A peculiar name for a simple spread. Black Butter is a 19th-century recipe that utilizes seasonal fruit to make a quick and easy spread, no fussy thermometer is required.

The more famous story of Black Butter is associated with New Jersey and its cider, treacle, and apple spread, but this version coming from The Good Housekeeper shows a way to use seasonal berries to make a quick spread.

It was touted as being a healthier condiment to have in the winter, especially when compared to salted butter. While this note may make you scratch your head as this recipe is loaded with sugar, any bit of vitamin C from fruit outweighed butter (at least in the minds of those in the 19th century). Regardless this is a great spread to have during the dry spell of the winter months, when people lived off of what they had harvested, pickled, and stored from the summer harvest. 

The recipe has you boiling one pound of fruit with a half pound of sugar. You don’t want to cook it down too much, you’ll want it to get to a jammy consistency where the fruit is broken down, and the sugar has dissolved.

The result is a jam that’s easier than jam! No fussy thickeners or thermometers. This recipe ratio is simple, making it easy to use any pound of seasonal fruit.

Here a mixture of strawberries and blueberries creates a deep purple hue to this spread. 

It’s great for toast, scones, and biscuits, as well as adding to a yogurt parfait or heating up into a sauce for a bowl of ice cream. It’s a quick and easy way to capture the fruit of any season!