Reworking Apple Jelly - Is That REALLY a Thing?

Back in December, I made a batch of apple scrap jelly.  I cooked up the apple scraps (peels and cores), strained out all the solids, and used the resulting juice for the jelly.  After letting the jars sit and cool overnight, I removed the rings and had a look at the amber goodness inside.  Perfectly transparent!  Gorgeous color!  All the lids sealed!  YAY!

However...

When I picked up a jar and tipped it a little, the "jelly" slopped to one side.  Like a liquid.

What the what???

It's not like apple jelly is difficult to make or anything like that.  I mean, apples are packed FULL of pectin, which you usually have to add to get jams and jellies to set nicely.  I always add pectin, just to be absolutely sure it jells (hence the trademarked name "Sure-Jell" for powdered pectin), but you can easily make apple jelly without adding pectin.  So what went wrong?  No clue at this point. 

What do you do with apple jelly that didn't set?  I guess you could use it for syrup, but would you?  I sure wouldn't!  HA!  I know sometimes jams don't set up right away (I've had that happen) and if you let them just sit a couple of weeks or so, they will eventually set enough to pass for jam.  Orange marmalade is like that, and you expect it.  But jelly isn't supposed to be soft like jam; it's supposed to hold its shape sort of like molded gelatin.

If you've looked at the picture closely, you will have noticed that the date on the label is 3/14/2021 - definitely NOT December, and no, I didn't throw it all out and start over.  In fact, all those jars sat on the kitchen table that whole time, while I hoped they'd firm up.  No dice.  So...

I reworked the jelly!

Inside the Sure-Jell™ package is a sheet of instructions and recipes for jams and jellies.  I've made jam or jelly often enough (I THOUGHT) that I knew the ropes well enough.  Well...hmmmm.  I'd stopped reading ALL the directions.  Not a good thing when you're dealing with something finicky like jelly.  

You're supposed to:

• make your juice - check
• measure the juice exactly per the recipe - check
• use only pure cane sugar, such as Domino or G&H - WHOOPS!!!

I had used plain old store-brand generic SUGAR.  Look at the ingredients:  "SUGAR" - no "cane" in there anywhere, which means it's probably beet sugar or a blend of beet and cane sugar.  There's nothing wrong with beet sugar for cooking or baking, but if you want your jelly or jam to set up correctly, pure cane sugar is the way to go.

The instructions are right there in the Sure-Jell™ package, so I won't go into all that.  But the "jelly" came out of the jars as mostly syrupy liquid with some partially-jelled lumps of different sizes.  You're supposed to do a small test batch to see whether it's worth your time to rework all the jelly that didn't set up.  I did, it did, and so I went ahead with the full batch.  

And...it worked!  I went out and bought a bag of Domino Pure Cane Sugar and used it for the test and the full batch.  It really did make a difference.  The reworked batch isn't quite as firm as it could be, but it's definitely JELLY now, and totally acceptable.

So I've learned my lesson (the hard way):  When making jelly, DON'T BUY CHEAP SUGAR!  

More Canning - Apple Butter!!!

It's fall, new crop apples have arrived, and that means apple butter!!!  Apple butter is super easy to make.  The hardest part is peeling, coring, and slicing the apples, but it's worth the time and effort to have your own apple butter to put on your toast, dinner rolls, or fried biscuits.  (Apple butter was MADE for fried biscuits!)  If you want to try your hand at making preserves, apple butter is a good place to start - it doesn't require the exactitude of making jelly or jam, but still delivers the same satisfaction of self-sufficiency, plus you get to learn a new skill!  How awesome is THAT?

Here's the recipe I use.  It must be pretty good; when she was tiny, my oldest granddaughter used to eat it with a spoon like applesauce!

Apple Butter (about 6 12-oz jars)

6 c apple cider
6 lb apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 1/2 c sugar
1T cinnamon
1 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground cloves

In a large pot, bring cider to a boil.  Add apples, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally about 45 minutes.  Add sugar and spices, stir until well blended.  Cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and smooth, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

OR...

In the evening, place the apples and cider in a large (6 1/2-quart) slow cooker, and cook them on low overnight with the lid ajar.  In the morning, stir to break up the apples, add sugar and spices and stir until well blended.  Continue cooking on low with the lid ajar, stirring occasionally, until thick and smooth like applesauce.  Because slow cookers vary, I can't give you a specific timeframe.  My latest batch in the slow cooker took a total of 15 hours; however, I used 10 pounds of apples instead of 6 and adjusted the other ingredients (except the apple cider - I only had 7 cups).  You need to check the apples about once an hour to see how they are progressing!

I like my apple butter a little chunky, but you can use an immersion/stick blender to make it smoother, more like "store-bought."

TO CAN:  Ladle into clean jars, adjust the lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Remove from the boiling water bath and let cool overnight before removing the rings.  (I know this is an abbreviated version of the process, but full instructions are available here).  

OR...

Ladle into freezer containers, let cool, and freeze.