apple butter: pennsylvania, 1945 and 1952

These pictures are from my mother's family in Lancaster County, PA, on the farm. It's apple butter-makin' time.

This first photo was taken in about 1945, based on the age of the toddler (my aunt). My grandmother is standing in the center of the photo, bareheaded, with clasped hands. My great-grandmother is on the far right, holding a pot. My great-grandfather is seated, his face hidden behind the pot. I can't identify the others in the picture.

The above photo was loose, in a box with others from the same era. The rest of the photos were together in a pack. I was able to estimate the date as about 1952, given the age of the children. The location is the same - the family farm in Lancaster County.

Below is my mom's cousin. He's a retired lawyer now, with 4 grandkids.

My grandfather stands in the rear in the picture below, with the hat. He always did wear a hat well. My uncle is in the foreground. I love seeing pictures of him as a kid - he just died in December, and seeing pictures of his life is sweet. The rest of the people are great-aunts.

Making apple butter like this is quite a serious endeavor. Someone has to stir that paddle constantly, or it'll stick and scorch in the bottom of the cauldron. It's an all-day deal.

Great-grandma checking the apple butter's progress. This picture instills...I don't know...a kind of awe in me. She knew so much that I'll never learn.

My uncle looks like he's asking her a million questions.

There's a secret to making apple butter: a lot of standing around and talking goes on, if you're not the one stirring. My family in NC does it every year (very similar outfit, with big cauldrons and paddles) and it's a very social event.

A close-up of the cauldron. (I keep thinking of calling it a "kettle," but that's such an inadequate word for that behemoth.) Love the corrugated metal heat screen to the back.

The last picture on the roll: you can see more of the creek that runs along one side of the pasture. To this day we drive our cars down there, park and have picnics. I wonder if the cauldron is still lurking anywhere around the farm. I'll have to ask, the next time I visit.