Apple and chilli jelly

We spent about an hour this week picking apples in Justin’s parents‘ next-door neighbours’ garden. Got all that?

We must have harvested about 10 to 15 kilos. I wanted to make something where I didn’t need to peel and core that quantity apples. Though they’re delicious (they’re cooking apples), a lot of them are small and misshapen – a nightmare job!

Justin suggested apple and chilli jelly. It would utilise the apples – and some of the 300 glass jars I’ve managed to accumulate over the years!

I weighed out 4 kilos of apples – so doubled up this recipe. I barely made a dent in the pile!

It’s not a complicated process, but a bit of time is required for chopping, boiling, straining, re-boiling. No problem if you’re in the house, as you can get on with something else as it bubbles away.

The resulting jelly is a wonderful colour – and tastes amazing! The perfect accompaniment for vegetarian or meat dishes, which is ideal for this household. Perfect with cheese, burgers and kebabs. Justin thinks it will be absolutely awesome with slow roasted pork and has vowed to try it at the weekend.

If you have an apple harvest ready to pick, then we can thoroughly recommend this recipe. It will last for months (even years) in your store cupboard – or make perfect presents for anyone deserving enough!

Now… what to do with the other 10 kilos of apples?!

Apple and chilli jelly

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Course Condiment

Ingredients

2 kg cooking apples washed and roughly chopped (no need to peel or core)
1.5 litres water
1 unwaxed lemon zest and juice
granulated and/or preserving sugar - 1.25kg to every litre of strained liquid
3 hot chillies sliced thinly (or more if you'd like it hotter. Red ones look prettier suspended in the finished jelly)

Instructions

Put the chopped apples into a large saucepan with the 2 of the chillies and the lemon zest
Add the water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until all the fruit is soft and mushy - about half an hour
Ladle the mixture into a jelly strainer set over a large heat-proof bowl or saucepan (you could also use a square of muslin or old, clean tea towel set into a colander over the bowl/saucepan)
Allow to drain through overnight or at least 6 hours. Don't force the juice through or the finished jelly will be cloudy
Measure the juice and add 1.25kg of sugar to every litre of liquid
Add the lemon juice and remainder of the sliced chillies
Gently heat the liquid and sugar, stirring occasionally to make sure that all the sugar has dissolved before bringing it slowly to the boil. Continue to boil for 5-10 minutes before testing for a set. Depending on how much jelly you're making this could take up to half and hour
When the jelly has reached setting point, (see this post about testing to see if it's ready) carefully pour it into warm sterilised jars using a funnel and ladle. Make sure that there's a bit of chopped chilli in each jar
Cover immediately with screw top lids

Keyword apple, chilli, jelly

Charity Vintage: Kilner jars

_{(ends 23 Sep, 2014 20:07:23 BST)}

With all the jam, jelly and preserve making that I’ve been doing this summer, I’m almost clean out of jars. I always give away a lot of what I make to family & friends so the jars are never to be seen again. This collection of 16 vintage Kilner jars for sale by & in support of Wesley Community Furniture* would set me up nicely again.

Kilner jars are great for preserves but are also useful for storing dry foodstuffs like rice, pasta, peas, beans, lentils and dried fruit. And they’re so much prettier than the plastic bags they come in!

_{*Wesley Community Furniture aims to work in partnership with others to provide furniture and other household items at the lowest possible prices to those in greatest need in Manchester, to further relieve poverty by providing jobs, volunteering and training opportunities, and to recycle and re-use as much of the material they receive as possible.}

Jelly making

I’ve just finished my first batch of summer jelly making.

Anyone following our Instagram feed will be aware of the hedgerow foraging in which I’ve been partaking over the past few weeks. The weeks of hot, sunny weather combined with some heavy downpours have made for a bumper wild fruit crop.

From the start of the wild raspberry season I was picking the fruit (I even managed to find a few white raspberries), rinsing them in a colander under the kitchen tap, freezing them… and then doing the same the next day, and the next, and the next until I had three 1-litre tubs full.

Jelly making day had arrived! I love the taste of raspberry preserve but I much prefer seedless jelly to jam.

I received this Tala jam straining kit, jelly bag replacement and wax discs from the nice people at the Craft Company. They have everything you could need to get started on your jam & jelly making odyssey!

Prior to having these, I was using a home-made contraption consisting of some muslin, a pair of chopsticks… it wasn’t a pretty sight!

The straining kit worked a treat. Simple to assemble and no mess and stains on the counter tops for a change!

I (loosely) followed a recipe I found in Cordon Bleu Preserving (it’s currently available at a penny!)

INGREDIENTS

1.5 kg wild raspberries, rinsed & drained
1 kg jam sugar (as opposed to ‘normal’ granulated sugar it contains pectin to help with setting and citric acid as a preservative)
1 litre water

METHOD

Put the raspberries into a large jam/preserving pan with the water and cook gently on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit becomes a soft pulp
While the raspberries are cooking, set up your straining kit and place it over another saucepan (see photo above)
Carefully turn the cooked fruit out of the preserving pan into the jelly bag and allow to drip through overnight. Do not force it through as this turns the finished product cloudy
Measure out the juice and add the jam sugar (the ratio is 1lb of sugar to every pint of juice or 500g to 600ml)
Turn the sugar and juice back into the preserving pan and set on a low heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved
Turn up the heat & boil rapidly until the jelly sets (see photo above). If you have a jam thermometer, the temperature should reach 104°C/220°F
Decant into sterilised jars, cover each with a wax disc then screw the lid on once cooled

The quantity makes about 4½ jars-worth. Some for us and a couple of jars for presents.

We tucked in straight away with scones, clotted cream and a cup of tea each! We’ll be using the rest for morning toast & croissants. It will also make the perfect filling for a Victoria sponge.

The wild raspberry season round here is more or less done now but fat, juicy blackberries are just beginning to appear. I’ve already been stockpiling!

[disclosure*]

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: jelly making

Apple and chilli jelly

Apple and chilli jelly

Ingredients

Instructions

Charity Vintage: Kilner jars

Jelly making