Apple or Plum Jelly
Apple or Plum Jelly
This recipe is from my late father, Suresh Chandra Gupta. In our house, he was the one who made jams, jellies, pickles and fruit preserves. I have copied it from his old recipe register, where recipes are written in his neat and precise handwriting, probably during 1930's and 40's. I use this recipe to make apple and plum jelly from surplus fruits from the garden. My sisters in India make guava jelly using the same recipe-Mamta.
Ingredients
- Apples or plums. The fruit should not be too ripe or it looses it's pectin
- Sugar-for amount, see step 8 of instructions
- 1 small cinnamon stick per 500 gm. of fruit (optional)
- A large aluminium pan. It should be only 1/3 or 1/2 full, to avoid boiling and splashing during cooking.
- Sterilised glass jars, with screw tops
Instructions
- Wash & chop, apples. There is not need to peel or remove pips. Plums can be boiled whole.
- Add just enough water to just cover the fruit. Add cinnamon sticks, if using.
- Bring to boil and simmer on medium heat, until fruit becomes soft, stirring and mashing it from time to time to release the pectin.
- Place a scalded 'jelly bag' or a large piece of muslin on a metal colander (chalni), placed on a pan to collect the juice. Do not use copper or brass pans, aluminium or stainless steel are better. Slowly pour all the pulp into this bag, using a ladle. Tipping over can make it splash on your hands.
- Allow to drip for several hours or overnight. Do not squeeze or the juice will not be transparent. Discard solids/stones/pips.
- Carry out pectin test* on the juice if your apples look rather ripe or they are too sweet. If they have enough pectin, proceed to next step. If not, boil juice further to reduce the amount, to concentrate it.
- Measure juice and add 1 kg. sugar per litre of juice. Heat slowly until sugar is dissolved.
- Now bring to boil and boil briskly. Do not stir much. Remove any scum with a tea strainer now and then during boiling. Adding a small knob of butter reduces frothing.
- Setting point** is reached when 1) a temperature of 220°F or 104-105°C is reached. However, jams set at a lower temperature, if pectin content of fruit is very good. 2) when dropped from the edge of a wooden ladle, it partly congeals and drops from the ladle in triangular sheets, the last triangle hanging there for 10 seconds or so. 3) if you stretch a drop of the liquid between your forefinger and thumb, it almost makes one wire or 4) when you place 1 tsp. of the liquid on a chilled plate and then part it with a finger through it's middle, the jelly crinkles and remains parted.
- Bottling:
- Heat jars in an oven for 15 minutes.
- Place jars on a wooden board.
- Place a spoon in the jar (to avoid it cracking) and pour the jelly using a metal funnel.
- Close screw top lids and turn the jar up-side-down. This creates a better seal and prevents mould formation-Tip from Ian Hoar. Allow to cool.
- Label and store.
Notes
- *Pectin Test:
- Place 2 tsp. of juice in a glass jar.
- Add 1 tsp. methylated sprit slowly and swirl it around. If it form a solid mass, the pectin is very good. If it makes 2-3 lumps, pectin is mediocre. If no gelatinous lump is formed, it is very poor in gelatine and jelly will not set without the commercial pectin.
- **All thermometers are not accurate. Therefore, carry out other tests for setting point as well.
- Also see: A Quick Marmalade, Orange Marmalade, Seville (Bitter) Orange Ice Cream, Tim's Pressure Cooker Marmalade, Making Jelly from Fruits.