Thursday, November 20, 2014

Crab Apple Jelly







One of the fun things we're doing in the 'hood is treating the neighborhood like our own CSA farm. This was Colleen's idea and I think it's brilliant. We tap my trees for maple syrup, we planted a strawberry patch we get to share and we picked apples from two neighbors' trees - Fireside, which I made into cider and Crap Apples, which I made into jelly. It is about a two or three day process. First, rinse the apples, then put them in water and bring them to a boil. Some recipes say boil 10 minutes, but I go an hour. Then, mash the apples down. Strain them to get the juice. I then follow the instructions enclosed in the pectin box. My friend Peg showed me how to fill the sterilized jars, place a boiled lid on, screw it on, turn the jar upside down for an hour and voila - you've canned your jelly. Works for me!