Crab Apple Jelly
crab apples - not quite, or just ripe.
Water
Sugar
Spices - if desired
Lemon juice - if desired
pick some crab apples
wash the apples in cool water and vinegar.
Slice and core the apples, removing any bad or buggy spots.
Weigh the apples, and put in a pot with an equal amount of water.
Boil apples, partially covered, until they are soft and falling apart, about an hour. (spices can be added at this point if desired.)
Strain apples through a jelly bag or muslin cloth, squeezing gently if desired (squeezing will make more juice, but result in a cloudy jelly)
measure juice and put in a pot with a little less or an equal amount of sugar and some lemon juice if desired.
Bring to a boil and cook until it reaches 220 degrees F.
ladle into prepared jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
(helpful articles:
http://reddirtkelly.com/2013/08/18/my-little-victory-garden-secrets-to-making-crabapply-jelly-or-jam-or-jamly/
http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/crabapple-jelly-a-dozen-ways/ )
[09-05-13] a little over 2.5 lbs of prepared apples cooked down to 3 2/3 C juice, added 3 C sugar. No spices or juice added. got 3 half and 3 quarter pints. Pretty tasty, but next time will add spices. even though it was setting up in the pan, the jelly in the jars never went past a syrupy consistency.
[09-19-13] use 3.75lb apples, added 1/4 tsp apple pie spice and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. got 3 1/2 C juice, added 1/4 C lemon juice and 3 C sugar. let it boil for 5 min before adding sugar. was setting up in the pot, and tasted great. (maybe a touch less lemon juice next time)
