This season I made jelly for the first time ever, from crabapples I picked with a friend from her tree. A flock of starlings watched and waited and when we moved away, descended upon the tree in a racket.
Two pounds of cut up crabapples spritzed with half a lemon yielded 1.25 cups of juice which I combined with equal parts granulated sugar and water (plus citric acid) to produce a pint of jelly which straightaway went in the refrigerator instead of canning.
Here’s my makeshift “jelly bag”—colander + cheesecloth, works great
Crabapple Jelly
adapted from Forager Chef and Joy of Cooking, 2019
Ingredients
- 2 pounds crabapples, washed, dried, and cut in half or quarters; yielded me 1.25 cups juice after cooking and straining discard any with bruises, rot, or worms to the compost pile...I started with 4 pounds to yield 2 pounds
- ½ fresh lemon to spritz over the cut crabapples while you're cutting
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid or use 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cook crabapples and strain for juice
-
In a jam pot, heavy saucepan, or Dutch oven bring crabapples to boil, turn down the heat to low, and cook while mashing at the fruit occasionally for 10 or 15 minutes.
-
Pour the crabapples into a colander lined with a double-layer of cheesecloth and allow to drain and cool completely. Gather the cheesecloth into a bundle and squeeze to get more juice. Pour juice into a glass measure and take note of the amount. Rinse and dry the pot.
Cook the jelly
-
Add juice and equal amounts of water and granulated sugar to the pot. Add citric acid (or lemon juice). Bring to boil and cook over high heat until temperature reaches 220°, adjusted down if you're at high altitude (2° for every 1,000 feet above sea level, e.g. target 210° in Bozeman, Montana which is at about 5,000 feet).
-
When you're close to the target temperature, check for the "jelling point" using the spoon test: remove pan from heat, dip spoon and hold horizontally. You're looking for droplets to form, ideally for two drops to merge and fall as one. If the syrup flows from the spoon without forming thick drops, continue to cook the jelly for another minute and check again.
Consult Joy of Cooking for more detailed information about The Jelling Point.
-
Transfer to a clean jar and cool completely. Keep refrigerated and use within 6 months.
