Sunday, August 3, 2014

Crab Apple Jelly

Our property came with a crab apple tree on the front corner. We have a regular debate about whether it has any value. I frequently contend it should be chopped down to make way for something more useful. Kyle argues that it is useful as a pollinator for our other apple tree. This year it proved its worth as a producer of food.
Kyle harvested 3.5 pounds of these little guys. Each one was comparable to the tip of my thumb in size.
Kyle tossed the whole patch in a pot of apple cider. The cider was made from six whole Gravenstein apples. The concoction cooked for about 30 minutes covered on low heat. Then he ran the liquid and pulp through a jelly bag. We didn't have a commercially made jelly bag so he used a  bucket and a pillow case. It worked like a charm!
The resulting liquid was placed back on the stove on high heat. Once it hit a rolling boil, Kyle added sugar. Lots of sugar. He continued boiling it until it reached 225 degrees and it was thick to his liking on a cold spoon. Then it went into sterile mason jar and was processed in a water bath for five minutes. Ta da!
We now have three pints of simple crab apple jelly with no pectin needed. Normally we try to maintain a pretty low sugar diet, but we make an exception for jams and jellies. With two toddlers running about we find peanut butter and jelly to be on the menu fairly often.

Suffice to say, I'll have to officially admit defeat in the great crab apple tree debate. .. but, I'm too busy stuffing my face with toast with crab apple jelly at the moment ...

No comments:

Post a Comment