Crabapple jelly
Miss CJ's mom, aka Nana, has a crabapple tree on her property and the girlies picked some crabapples before going back to school a few weeks ago. I knew I wouldn't have time or a helper to can until the long holiday weekend so I made the juice ahead of time and saved it until I had time to make it.
My helper (Bijou) had never made jelly before so it was a learning experience for both of us.
I've watched my family make jam, pickles and salsa a lot. I can remember picking strawberries and concord grapes when I was 8 or 9 and watching my Nana and mom in action. When I was in middle school, I began helping out with the process grabbing the lids from the hot water bath. Now my dad's involved in the canning process as well.
I went to my mom and dad's house yesterday while the kiddos slept to get a jump on the jelly making. I did almost all of it with the exception of a lesson in checking for doneness and then a bunch of extra hands getting jars, lids and getting them in and out of the water bath. I'll post the recipes first and then the process and gear that we use.
But first, a lesson on pectin. Petcin helps jams and jellies turn from a liquid to a semi solid gel. Some jams and jellies don't need any pectin as some fruits are high in pectin like apples and citrus fruits. You can use commercial pectin sold in supermarkets near the other canning supplies but as I've recently learned, it's super bitter so when you add it to jam or jelly, you usually have to add more sugar to counterbalance the flavor. Crabapples have lots of pectin in it so I didn't add any in the recipe.
Recipe from The Denver Post Blog, Well Preserved.
1 quart of apples, cleaned, and with stems and blossom ends removed, about 2 1/2 lbs.
4 cups sugar (you can use a scant cup of sugar for every cup of juice you get)
1 large bunch mint or spearmint on the steam (about 10 sprigs), optional
Place the crabapples in a heavy 6 – 8 quart saucepan or Dutch oven.
Add enough water to cover the crabapples. If the fruit floats, you’ve added too much water.
Cook the crabapples, uncovered, until the fruit is soft, about 10 minutes.
The crabapples will look like they have exploded.
Arrange your jelly bag or a sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth over a deep pot.
Wet the bag or cheesecloth so it doesn’t absorb any of the juice.
Ladle the crabapples and their water into the jelly bag and let the juice drip through into the pot.
Don't squeeze the bag or you might get cloudy jelly.
You should have about 4 cups after it's all drained.
Place the juice and sugar in a 6 – 8 quart saucepan or Dutch oven.
Bring to a boil over a medium low, allowing the sugar to gently dissolve.
Then turn up the heat and boil the juice until a candy thermometer placed inside reaches 220˚F.
The jelly has to get hot enough or it won’t gel.
Watch the foam: when the jelly foam seems to be losing some of its volume, and the foam darkens in color, the jelly is usually ready.
Check the temperature, or you can test the jelly by letting a spoonful drop on to a dish stored in the freezer. If the jelly stays separated when you draw your finger through it, it's done.
As soon as you know you are close to having jelled jelly, swish in the spearmint.
Remove the spearmint before ladling the jelly into the jars.
Spoon the jelly into the jars, wipe the rims, place on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight.
Process the jars in a water bath for 5 minutes, adding 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
Allow the jars to cool, check the seals, and store in a cool, dark place.
9/3/2012-This time we made 5 half pints. Some were in half pint jars, some in quarter pint jars. I cooked it for a reallllly long time and never quite got it up to 212 (boiling at our altitude) but it was thick. Whenever we tested for doneness, it failed the freezer test. It was so obvious though when I got to ladling into the jars that the jelly was ready. It had coated the cup I was using to transfer from the pot to the jars.
I've watched my family make jam, pickles and salsa a lot. I can remember picking strawberries and concord grapes when I was 8 or 9 and watching my Nana and mom in action. When I was in middle school, I began helping out with the process grabbing the lids from the hot water bath. Now my dad's involved in the canning process as well.
I went to my mom and dad's house yesterday while the kiddos slept to get a jump on the jelly making. I did almost all of it with the exception of a lesson in checking for doneness and then a bunch of extra hands getting jars, lids and getting them in and out of the water bath. I'll post the recipes first and then the process and gear that we use.
But first, a lesson on pectin. Petcin helps jams and jellies turn from a liquid to a semi solid gel. Some jams and jellies don't need any pectin as some fruits are high in pectin like apples and citrus fruits. You can use commercial pectin sold in supermarkets near the other canning supplies but as I've recently learned, it's super bitter so when you add it to jam or jelly, you usually have to add more sugar to counterbalance the flavor. Crabapples have lots of pectin in it so I didn't add any in the recipe.
Recipe from The Denver Post Blog, Well Preserved.
1 quart of apples, cleaned, and with stems and blossom ends removed, about 2 1/2 lbs.
4 cups sugar (you can use a scant cup of sugar for every cup of juice you get)
1 large bunch mint or spearmint on the steam (about 10 sprigs), optional
Place the crabapples in a heavy 6 – 8 quart saucepan or Dutch oven.
Add enough water to cover the crabapples. If the fruit floats, you’ve added too much water.
Cook the crabapples, uncovered, until the fruit is soft, about 10 minutes.
The crabapples will look like they have exploded.
Arrange your jelly bag or a sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth over a deep pot.
Wet the bag or cheesecloth so it doesn’t absorb any of the juice.
Ladle the crabapples and their water into the jelly bag and let the juice drip through into the pot.
Don't squeeze the bag or you might get cloudy jelly.
You should have about 4 cups after it's all drained.
Place the juice and sugar in a 6 – 8 quart saucepan or Dutch oven.
Bring to a boil over a medium low, allowing the sugar to gently dissolve.
Then turn up the heat and boil the juice until a candy thermometer placed inside reaches 220˚F.
The jelly has to get hot enough or it won’t gel.
Watch the foam: when the jelly foam seems to be losing some of its volume, and the foam darkens in color, the jelly is usually ready.
Check the temperature, or you can test the jelly by letting a spoonful drop on to a dish stored in the freezer. If the jelly stays separated when you draw your finger through it, it's done.
As soon as you know you are close to having jelled jelly, swish in the spearmint.
Remove the spearmint before ladling the jelly into the jars.
Spoon the jelly into the jars, wipe the rims, place on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight.
Process the jars in a water bath for 5 minutes, adding 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
Allow the jars to cool, check the seals, and store in a cool, dark place.
9/3/2012-This time we made 5 half pints. Some were in half pint jars, some in quarter pint jars. I cooked it for a reallllly long time and never quite got it up to 212 (boiling at our altitude) but it was thick. Whenever we tested for doneness, it failed the freezer test. It was so obvious though when I got to ladling into the jars that the jelly was ready. It had coated the cup I was using to transfer from the pot to the jars.
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