Apples Trees Loaded with Fruit!

Buckets of Apples and Pears

We have several apple trees on the farm so every summer we are faced with buckets and buckets of apples!  Anyone who knows me, knows I feel the need to use every little thing we bring in around here!  Years ago when I was reading and practicing preserving I learned about fruits with low and high pectin levels and how they affect the final set of a jam, jelly or preserve.  Apples, being one of the fruits very high in pectin, can be made into a Natural Pectin Jelly that can be enjoyed as a jelly or used as an addition to low pectin fruits to enhance their set. If you find yourself loaded up with apples, get busy!  We also sell this pectin and our jams and jellies at the cooking school. En

Green Apple Jelly

Natural Pectin

 6-7 pounds green apples

12-13 cups water

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)

9-10 cups of sugar

Remove the stem from the apples and cut into quarters.  Place in a large pot with the water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Apples for Natural Pectin Jelly

 Pour mixture through a fine to medium sieve, pressing on solids to extract as much as possible.  Discard solids.

Straining out Apple Solids

 Pour the juice (you should have about 8-9 cups) into a preserving pad with the zest, lemon juice and sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Cook on high heat for about 10 minutes.  If there is a lot of scum or foam on top you can skim this off and discard.  Bring to 221º.  Pour into hot, sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath; about 10 minutes for small 1/2 pint to pint jars, about 15-20 minutes for larger jars. 

 Check the seal after jars are cool, label and store for 18-24 months.

Apple Pectin Jelly Jars

 This can be used as apple jelly or as pectin to add to jams and preserves that contain low pectin levels. Use about 14 ounces per 5-6 pounds of fruit.

Fruits that are low to medium in pectin: figs, rhubarb, peaches, pears, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Fruits high in pectin: apples, grapes, citrus, persimmons and cranberries. 

Many jam, jelly and preserve recipes will pair low and high pectin fruits together to improve the set.

We used some of the Natural Apple Pectin Jelly to add into Peach Vanilla Lemon Preserves, as peaches are low in pectin.  

Peach Preserves using Natural Apple Pectin