Recipe(tried): The Perfect Crabapple Jelly

Jen, I make crabapple jelly every year and even sell it in my small home town. The secret to setting this jelly is cooking it down for a good 40 minutes. Also, crabapples are very high in natural pectin and it is not necessary to add it to your batch. Here is the recipe I use;

CRABAPPLE JELLY

4 1/2 lbs. (2 kgs) tart crabapples
7 cups (1.75 l) water
5 cups (1.25 l) prepared juice
3 tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
5 cups (1.25 ml) granulated sugar

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

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 any foam and pour into hot sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of top. Place sterilized metal lids on jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Never do more than this amount at one time or it will not set and don't skimp on the sugar either.

An easy way to drain the cooked apples is in a colander without pressing them through, just set it sit for a couple of hours. Then run the juice through some cheese cloth, much quicker and easier. I also then press the apples through the colander after into another pot to make apple butter. Nothing goes to waste!!! If you are interested in that recipe, just let me know!!!

As for your batch that didn't set, just redo it and cook it down for that 40 minutes, it should set.

Hope this helps
Kas O'Neill, Canada.