Pectin is a naturally gelatinous substance found in most fruits. The highest concentrations of it can be found in in the skins and cores of fruit with apples and citrus fruits being two of the most reliable sources.
We rely on pectin to create that perfect jam like texture that we all love. Some fruits contain very little pectin. To make preserves with these fruits you need to either include high pectin ingredients in your recipe or add in some pectin. You can purchase packages of pectin (which contains preservatives/additives) or you can make your own.
Although you can make pectin at any time, for the strongest concentration of pectin you'll want to pick the apples when they are still hard and not quite ripe. Crab apples are also a wonderful choice for home-made pectin. In a pinch you can buy really tart apples such as the Granny Smith.
Making pectin at home is a simple process, much like making jelly but you stop before adding the sugar.
Apple Pectin Recipe
Ingredients
- Apples ( under ripe apples, crab apples)
- 2 cups water for every pound of apples
Directions
Wash and chop the apples. Do not peel or core. The core and skin are essential.
Place the apples and water in your jelly pan, cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender.
Pour the pulp and juice through your jelly bag, or a strainer lined with a damp cheesecloth, into a large bowl.
Let the liquid drip into the bowl. This can take several hours. Avoid the temptation of squishing or squeezing your jelly bag.
Once the juice has drained, pour it into a large saucepan and simmer until juice is reduced by half.
Ladle the jelly into sterilized jars and water bath for ten minutes. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
You can make a flavoured apple sauce or apple butter with the softened "discarded" apples. Nothing wasted!
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Great idea! We have an apple tree, so I can actually try this!!! :) so excited those apples won't go to waste this year. Since you mentioned citrus, have you made pectin with it too?
I have not! :( It costs me well over a dollar per organic lemon here ...oranges are super pricey too. Apples however I have access to thousands of them for free - all kinds of apples growing wild in the woods around here!
Over a dollar per lemon, yikes!! You just gave me a flashback to going grocery shopping "out in town" (aka "off base") in Newfoundland as a kid, and hearing my mom lament the prices!
Goodness! You got to live in Newfoundland? Cool!
Citrus seems to have always been expensive. With all the crazy weather and disasters I can only imagine its going to get worse! Most of our citrus is imported.
My dad was stationed there (at Argentia Naval Air Station) for the 2 years just before the US closed that base and returned the land to Canada. Best 2 years of my childhood, hands down!! :) But the grocery logistics to stock the Commissary were pretty bad, so we'd shop at Sobey's out in town for perishable items.
What a neat experience. You really have had a life of moving from place to place!
I really like when you share these recipes--they're so interesting and useful!
thanks @stephie.spicer. Glad you like them. :)
I have a crab apple tree that I've never done much with. it would be great to use its fruit to make pectin.
When you say "under ripe apples, crab apples" this means there's some color on them, but not fully red, correct?
And how would you measure the amount needed for a jelly recipe, what gauge or ratio?
I want to make a bunch of the flower jellies you posted previously, and it would be cool to use my own organic pectin!
yes ... you want the apples to still be a bit green - when they are hard and sour. I usually use about a cup of apple pectin. Sometimes it takes more depending on the apples that were used and the recipe. Once you've played around with it a few times you'll have a good sense of how much you need for your recipes. It really is handy to have on the shelf!
I used to make jams and jellies a longggg time ago but never made my own pectin. Wonderful idea and thanks for the recipe, @walkerland.
Thanks for the nice feedback @angelacs
Maybe you'll feel inspired to whip up some jams and jellies this summer! :)
Thanks for the recipe for pectin! This is great! No buying pectin with extra additives!
Glad you liked it - it really is nice to be able to avoid the additives.
This is great to know! I cannot buy pectin here in Panama, so I have to have people bring it to me. But I can buy Granny Smith apples here, so that might be a good option. Thanks for putting this together and showing us how to make it. :) We have citrus trees out the wazoo here. May have to look into how to make pectin with that as they are totally free.
I read somewhere that pectin from lemon peels is even more concentrated than that with apple. It's a very similar process so I hope you try it and write about it!
I am envious that you have citrus trees out the wazoo - that would be so amazing. I pay over a dollar per lemon for organic. They come from overseas so they aren't exactly fresh either.
Oh wow. That is expensive! We have oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits that we've noticed so far...most are extremely sour. I've got to look into making pectin with them!!
My mother-in-law always did this with the crab apple trees on her property, instead of buying pectin. Saved her a bunch of money over the years!
I'm sure it did! I really do think it makes better jam than the store bought pectin does. It seems crazy that all those apples just fall to the ground to rot when they can be put to good use!
So true!