not far from the tree

Ok Ok…so I’m entering the preserving season a little late, but I decided I could rationalize it by saying I’m preparing myself for next year.  With this logic, I’m really just a keener getting super excited to start picking fruit again.

Last night I prepared my first jar of apple jelly.  I meticulously followed the Old-Fashioned Apple Jelly recipe and canning instructions from the Bernardin “Complete Book of Home Preserving”, an excellent book for beginners.  I didn’t think it would take that long (25 minutes as suggested in the book).  Not bad, I thought.  I could easily get this done tonight and sneak in another episode of ‘The Wire’ (HBO’s highly addictive Baltimore cop show, indeed).

Right…. it took 25 minutes once my apple juice and sugar mixture reached a hard boil, but it took about 25 – 30 minutes to get to that stage.   Regardless, it was worth it in the end.  I learned how to make jelly!  I also learned that I should have used tart apples, not ‘Empire’ apples.  The Bernardin recipe calls for 3 cups of sugar to every 4 cups of apple juice.  When paired with a sweet apple like Empire, this makes for a very sweet treat.   Live and learn.   I think the trick to making good jelly is experimentation and persistence.

Getting Started:  Gotta get the juice!
I started with 16 apples.  Cut off the tops and bottoms.  Quartered them, leaving the core and peel.  I placed them in a large stainless steal pot, and covered the apples with water, approximately 1 cup of water per 1lb of apples.  I then brought it to a boil and mashed the apples once soft.  When the apples were sufficiently softened and mashed (I waited until they had turned a light brownish colour) I strained the mixture using a strainer and ‘a lot’ of cheesecloth.  The result was apple juice (pg. 107).

Ready to get cookin!
The Bernardin’s recipe is as follows from page 120 of the book:

• 4 cups of apple juice
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 3 cups of sugar

This recipe produced exactly one 500mL jar of jelly.

The process is to combine all ingredients in a stainless steal pot and bring to a boil.  The sugar dissolves quickly; it is important to stir frequently.

Eventually it reached a hard boil, meaning it was boiling and creating some foam.  I continued to stir and frequently conducted a gel test.   Learning the gel test is really what made this venture successful.

Gel Test:
Dip a cold spoon in the mixture after it has been at a hard boil for approximately 25 minutes.  Horizontally lift the spoon and allow the mixture to drip off.  At first it will drip quickly but will soon slow and you will see two drops dripping off the spoon.  Once those two drops join together, the gel stage has been reached (see pg. 21 for a more detailed account).  Once the mixture has reached this point, you’re ready to can.

After preparing the jars, funnel the mixture into the jars.   Bernardin’s suggests taking a spatula and lightly stirring the mixture to release any air bubbles that could impede the sealing process.

Then attach the lid and screw top and submerge jars in a large stainless steal pot (make shift canner) filled with water.  Make sure the bottoms of the jars are lifted off the bottom of the pot.  I just used a pasta pot.

Bring the water to a boil and process for ten minutes.  After ten minutes I turned off the heat and left the jar for another 5 minutes.  Ta Da! , my first jar of apple jelly (super sweet apple jelly).

Note:  I read a couple of recipes that had added cinnamon, or curry.  Once you get the basics down, I think experimenting with flavours is the next step to really making the jelly your own.

For the complete recipe and instructions take a look at Bernardin’s “Complete Book of Home Preserving”.  The Old-Fashioned Apple Jelly recipe is on pg. 120.  Instructions for Apple Juice are on pg. 107.  Further instructions for preparing jars and canning are on pgs. 409 – 420.  Gel Test pg. 21

Enjoy! Let us know how it goes, or if you know of other recipes and ingredients that have helped you perfect apple jelly!