How to Make Apple Pectin Jelly

Here is a perfectly sensible way to spend your time, which may, nonetheless, expose you to no end of mockery. When casual acquaintances, fellow-bus riders, and the like ask you what you did this weekend, and you reply that, among other things, you made apple pectin jelly, eyebrows may go up. If you further explain that this is something you will use, instead of commercial pectin, when you are making other preserves from lower pectin fruit, there may be snickering.

I do a fair amount of babbling and blurting and tend to an excess of enthusiasm. (Which is to say, as you may well have already noticed, that I am a big dork.) It therefore took me a while to realize that it may just be wise to downplay-or totally hide- some cooking details, in general conversation.

People who don't enjoy this sort of cooking, even if they are interested in food in a general sort of way, sometimes can't believe that anyone would want to spend time doing this. In fact, they often seem to think that you are being intentionally weird, and possibly also snooty and affected. You can get this sort of response sometimes, just for making a cake from scratch, instead of from a mix-even though it is often no more trouble.

It's an outlook I don't really understand, but definitely a fact of life. Most folks don't object to being given a bit of some tasty end product, as long as they don't know how it came into being. Since, for some reason I am queasy about disapproval, even from total strangers, I've learned to keep quiet on the topic. Luckily, I can tell you all about it.

I think the deal is, it's supposed to be pretentious, or something. It seems to be acceptable to enjoy elaborate homemade food made by an elderly relative-especially if it is a family or ethnic specialty, but deviant to wish to fix some yourself, especially if it is not from your own, established tradition. I'm just warning you, in case you hadn't already noticed. For some reason, making preserves seems to particularly annoy certain people, none of whom I actually know well enough to ask about it.

Bur anyhow, apple pectin jelly is very easy to make, not at all elaborate, and has many other uses. It makes a spiffy glaze for fruit tarts-especially apple ones. Add a branch of rosemary, tarragon or thyme, and you will have an herb jelly-nice with roasted meats, and chicken. Some cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla, or plain-good on an english muffin with breakfast..or a cup of strong tea. All you need is a bunch of unripe apples (windfall apples are perfect, though a bit of trouble, as you must cut out the wormy and brown bits), sugar and a lemon. To make 4-5 eight ounce jars, it takes 3 to 4 pounds of apples, 3 cups of sugar and one lemon.

You will also need a chinois and/or a jelly bag. Jelly bags and their stands are very cheap, and the stand kind of hooks over your big pot, holding fruit pulp, while the juices drain out for jelly. You can mail order them from a canning supply place-though a well equiped hardware store may have them- that's where I got mine. A chinois is expensive, but multipurpose. Up to you.

This is what you do:

In cold water, wash about 4 pounds of the least ripe apples you can find. Remove stems, but do not peel or core them. Cut them in quarters, and put them in a big heavy pan. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook for about 45 minutes, until very soft. Pour, water and all, into jelly bag over a large bowl. Press on the top a bit, to release some juice, but don't mash it vigorously. Let it drain through until you're sure you have pretty much all of the juices. It should measure a little over a quart.

Line a colander with cheesecloth, and pour the juices through again. Combine them with the rest of the ingredients in a non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil, and skim off the foam as it collects on top. Boil for about 20 minutes, until it reaches 212F on a candy thermometer, or jells when dropped in a little blob onto a cool saucer. Pour into sterilized 1 cup canning jars, and seal with 2 piece lids. Cool, and test for boingers, refrigerating any jar that doesn't seal properly, to use first.

Each of these jars will be the right amount to make preserves from about 3 pounds of a low pectin fruit- for example, pears, or canteloupe. Or, of course, you could just enjoy your lovely, clean tasting apple jelly. If you reheat a bit, and pour it thinly over the fruit on a tart, or on a fruit garnish on top of a cake the top of a cake, it will go shiny when it cools, and look very pro-pastryish.

I'm looking forward to using my 4 jars for some other preserves.

This is my entry, BTW, in this month's Sugar High Friday, on preserving, at Delicious Days. If you click on the jar photo, you can see my little overtly Marthaesque label. My imaginary jam company is called "Wildlife Preserves." In my mind.

Comments

[ilva]

THIS is what I'm going to do with all the apples our one tree is covered with, thanks!

[Anita]

I have made appple jam but did not know how rich unripe apples were in pectin. Thanks for sharing. Preserves are such an easy way to have your favourite fruits around for longer. I regularly make mango jam and lemon marmalade from the fruits of my mother's garden.
Enjoy reading your blog.

[steven]

I've never made jelly, but I've certainly encountered the disapproval thing. My food choices and the way I prepare them are routinely called "fancy" by my extended family. It's a word used to describe how you've forgotten your place in the social order and also how you've wasted time on something you can buy at the store, giving you more free time to watch NASCAR and eat Doritos.

[Julie]

I love the idea of making your own pectin but that may be a by-product of coming of age during that whole back-to-the-land self sufficiency thing of the early 70s. The same thing that at some point this year had me reflexively reaching for some magazine (could it have been The Mother Earth News? is that still even published?) when I read the headline that said "Build your own cabin for less than $2000."

Not that I'm self sufficient or back to the land at all but something seems to have rubbed off from that era. Anyway, I'm totally in support of your inner food dork that wants to do things like make apple pectin jelly, and I love seeing the little jar neatly labeled with its contents.

[lobstersquad]

Lindy, I understand you perfectly. Just what is it about those annoying people who scoff at food making that makes me really shy? I feel really sheepish about having produced a fresh cake, and for no good reason.
Good thing that food blogs exist. And that jelly sounds pretty stunning. I´ll see where I can locate unripe apples. Supermarket sounds like a good choice, actually.

[Tanna]

So, not everybody wants to knit either. Funny that some people can't be happy somebody wants to make jam. My grandmother made beautiful apple pectin jelly.

[pyewacket]

I've done a lot of canning, but have not yet taken up to do the apple pectin jelly thing. I keep fearing I will onyl have ONE chance to make jam and I had better use it to make infal-product preserves, not halfway-there preserves. But I really want to make some green-apple-pectin jams, so I'll have to do it someday.

As for the people who think taking pains over your food is a waste of time, just ignore them. For some reason, they never have time for anything interesting - like knitting or learning about bird calls or making pickles or gardening or painting or reading a long book - but they always have time for tv.

[Luisa]

I know that feeling about getting all enthusiastic about a foodstuff only to be mocked by others (who would stop their mocking if they would only TRY what it is you're so excited about).

[lindy]

Somehow, I had a feeling that you folks would know what I was talking about.

Personally, I usually find other people's enthusiasm appealing, whether I share it or not.

But then again-I like to knit socks (another deeply suspect activity-even though you can do it while you watch tv).

[Jade]

Thank you for this post! I've dabbled in jam making, but have wanted to avoid store-bought pectin. I am thrilled to know there is another way to add pectin to jams.

There is something very empowering about doing things yourself, even if you could buy a similar product at the store. Time spent cooking is certainly never wasted.

[Kimberly]

Oh, I so wanted to make apple pectin jelly this summer! Alas, it will be a month yet before I have a kitchen (though I have borrowed one for a little jam-making), and I fear it is almost too late already (though I may check a local U-pick farm for windfalls on Sunday).

I love the name Wildlife Preserves.

[Baking Soda]

I gladly join your inner food dork club. Now I know what my friend was thinking the other day when she asked me about yeast. She just wanted a simple answer to a simple question, not a lecture on the use of yeast on warm days, rainy days, sponges....
Thank you for sharing your apple pectin recipe, I will use but not tell! Love the labels.

[Christan = )]

I commented on here before, but can't find my comment. Weird...
I've always wanted to try using my own pectin instead of the store bought stuff for my jams but have always been afraid to try it and mess it up!! Maybe I will give it a shot sometime. Great site and I found you from Farmgirl Susan's site. Love your comments!!

[lindy]

Jade-And they really don't have an equivalent at the store- though I expect a completely natural apple jelly, with no extra ingredients, would work.
Kimberly-I think I was actually pushing it a bit myself- early July is best-some of my apples were not very green at all. Your kitchen is sounding wonderful-designing a kitchen to suit yourself-I'm green.
B. soda- The inner dork is hard to control, no? It's so damn energetic. The adolescent embarassment that kept it down a bit is long gone- and I haven't found an effective substitute!
Christan-I haven't edited out your comment or anything, must be a glitch of some kind. Thanks for visiting.

[Elise]

Hi Lindy,
This is such a useful method! I use apples from our trees all the time for making jelly, but never thought to just make the pectin jelly for use with other fruit. Great idea, thank you!

[Christina]

I'm a little late, but I say, "Screw them." Those are the kind of people who you wouldn't want to be acquainted with anyway. Don't curb your enthusiasm. As a spinner, knitter, and ex-pastry chef, and a girl who made the paper for her wedding invitations, and felted and sewed her own wedding dress, I know what you mean. And I've been like this my whole life. (I'm 33 now.) Your enthusiasm is what draws people to you, and by publicizing (sp?) your interests, you find others like yourself. I've finally found other people who knit, and can, and weave, and do all the things I like to do, but I wouldn't have if I stayed quiet about them. Besides, your gift may be helping others branch out and find new interests. I've learned to love the dumbfounded expressions people give me when I tell them I have a spinning wheel. Most of them are genuinely interested, and the ones who scoff give me an opportunity to tout the benefits of having hobbies, instead of lazing around at home and doing nothing. (I have apple jelly juice straining right now that I'm going to use for rose geranium jelly for the county fair. Whose the dork now?) Good luck to all of you!

[arfi]

Hi. I just got your post from someone who visited my blog (http://homemades.blogspot.com) as I made several batches of fruit cheeses. They turned out fine as I made apple cider cheese and damson plum cheese. Only it took long for me to do it at once. I found out that there are some apples which contain more pectin than others. That's probably why we are suggested to use tart apples. I was using our own apples from the orchard which I found quite tart for its kind with strong flavour and quite fragrant. It's not floury. I decided to make fruit cheese. I did it! I should link your site to my sidebar. As I think yours is very useful for a cook like me. Thank you.

[Bill]

One thing to remember with mockery, it often has its roots sunk deep in a jealous heart (or in some other cases a fearful one). It is rarely an honest emotion, but is almost inevitably a right shabby cover, for something else.

As for myself, just finished putting up 19 jars of cherry jelly from cherries I had the exceeding privilege of picking this am, almost waaaay too much fun...

[Lindy]

I've a slightly easier, updated recipe for the jelly you might want to try:
http://www.lindystoast.com/2008/08/forever-amber.html

[April]

Wow, this is my life in a nutshell, I spent the entire summer picking fruit, now I am making it into jams and jelly's. I have no idea how much I will have by the time I get done but I know that there aren't enough jars around here in the stores for all I have got to put up as the stores do not carry jars for very long, and what they do carry is only in very small quantities. So frustrating.

Thank You for your insight and positive attitude you are and inspiration to not give up.

April

[mary]

many thx ...will try this

[Jannie]

I use this recipe to make Crab Aplle Jelly for usewith Pork, Apple & Cheese sandwiches, almost anything that calls for apple, but I have never thought to re-use it as pectin. Thanks for the idea

[fe magdalena mercado]

hi tita lindy ! am here in the philippines making macapuno preserves got a problem if my nuts are matured they don't jell much i happened to come your page because am looking for information on how to make homemade pectin thanks for the your recipe surely it can help me a lot

[Jay]

Lindy-
I love jelly candies, but I've been unable to find recipes to make them using home made pectin from apples. Any suggestions?
I live in a metropolitan area and commercial pectin is impossible to find.

[Linda Davis]

The more economical method is to make the pectin/juice liquid from the peels, cores and scraps of apples. Use the slices for pie or whatever you want, then cook the pectin-rich parts like this:
2 quarts peels and cores of under-ripe apples
Water to barely cover
Bring to boil and cook about 30 minutes, till very soft. Put liquid through a coarse strainer first, then, if you want a clear liquid, use a fine strainer or jelly bag.
Use to make apple jelly or to add to any low-pectin fruit, or as the base for mint or hot pepper jelly.