APPLE JELLY
3 lbs. apples
3 cups of water
3 tbsp. lemon juice
Sugar
You'll need sweet apples, not tart or sour varieties.
Choose apples that are naturally sweet, Red Delicious, Rome,
etc.. A mixture of sweet varieties is preferable.
Wash the apples and cut into chunks (do not peel or core).
Put the apples into a large saucepan with the water and bring to a
boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until the apples are tender (about 20
minutes).
Pour the apples and liquid into a
jelly bag
and allow to drip for at least 12 hours.
Measure the juice and pour into a clean saucepan.
For every 2 ½ cups of juice, add 1 pound sugar.
Stir in the lemon juice and sugar.
Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring to a boil and boil rapidly until jelly reaches the
setting
point.
Remove from heat.
Skim the foam off the top and pour into warm sterilized jars.
Seal immediately.
Apple Butter
Aprox. 4 ½ lbs. medium
size sweet apples
1 1/2 qts. cider
2 1/2 - 3 cups of sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cloves
Wash and slice firm, tart cooking apples {Not overly sweet}.
Do not core, seed or peel.
Add cider and boil 15
minutes or until soft.
Press through sieve (you should have about 3 qts. pulp) Gently boil
the pulp 1 hour or until it begins to thicken, stirring
occasionally.
Stir in spices and continue cooking slowly 3 hours or until
thickened, stirring frequently.
Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Seal.
Makes about 3-1/2 pints
Apple Pie
Filling
6 pounds apples
4 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
A few drops yellow food coloring
in a large pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add
salt and water and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook until thick
and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and food coloring.
Sterilize canning jars, lids and rings by boiling them in a large
pot of water.
Peel, core, and slice apples. Pack the sliced apples into hot
canning jars, leave a 1/2 inch headspace. Fill jars with hot syrup,
and gently remove air bubbles with a knife. Put lids on and process
in a water bath canner for 20 minutes
The Lost Art of Pie Making Made Easy
Freezing Apples
Enzymes in apples, pears and some other fruits causes a browning,
referred to as oxidation which begins as soon as the fruits outer
skin is broken , cut or sliced. This Browning causes loss of vitamin
C, as well as making them less appealing. Because fruits are usually
served raw they are not generally blanched to prevent this
oxidation. Instead, commercial operations add chemical compounds to
control the enzymes in the fruits.
The Home Cook - yeah you - can temporarily stop fruit oxidation by
placing the fruit in lemon juice solutions or in sugar syrup.
Apples retain much of their texture and flavor when packed in sugar
or sugar syrup. Fruits packed in syrup are generally best used for
uncooked desserts, those packed in syrup or unsweetened mediums
{Lemon Juice} are best for other cooking purposes.
Freezing Apples in Syrup
The "Syrup" is simply a water/sugar solution. I Prefer a 50/50
mix
half sugar and half water. Add 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon juice to each quart of syrup.
Slice apples directly into the cold syrup in a container,
starting with 1/2 cup syrup per
pint container.
Press fruit down in containers and pour over the apples
enough syrup to completely cover them.
Seal, label and freeze.
Freezing Apples without adding Sugar
Apples frozen without sugar are generally used for cooking and pie making.
Wash, peel and core apples. Sprinkle apples generously with Lemon
Juice. Place the apple slices in freezer bags, label, date and
freeze. Freeze for up to one year at 0°F or lower.
Freezing changes the texture of apples, they are not as well suited
for eating raw .
Freezing Apples For Pies
Making Dried
Apples
Dehydrator or Oven Drying
Use only pesticide-free firm ripe apples, free of brown spots or
insect bores.
Wash, core and peel the apples.
Cut apples into wedges and slice about 1/4-inch-thick , or you
can also slice the apples into rings.
Dip apple slices in diluted lemon juice (1/4 c. lemon juice to 1
qt. water) - to prevent browning.
Place the slices on kitchen trays. Do not overlap the slices.
Dry at 110 degrees F for 6 to 8 hours.
Turn the slices after about 4 hours and rotate the trays as needed.
Test for dryness after 6 hours and then every 2 hours until no
moisture remains in the center of the slices.
Setting point is reached when
the boiling liquid begins to clots. There are various ways to check
for setting.
1.} Dip a long wooden spoon into the pan and hold it up so you
can see the liquid run off. If it starts to form flakes as it drops,
setting point has been reached.
2.}Pour a spoonful of the hot mass on to a plate and refrigerate
for 10-15 minutes. Push the edges of the jam with your index finger,
it is set when it all wrinkly and crinkly. Always test for setting
point at the time the recipe suggests, if not set continue to cook
checking every 5 minutes. Don’t overcook.
and allow to drip for at least 12 hours.
