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Gingered Apple Jelly

Source of Recipe

From "Beginner's Guide to Canning" by Diane Devereaux


Recipe Introduction

"This jelly is my personal favorite. I keep it on hand for breakfast toast or a warm biscuit and even flavor my green tea with a teaspoon or two. Using tart Granny Smith apples with the fresh zing of ginger gives this jelly a little something extra. Want your jelly a bit sweeter without adding more sugar? Use sweet apples like Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 pounds Granny Smith apples (10 medium), quartered and cored
â—¦ 6 cups water
â—¦ ½ cup bottled lemon juice
â—¦ ¼ cup coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
â—¦ 3 cups sugar
â—¦ 1 (3-ounce) pouch liquid pectin


Recipe

In a large pot, cover the jars with hot water, add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off heat. In a smaller pot, add lids and rings, 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, and water to cover. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the apples, water, lemon juice, and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently boil for 30 minutes, stirring often and using your spoon to break apart the apples. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Using the cheesecloth draining method, gently place the boiled apple mixture on the cheesecloth and allow it to drain for 2 hours, or until you've captured 4 cups of juice.

Transfer the juice to a heavy-bottomed pot and add the sugar. Mix well. Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once at a boil, add the liquid pectin and mix well. Return to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off the foam with a spoon and discard.

Place the hot jars on a cutting board. Using a funnel, ladle the hot jelly into the jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional jelly if necessary to maintain the ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand-tighten.

Place the jars in a water bather, ensuring each jar is covered by at least 1 inch of water. Add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar to the water and turn the heat to high. Bring the canner to a boil and process half-pints for 10 minutes. Be sure not to start your timer until the water is at a full rolling boil. After processing, wait 5 minutes before removing the jars from the canner.

Makes 4 half-pints