I'm visiting my family in Vermont, and my mom and dad have a gorgeous ornamental crabapple tree in the front yard. This time of year, the fruit falls to the ground and starts to rot. I suggested that we try to do something with some of the apples before they fall. How about CRABAPPLE JELLY? Here's what we did:
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| Take 8 cups of crabapples, wash them, and remove the stems and leaves. |
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| Put the crabapples in a stainless steel pot, and add enough water that the water is visible, but no fruit is floating. Add a cinnamon stick or two if you like. |
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| Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Fruit should be soft, but not falling apart. |
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| Remove the fruit and liquid from the heat, and strain. (There are a number of ways to do this... a jelly purist would tell you that you shouldn't squeeze or mash the fruit, as it can make your jelly a little cloudy. I say, "squeeze away!") In this photo, I've put the fruit and liquid into a cloth bag, and I'm squeezing it gently to remove as much liquid as possible. You should get about 4 cups. Make sure you've allowed the mixture to get cool to the touch of you're going to do it this way! |
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| Clean your stainless steel pot so there are no stray pieces of fruit, and then put the liquid back in. Bring it to a simmer, and cook uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 3 cups of white sugar. Stir constantly and boil until mixture falls from a spoon in a sheet, as opposed to individual drops (approximately 220 degrees F). There's no need to add pectin to this jelly - crabapples contain a ton of it naturally! |
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| Pour the mixture into sterile canning jars and seal the jars in a hot water bath. (If you decide not to seal your jelly, it MUST be refrigerated!) |
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| Allow the jars to cool. The finished jelly is a beautiful ruby red color, and has a sweet yet tangy taste. Delicious! |
