Apple Jelly Recipe
I haven't done a lot of canning of jelly and jams and fruits and such. I grew up with my mom spending weeks doing this in the fall. When I moved into a suburban house with 4 apple trees and 10 other fruit trees, I wanted to learn the basics and had my mom come down and teach me. She did and then said "I'm done! This is a lot of work!"
It is, but it's also fun. I don't put things up regularly but I do like knowing how and having the equipment. What I usually do these days is plan a day that is both social and productive, giving me a chance to visit with friends and share the bounty of my yard. This apple jelly recipe came out great. I think my apples were a "Golden" variety or something similar. I didn't plant any of these trees so I'm not realy sure.
It's hard to give a recipe because you kind of measure things as you go. But basically....
- Quarter a bunch of apples and remove the stems and blossoms.
- Cover them with water and cook them over medium low heat until they are soft and mushy.
- Pour this into a sieve or a cheesecloth covered strainer and set over a deep bowl.
- The next morning, measure the juice. For each cup of apple juice you have, add one cup of sugar, then boil until it "tests for jelly."
Therein lies the rub, that phrase "tests for jelly." It should take about 15 minutes. To test, put a spoonful of hot jelly onto a very cold plate (from the frig or freezer). Put the plate back into the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool it off. What you want is for a skin to form over the top. If it's too runny when you take the plate back off, just keep cooking a few minutes. Once you see a skin begin to form, cook another minute or two, then remove from the heat.
Pour the jelly into clean jars and seal. I grew up with my mom sealing the jars with parafin but that's not recommended anymore, due to food safety issues. I would suggest visiting the FDA web site or buying the Ball Blue Book of Preserving
Apple jelly is good on toast or pancakes or spread on baked apples.
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