Apple Jelly Made From Apples and Peels

   I have fond memories of my Dad taking me out to breakfast and we'd get those little jelly containers in a variety of good flavors.  If I couldn't decide, I'd pick the mixed jelly.  I still love jelly and jam but wish the brands in the store didn't have so many unnecessary ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup. 

   Which brings me to my last project with my bushel of apples.  Apple Jelly using apples and the left over peels and cores.   

      I remember making plum jam when my son was an infant, and while I was trying to cook he was fussing so much I had to push his walker back and forth with my foot since my hands were full and the kitchen looked like an explosion in a plum orchard.  Fast forward to now, and I still have a little boy in the kitchen with me, and I don't mind him helping and do give him tasks to keep him busy.  He seems to understand when I tell him to clear out of the kitchen if I'm transferring hot jars from the boiling water.

     Like other canning projects you will use most all of the same equipment.  Your clean jars, 8 ounce are great, a large pot for processing the jars, jar lifter, funnel, your caps and rings, and of course, your fruit.  I've tried many kinds of pectin and this time I tried Pomona's Universal Pectin  and found that I really like it.  It uses low amounts of any kind of sweetener you choose to use which is great.  One thing I really like about it is that it's derived from citrus peel and is activated  by calcium which they include.  Most pectin's require tons of sugar, which is less healthy and more expensive and not necessary.  I followed the instructions inside the box for the first couple of batches ( I underestimated how much I could make) and then winged it for the last batch.  They all came out great and delicious.  For sugar I used sucanat, which is sugar cane natural.  That will explain why the apple jelly looks so dark in the pictures. The Pomona's recipe also called for lemon juice 1/4 cup.  That also will help the jelling process. 

     How did I use peels and apples?  Easy, I threw all the apple peels and cores into a tall pot and added liquid to the top, although the exact recipe uses 3 pounds of fruit and 3 cups of water.  Then I cooked it for awhile, the recipe saying to bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes  Then you stir and mash and simmer for five more minutes.  I simply cook and stir until the fruit is soft. You also can just throw the apples into the pot without peeling or coring, although I would cut them up to make the cooking process go a bit faster.

    I dumped the apples/peels into a colander to strain out the liquid. I don't have a jelly bag, but a clean lint free towel or cloth will work just fine.  The recipe is for 4 cups of liquid and I had about 12 cups.  I did single batches, but it can be doubled or tripled.  After it's strained, you put the "juice" into the pot, along with the liquid calcium and lemon juice. A half cup of my sugar was then mixed with the pectin.  Bring the juice to a boil and add the sugar/pectin mix and stir like crazy for two minutes.  It didn't seem like the pectin was ever going to dissolve.  Then I added the rest of the sugar, and brought it back to a boil.  It was then ready to be put into my jars.  I keep my jars in hot water on the stove so I pull them out onto a towel and fill them to 1/4 inch from the top, put the lid and screw ring on.  When I have enough jars to fill the large pot I'm using I use the jar lifter to place them into the pot of boiling water.  If the water stops boiling, give it a minute or two, and then I give the jars a full ten minutes to boil.  Lift them out and place them in an area where they won't be touched or bothered.  As they cool you might hear the lids popping, and that is a very good thing. 

That's it, jelly or jam is one of the easier home canning projects to start with, and there are so many different kinds you can make with just a few alterations in the recipe.  If you buy pectin they all come with instructions.  One other thing, if you don't find a great deal on fruit, you can simply go buy a bottle of apple juice or grape juice or any other flavor.  It works great, and if you are short on time it cuts out all the fruit preparation time while still giving a healthier alternative to store bought. 
 

My pantry now has a few more jars added to it, I've gained a bit more experience and will approach this with a bit more confidence the next time I see a good deal on fruit.  Or maybe I'll use that bottle of grape juice sitting on the pantry to make grape jelly.

I found many great web links that I was going to add to this post but I think Pomona's Universal Pectin is a good place to start with many
recipes to check out.