Apple butter frolic celebrates 50 years of family tradition

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

The Bauman family has been making apple butter for 131 years, and they celebrated their 50th annual Apple Butter Frolic on October 7, 2023.

The festival is a community event and fundraiser to help preserve the food and agricultural traditions of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Visitors can enjoy traditional foods and crafts, learn about traditional crafts, and watch agricultural demonstrations.

The Baumans use a family technique passed down from Harvey's grandmother's Schwenkfelder ancestors to make their apple butter. They boil down 6 pounds of apples to make 1 pound of apple butter.

The apple butter is made with only one ingredient: apples. It is boiled down so thick that it can be kept indefinitely without a lid or sealing.

The Baumans say that there is a robust niche market for apple butter made the old-fashioned way.

The Apple Butter Frolic is a chance to showcase and appreciate a time when life was slower, and work was done by hand as well as in the community.

"The Apple Butter Frolic is about the community getting together and making apple butter together rather than just each person making their own separately," said Kathy Bauman. "It's a lot about being a community."

"It's a long tradition," said the Baumans' son-in-law Justin King. "We know Harvey and Kathy have been doing this for a while. And now that we have a 3-year-old ... why not?"

The Apple Butter Frolic is a family-friendly event that is enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a great way to learn about the history and culture of Montgomery County, and to enjoy some delicious apple butter.