How to Make Homemade Apple Jelly
Making and canning your own apple jelly is quite easy. Here's how to do it, in 10 easy steps and completely illustrated. These directions work equally well for pear, peach, nectarine, plum and apricot jellies. For jam of these fruit, see this page; or see this page for berry jams, this page for Fig Jam and this page for Blueberry Jam directions!Also, see our pages on tips for picking apples at a farm, easy illustrated directions to make applesauce, apple butter and apple pie; and our list of apple festivals!
Ingredients and Equipment
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Recipe and Directions
Step 1 - Selecting the apples
The most important step! You need apples that are sweet - NOT
something like Granny Smith's. Yeah, I know you like them (why do
sweet women like sour apples???) and even if I did, they still wouldn't
make good apple jelly - you'd have to add a lot of sugar.
Instead, choose apples that are naturally sweet, like Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Rome and always use a mixture - never just one type. This year I used 4 bushels of red delicious and one each of Fuji, Yellow Delicious, Gala and Rome. This meant it was so sweet I did not need to add any sugar at all. And the flavor is great! The Fuji's and Gala's give it an aromatic flavor!
Step 2 - How many apples and where to get them
You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. But for large quantities, you'll find that real farmer's markets, like the State Farmer's Market in Forest Park, Georgia have them at the best prices. In 2004, they were available from late September at $11 to $16 per bushel.
You'll get about 14 quarts of apple jelly per bushel of
apples.
Step 3 -Wash and peel the apples!
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the apples in plain cold water and remove any stickers or labels on them.
Using a vegetable peeler or a paring knife, peel the apples.
Step 4 -Wash and peel and chop the apples!
Chopping them is much faster if you use one of those
apple corer/segmenters - you just push it down on an apple and it cuts it
into segments. 
Using a paring knife, be sure to remove any seeds, hard parts (usually the part around the seeds) and any mush or dark areas.
Step 5 - Cook the Apples
Pretty simple! Put about 1 inch of water (I used either filtered tap
water or store brand apple juice) on the bottom of a huge, thick-bottomed
pot. Put the lid on, and the heat on high. When it gets really
going, turn it to medium high until the apples are soft through and
through.
Yes, this picture shows skins (I didn't have a photo of this step with peeled apples) and you CAN leave the skins on; it just clogs up the strainer more and takes more time. On the plus side, leaving on the skins usually imparts a little more flavor, plus the color of the skins to the finished jelly!
Step 6 - Sieve the cooked apples
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You can either put the soft cooked apples through a jelly strainer
(about $9.00, see ordering at right, or pour them through cheesecloth in
a colander. Or if you don't mind slightly chunky jelly,
you don't need to sieve it. Just let the juice stand for 20 minutes, and
decant (pour off) the mostly clear liquid to use. Discard the bigger
chunks of solids left behind at the bottom. |
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Step 7 - Measure out the sweetener
Depending upon which type of jam you're making (sugar, no-sugar, Splenda, mix of sugar and Splenda or fruit juice) you will need to use a different amount of sugar and type of pectin. The precise measurements are found in directions inside each and every box of pectin sold (every brand, Ball, Kerr, Mrs. Wages, etc. has directions inside). I haven't seen a jelly recipe that uses only Splenda, and I haven't yet tried it, so I'm
| Type of jam |
Type of pectin to buy |
Sweetener |
| regular | regular | 7 cups of sugar |
| lower sugar | lower-sugar | 4.5 cups of sugar |
| lowest sugar | no-sugar | 4 cups of Splenda |
| lower sugar | lower-sugar or no-sugar | 2 cups sugar and 2 cups of Splenda |
| no sugar | no-sugar | 4 cups of Splenda |
| natural | no-sugar | 3 cups fruit juice (grape, peach, apple or mixed) |
Step 8 - Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar or other sweetener
In
a small bowl, mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar (or other
sweetener). Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar.
Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) or else the jam is runnier than I like. With a little practice, you'll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.
For more about the types of pectin sold,
see this page!
Is your jam too runny? Pectin enables you to turn out
perfectly set jam every time. Made from natural apples, there are also
low-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the sugar you add by almost
half!
Get it here at BETTER prices!
Step 9 - Mix the apple juice with the pectin and cook to a full boil
Stir the pectin into the apple juice and put the mix in
a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to
prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to
a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).
Step 10 - Add the remaining sugar and bring to a boil
When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (or other sweetener) and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
Step 10 - Testing for "jell" (thickness)
I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a
glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool
to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the
consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a
little more pectin (about 1/4 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a
boil again for 1 minute.
Step 11 - Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on
Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the
top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into
the boiling water canner!
This is where the jar tongs
and lid lifter come in really
handy!
Step 12 - Process the jars in the boiling water bath
Keep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water
boiling. In general, boil them for 10 minutes, which is what SureJell (the
makers of the pectin) recommend. I say "in general"
because you have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea
level, or if you use larger jars,
or if you did not sterilize the jars and
lids right before using them. The directions inside every box of
pectin will tell you exactly. The directions on the pectin tend to be
pretty conservative. Clemson University says you only need to process
them for 5 minutes. I usually hedge my bets and start pulling them out
after 7 minutes, and the last jars were probably in for 10. I rarely
have a jar spoil, so it must work.
Note: Some people don't even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, (this is called "open kettle" processing). Open kettle process is universally condemned by all of the authorities (USDA, FDA, Universities - Clemson, UGa, Minnesota, WI, Michigan, etc,.) as being inherently dangerous and conducive to botulism. It does not create a sterile environment; it does create the ideal environment for botulism to grow.
Putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jam and then not to process the jars to be sure they don't spoil or risk your family's health.!
Step 13 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or
bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can
then remove the rings if you like.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them!
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
- Jar lifting tongs
helpful to pick up hot jars
- Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the pot
of hot water - Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once - Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need them - Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
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With the Deluxe Food Strainer/Sauce Maker, you can make
creamy apple sauce and smooth tomato sauce without
having to peel and core! This multi-use strainer forces
food through a stainless steel screen, automatically
separating the juice and pulp from the seeds, shins, and
stems. Perfect for purees, creamed soups, baby foods,
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tomato/apple screen with easy twist on design and
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The Deluxe model comes with the standard Tomato/Apple Screen; as well as the Berry Screen, Pumpkin Screen, and Grape Spiral. Note
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Mirro Stainless Steel Foley Food Mill
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Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc.Need lids, rings and replacement jars? Or pectin to make jam, spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes? Get them all here, and usually at lower prices than your local store! |
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