Tag Archives: canning

and finally… apple jelly

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in cook, preserve

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At last, here is the crabapple jelly recipe I’ve been using for over a decade. It’s from Jean Pare’s Company’s Coming series on Preserves. I’ve tried adding a single bird’s eye chili on each jar for color and a bit of heat but usually I stick to the classic recipe. Crabapple jelly is my absolute favorite along with raspberry jam.

 Crabapple Jelly

4 ½ lbs. crabapples, or tart apples, such as Granny Smith

7 cups water

5 cups of the prepared juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

3 ¾ cups sugar

Remove stems and blossom ends from apples. Coarsely chop apples with peel and core included. Turn into large pot. Add water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Cook for about 50 minutes until mushy-soft. Drain several hours or overnight in a jelly bag.

Combine prepared juice and lemon juice in a large pot. Add sugar. Stir on medium-high heat until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, testing for jelly stage near the end. Skim off foam if necessary. Pour into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of top. Seal. Makes 3 half-pints.

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves.  Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

apple butter

04 Thursday Oct 2012

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I used to have a crabapple tree in my backyard when I lived in St. Albert. Every autumn I would make crabapple jelly, crabapple butter and spiced apples for apple strudel. A few weeks ago, a dear friend and neighbor invited me up to her farm just up the hill to pick crabapples. B and I filled quite a few baskets full and I have been busy making the butter and jelly, as well as many batches of apple sauce (which I froze) and a large batch of dehydrated apples. After all of that, I still have a large bowl of crabapples sitting on my counter… Perhaps I can bake a pie tomorrow?

Apple Butter

4 lbs. tart apples, quartered

2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Remove stems and blossom ends from apples before cutting into quarters. Place in a large pot, including seeds, core and peeling. Add sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir. Let stand until apples release some juice. Cover. Heat slowly. Bring to a boil. Cook gently, uncovered, stirring often, until apples are tender. Press through a food mill. Turn pulp into an enamel roaster. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degrees (F) oven, stirring every 30 minutes, until thick, about 2 to 2 ½ hours. TO test for doneness, cool a teaspoonful on a chilled saucer. It should stay smooth. This may also be cooked in a large pot on top f the stove, stirring often. Pour into hot, sterilized jars to within ¼ inch (6 mm) of the top. Seal. Makes 4 half-pints.

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves. Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

the season for jams and jellies…

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in appreciate the seasons, cook, preserve, wild berries

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Since early August I have been been busy picking berries as they ripen in the wild and preserving them in jams and jellies.  I love making preserves! I love the process of turning berries into little jars of sunshine, the satisfaction of a cupboard filled with preserves and the way the entire house smells like pie when the jams and jellies are cooking. I also love giving these jewels away as gifts as it is rare to enjoy wild berry preserves unless your lucky enough to find them at the farmers market or you pick and preserve them yourself.

Above is this year’s gooseberry jam. Click here for the recipe.

Here is this year’s rosehip jelly. One batch set beautifully and the other did not. I will simply label the watery one as ‘rosehip syrup’ and use it for pancakes and waffles. Click here for the recipe.

This raspberry jam is not from wild berries but from fruit from a dear friend’s backyard. Click here for the recipe.

Here is some high bush cranberry jelly in progress and below is the final jellies, just in time to serve with Thanksgiving turkey. Click here for the recipe.

I have also made apple butter, apple jelly and two batches of chokecherry jelly. I will post those soon with the recipes. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season!

green tomato relish

06 Thursday Oct 2011

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Sweet, sour, tart and delicious. A great way to use up some of those green tomatoes from the garden. Note: the golden brown color comes from the brown sugar.

Green Tomato Relish

15 pounds green tomatoes
2 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup salt
6 cups brown sugar
4 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup celery seed
1/3 cup mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole allspice
2 cups cider vinegar

Remove the stem end of the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into fine dice. Alternate layers of tomatoes and onions in a large pot or bowl, sprinkling each layer with salt. Leave overnight.

The next day, drain off juices and place in a large preserving kettle. Add sugar, green peppers, celery seed and mustard seed. Tie the cloves, cinnamon and allspice in a cheesecloth bag and add to the pot. Pour in cider vinegar to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and discard cheesecloth bag. Pour relish into hot, sterilized jars, cover and seal.

This recipe comes from the Epicurious website.

rosehip jelly (Rosa acicularis)

13 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in cook, forage, preserve, wild berries

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This jelly is very high in vitamin C and has a wonderful tangy, hibiscus-like flavor. Serve on toast, pancakes, waffles, crepes or on top of a wheel of brie.

rosehip jelly

8 cups of rose hips

6 cups of water

4 cups of the prepared juice

1 box of certo

1/2 cup lemon juice (bottled or fresh)

5 cups of organic sugar (I only used 3 cups as I like my jelly tart in flavor)

Remove stems and wash rosehips. Put hips into a stainless steel pot (never use aluminum as this destroys the vitamin C) and add water. Boil for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the fruit is soft enough to crush. Crush and squeeze through jelly bag. Put prepared juice into stainless steel pot, add lemon juice and certo and bring to a boil. Add sugar and boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars up to ¼ inch from the top and seal.

Enjoy!