Crab-Apple Jelly (No Pectin) & A Mother’s Garden
The finished jars — there is nothing better than a shelf full of something you made.
Years ago when I was a new mother, I had the great fortune to be able to stay home with my babies and generally be the earth mother I was always meant to be! I cooked from scratch, sewed our clothes, and at summer’s end, canned everything in sight. In the beginning, I built narrow little garden beds on the outside of our fence, with snow peas, cucumbers and pole beans borrowing space from the sunny park-facing side of the fence. (One neighbour did call the city to report my gardens, but it was determined the fence was inside the property line and our little gardens were safe).
I had a raised bed by the back door for salad greens, and pots scattered around our little back patio for tomatoes and onions. But like most gardeners, I wanted more space! So my husband built a retaining wall at the back of the property, and I hauled dirt for days to fill the 3’ deep level space he had created from what had been our sloping back lawn. A wonderful, sunny 10x10 garden plot grew carrots and onions, beans and squash that spilled over the retaining wall and across our parking area. I planted blueberry bushes and raspberries along the fence, and the littles had their wooden swing set/climbing tower a few feet away.
The year my oldest started school, we knew we needed more house space. Our new, bigger property was overfilled with trees, leaving no space to grow a garden. The house was a bit of a wreck, having been a rental with no upkeep for years. Patching, painting, and renovating took over my time. We were a ½-hour walk to the grocery store, and I would take the littles and a wagon, and we would load up with cases of blueberries, cherries, peaches and tomatoes to can in their season. Once the trees of our little suburban forest were removed from the backyard, we were left with one huge Maple and a Crab-Apple tree, and a fully shaded yard. Every fall, we picked crab apples and filled jar after jar with crab-apple sauce and jelly. I loved more than anything being home with my littles, but once the youngest started full-time school, I wasn’t as thrilled about being home alone every day. I volunteered a LOT at the school. We got a dog, who was silly and needy, but she grew up, too. Life was changing. I went back to work.
Crab-apple Jelly
Ingredients:
Crab-apples
Sugar
Water
1tsp lemon juice
For every pound of crab-apples, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water.
Supplies:
Canning jars
Water bath canner
Jelly or pasta pot – or steam juicer
Jelly bag
Canning funnel
Method:
Getting the Juice
If you have the good fortune of owning a steam juicer, life just got so much easier! I had a friend who loaned me hers one year, and let me tell you, it was a game-changer! Wash the crab-apples, add water to the juicer, bring to a boil and collect the juice. If you do not have this little luxury, wash the crab-apples and add with the water to a jelly pot (or pasta pot). Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Mash the apples, then cook for 10 minutes more on the lowest possible heat. Pour the mixture into a hanging jelly bag and allow to drain and cool completely without squeezing – at least an hour.
Making the Jelly
Measure your juice and add an equal amount of sugar. (The liquid will reduce by about ½, so gauge how many jars you will need by ½ the amount of juice you produce). Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the temperature reaches 220F on a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, do the “plate test” by dropping a spoonful of jelly onto a cold (right from the freezer) plate, running your finger through the dollop and seeing if each separated side holds its shape. (Full disclosure here - using this method I tended to over-cook my jelly and it could be darker and firm like jello, rather than a bright and spreadable jelly).
Stir in the lemon juice, and pour into prepared 250ML jars leaving 1cm
headspace. Screw on lids to finger-tight and process in water bath for 10
minutes.
Remove from the water bath and allow the jars to cool undisturbed for 24 hours before cleaning any stickiness and storing away.