Come October, England’s many hedgerows are flush with all sorts of wild produce. Once of the key treasures of this time of year is the crab apple, a wild cousin of the cultivated dessert apples that we gotten used to. Crab apples aren’t quite as palatable as their sweet, crisp cousins however. Instead they offer a sour, bitter edge and wooly flesh which isn’t pleasant for eating raw. These apples have some redeeming qualities though, boasting excellent pectin quality for jamming and preserving and an excellent nutritional profile compared to dessert apples. This jelly recipe makes a couple of jars of excellent preserve that pairs well with pork pies, cheeses and makes a brilliant apple tea when stirred into hot water. Mix it with mustard to make a delicious condiment too. Don’t think you need to be scouring hedgerows for hours, all you need is just 1kg of fruit for this recipe which makes for quick-picking. A mixture of different crab apples makes a tastier preserve too, so feel free to mix and match them. Hopefully this makes a new autumn tradition for you and yours. Let’s go.
INGREDIENTS (makes approx 2x 350ml jars)
1kg crab apples (any wild varieties, or a mixture is better)
water, to cover
425g caster sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled is best)
WALKTHROUGH
First, wash the 1kg of crab apples and place them into a large pot. You don’t need to peel them, chop them or remove the stems or cores. Add water to the pot until they are just covered followed by 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.
Place the pot onto a high heat and bring the contents to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the apples for 10 minutes, covered, until softened.
Once softened, use a potato masher to crush the fruit to a rough mash. Increase the heat to high and boil the fruit for a further 10 minutes to extract the juice.
Remove the pan from the heat. Place a colander or sieve over a large mixing bowl and line it with muslin cloth, fine material or a jelly bag. Pour the apple mulch into the material and cover it with a lid. Place it somewhere cool and dark to drain for at least 10 hours, or overnight.
Once drained, remove the bag of fruit and discard it. Do not squeeze or press the fruit as this can make the jelly cloudy. Measure the amount of juice you have - you will need 600ml. You can add some water to top up liquid if you are short.
Place the 600ml of juice into a pot followed by 425g of caster sugar. Place the pot onto a medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring the contents to a boil.
Once boiling, stir often until the liquid reduces and the temperature reaches 105C/221F. This can take about 10 minutes on high heat. NO THERMOMETER?You can also place some of the mixture onto a frozen plate and return it to the freezer for 2 minutes. It should set with a wrinkle once nudged with your finger.
Prepare 2x clean, heatproof jars with lids. Spoon the apple jelly carefully into the jars up 1/4 inch from the rim. Seal them with the lids until finger-tight. Place the jars into a pre-heated 120C/250F oven and allow them to heat through for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely and form a seal.
Once completely cool, the jars can be stored in a cool, dark cupboard. They will keep for up to a year, and can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month once opened. Enjoy!
