cook until apples are soft. Puree apples with a food mill or immersion blender.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Stir sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt into pureed apples. Transfer to a nonreactive roasting pan. Cook in oven for about 5 hours. Be patient and stir often.

Cook until a spoonful of apple butter stands dry on a cool plate, with no liquid weeping from the mound of apple butter.

Transfer to sterile pint jars; seal with lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a hot-water bath.

Refrigerate jars after opening.

Yielda about 3 quarts.