Jelly-making and surprises!

I make jelly. Lots of jelly. Much more jelly than I (my family, brothers, and friends) will ever eat. Jars and jars of jelly, along with jams and fruit syrups, line the shelves (and there are six sets of shelves!). It is not that I have any obsession with jelly in particular but rather that I merely hate to see any fruit go to waste. People bring me fruit by the bucket, basket or bag. I find fruit in my kitchen, at my doorstep and even in my truck! So, I make jelly. Usually, I make it using the quick method using a powdered fruit pectin bought at the grocery store. Even with this, it is sometimes a "hit-or-miss" situation as to whether the jelly will "set". Conditions have to be exactly right ..measurements correct..timing on the dot for a good consistency. Now with cost of everything in the stores skyrocketing, I knew something had to change. The powdered fruit pectin has almost doubled in cost since last summer. Not a good thing for someone that makes approximately four hundred jars of jelly in any given summer. That is a lot of money when you consider that each box of pectin is nearing $4. I pondered the fact that my "hobby" is getting expensive. Perhaps I need to stop making jelly. That thought made me sad. Perhaps I should start charging family and friends for the jelly they take from my shelves. That thought made me equally sad. Perhaps I need to come up with a different approach. Now that thought is an agreeable idea!

What is fruit pectin anyway? Pectin is a naturally occurring substance (polysaccharides) that is found in berries, apples and other fruits. When this substance is heated along with sugar, it causes a thickening that makes fruit juice "gel". Manufacturers are making a fortune by leading folks to believe that to make jelly, you must have powdered pectin...not so! Grandmother never used powdered pectin! Why should I? Since powdered pectin is just a part of fruit..why not make my own?? I did. All I needed was a bunch of hard, unripe apples, two large pots, a knife, a bit of water, a sieve and a clean cotton cloth.

Homemade Liquid Fruit Pectin

5 lbs hard, unripe apples

water

Wash apples and chop in fourths. Core the apples but do not peel. (The coring is not absolutely necessary but I will explain why I do later.) Toss in a large pot and almost cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer until apples are mush. Place the cloth in the sieve and place over the second large pot. Ladle the apple mush into the cloth-lined sieve and let drain. This might take quite a while but just let it drip. This juice..or drippings..will be your pectin. This pectin can be used immediately, frozen or canned!

NOTE.. the leftover apple mush in the cloth-lined sieve should be returned to pot number one. This is why I core my apples before cooking. I use the cooked down mush and do not want seeds floating around in it! Add a tad of sugar (to taste), cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. Simmer until bubbly, ladle into sterile jars and afix lids. Turn jars upside down for about five minutes. Upright the jars and leave to seal. Aha! You have just made APPLE BUTTER!

The "test" for pectin strength?? Easy..simply place a bit of rubbing alcohol in a cup. Drizzle a bit of the homemade liquid pectin into the alcohol. Stir gently with a fork..the pectin should start to "gel" on the tines of the fork. If not..return the pectin to the pot and simmer for a while longer..reducing the amount. Test again. (Also..make sure to give the test a few minutes..sometimes it takes a little patience!)

Now here comes the downside of homemade fruit pectin. It does not come with a neat little paper of instructions as to the ratio of fruit juice, pectin and sugar. With homemade, it is all by the "feel" of the process..knowing which fruits have more natural pectin in them and trial and error. Just remember..a good rule of thumb..hehe..if your jelly does not set....it is pancake syrup!

While I was in making fruit pectin and apple butter, Hubby was out being busy in the backyard. He was puttering about making all sorts of racket! There were saws buzzing, drills purring and hammers pounding. I just knew something exciting was going on out my back door but I was tied to the kitchen stove and could not witness what was happening. As soon as I filled the last jar, I made him a cup of coffee and sneaked out to take a look. There, sitting on the deck rail was the neatest bird feeder! I had mentioned to him last evening that I wanted a platform type feeder so the doves could eat, and lo and behold! ...here was the perfect feeder! Needless to say, I was tickled pink! The man is a genius when it comes to recycling scrap lumber into fanciful yet useful items!!! I love this feeder and I am quite sure my fine-feathered friends will be happy to have a new cafe in the yard!