Homemade Crab Apple Pectin
Submitted by chumdawg
Homemade crab apple pectin made from sliced unpeeled crabapples and water. A natural liquid pectin for jam-makers working with low-pectin fruits like peach, pear, or strawberry.
YIELD
5 cupsPREP
25 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsSkip the bottled pectin and make your own from crabapples, one of the highest natural pectin fruits in the world. Just two pounds of sliced unpeeled crabapples simmered with three cups of water yields enough liquid pectin to set jellies for weeks of canning projects.
The peels and cores are essential, not optional. They contain the bulk of the natural pectin, far more than the flesh itself. That’s why this recipe specifies sliced unpeeled fruit, removing the skin would gut the recipe of its purpose.
The double-strain technique (cheesecloth first, then jelly bag) gives you crystal-clear pectin without any pulp that could cloud finished jellies. Don’t squeeze the bag, just let it drip naturally for the cleanest result. Use 4 to 6 tablespoons per cup of prepared juice when making low-pectin fruit jellies.
Pro Tips
- Use crabapples that are still slightly underripe, they have higher pectin content than fully ripe fruit.
- Add water as needed during the long simmer, the goal is a soft, broken-down pulp that releases its pectin freely.
- A jelly bag moistened in hot water lets juice flow through faster and gives a clearer final product.
- Process in jars with ½ inch headroom at 185°F (85°C) for 15 minutes for shelf-stable storage, or freeze in containers for up to a year.
- Test pectin strength by mixing 1 teaspoon pectin with 1 teaspoon rubbing alcohol, a firm gel means it’s ready to use.
Variations
- Use tart apples (Granny Smith, Bramley) with peels and cores in place of crabapples, doubling the simmering time.
- Combine half crabapples with half quince for a more aromatic pectin with floral notes.
- Add the peels and cores from regular eating apples saved over the season to stretch your crabapple supply.
Ingredients
Directions
Simmer, stirring for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water as needed.
Plop into colander lined with one layer of cheesecloth and set over a bowl; press to force the juices.
To clear, heat the collected juice and pour through a stout jelly bag that has been moistened in hot water.
The result is the pectin you will use right away, can (½ inch headroom, process 185 F for 15 min), or freeze.
Refrigerate after opening.
Liquid pectin is especially helpful in making peach, pear, strawberry or other jellies whose fruit is low in pectin. 4 to 6 tablespoons of homemade pectin for every 1 cup of prepared juice should give a good gel.
For tart apple pectin, start with 4 pounds sliced apples with peels and cores and 8 cups of water.
Simmer 3 min, press through sieve.
Return liquid to heavy kettle and cook briskly, stirring, until volume is reduced by one-half.
Clarify and use as above.
Comments
When is the best time to harvest crab apples for making pectin?
I live in Minnesota and after researching this, I found that harvest time is late September through November or when the apples just begin falling off the tree. Harvest before the first hard freeze.