Crabapple Jelly

Mr Apple, warden of the Store Stump, was the last to leave for home.

By the time he reached Crabapple Cottage, the first flakes were beginning to fall.

"Is that you dear?" called Mrs Apple as he let himself in through the front door.

Delicious smells wafted down from the kitchen.

Mrs Apple had spent all afternoon baking pies, cakes and puddings for the cold days to come.

 

Brambly Hedge, Winter Story - Jill Barklem

 

 

 

Just call me Mrs Apple folks...spending afternoons in the kitchen making beautiful preserves for the cold winter days to come. Today's recipe is for a scrumptious crabapple jelly found on the fabulous foodie blog by Sally Wise.

 

Ingredients

1.5 kg crabapples

Water

Sugar

 

 

Instructions

Wash the crabapples and place them in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the crabapples are soft. Pour the mixture into a colander, capturing the juice in a pot below. Take this juice and pour it through a colander or sieve lined with 2 thicknesses of muslin.

Measure the liquid into a large saucepan and for each cup of liquid add 1 cup fo sugar. Bring to the boil and cook over medium heat for about 12 to 15 minutes or until setting point is reached. (To test for set, place about 2 teaspoons of the mixture on a cold plate. If it sets then the jelly is ready). Remove from heat and allow bubbles to subside for 2 minutes at most. If any scum has developed on the top of the jelly remove with a slotted spoon. Pour into warm sterilised bottles and seal immediately.

 

 

 

 

I adore the hue of this jelly...it's like liquid gold.

 

xx Em

 

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Apple & Rose Petal Jam

Totally got my jam making mojo on.

I came across this simple Apple Jam recipe and decided to rosy it up with a handful of rose petals from the garden.

 

 

 

I used a mix of our Granny Smith apples and our neighbor's crabapples.

 

It has the warmth and spice of Autumn thanks to a generous addition of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.

 

Simple, sweet, spiced...superb!

 

 

 

Tomorrow's agenda...amazing apricot jam and crabapple jelly.

 

Enjoy xx Em

 

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Granny Smith Apple Pie YUM!

 

It's been one of those days.

 

 

 

 

We all woke up with rotten headcolds this morning so we gave school a miss and stayed in our pjs instead. The boys were irritable and narky. After an unsuccessful morning trying to entertain them I gave up and got busy in the kitchen making a cinnamon apple pie filling instead.

 

 

 

 

I have so many things planned for our freshly picked bounty of Granny Smith apples and this simple recipe from allrecipes.com was a superb start. I tweaked it a bit after reading some of the comments and am completely chuffed with the results. It's the perfect consistency and can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months though I doubt it will last that long!

 

 

 

 

Granny Smith Apple Pie Filling

 

Ingredients

 

18 Granny Smith Apples

1 lemon

5 cups of water

1 cup cornflour

1 teaspoon of salt

2 1/2 cups of caster sugar

2 cups of soft brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg or allspice

 

 

 

 

Instructions

 

Peel and thinly slice the apples.

In a large bowl toss apples with lemon juice and set aside.

Pour water into a heavy based pot and place on medium heat.

Combine sugars, cornflour, spices and salt in a large bowl.

Add to the water stirring well.

Bring to the boil, boil for two minutes stirring constantly.

Add apples and return to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender...about 8 minutes. Cool for 30 mins.

Ladle into 5 freezer containers leaving a couple of cms headspace.

Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hrs then seal and freeze.

 

 

 

Enjoy

xx Em

 

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