• 5 pounds apples (10 heaping cups of small to medium apples, quartered
• 10 cups water

Preparing the Apples

Wash and quarter apples, leaving the skins on. Remove bruised parts.

Place apples in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, sitting occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Line a colander with a clean tea towel, place colander over a large bowl or pot, and pour apples through the colander.

Tie the edges of the tea towel together with a long piece of kitchen twine, then tie the bag of pulp to a cupboard door handle over the bowl.

Allow to drip for 6-8 hours. Resist the (overwhelming) urge to squeeze the bag, as this will cloud the resulting jelly.

Pour juice into tall canning jars and store in the fridge overnight to allow any residual sediment to settle on the bottom.

When making jelly, remove the liquid from the jars with a turkey baster to avoid stirring up the fine sediment on the bottom.

Making the Jelly

Start by sterilizing the jars and warming the lids. You want to be able to pour the jelly into hot, sterilized jars the moment it has finished cooking to avoid over-processing the jelly, and having it turn thick and sticky.

For best results use no more than 6-8 cups of liquid per batch when making jelly.

Measure apple liquid into a large, heavy bottomed pot. For every 1 cup of apple liquid, use

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bring apple liquid to a boil. Add sugar. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved and mixture returns to a boil.

It’s important to boil the jelly rapidly, as long slow boiling will destroy the pectin (which makes the jelly coagulate)

Continue boiling and stirring until mixture reaches a gel stage (220 F / 104 C) . Skim off foam, early and often throughout the cooking process.

When the jelly reaches the setting point, quickly pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.

Place fulled jars in hot water canner, cover, bring to a boil, and then process for 5 minutes. Remove form heat. Cool 24 hours. Remove screw lids, label and store in a cool,dark place.

Tips

• When filling the jars, pour jelly along the sides of the funnel, instead of pouring straight in to reduce bubbles.
• It’s better to overfill the jars then removes some liquid with a spoon to get the correct headspace.
• Don’t process the jelly for longer than necessary, or can turn sticky and thick.