Hedgerow Jelly Recipe
Hedgerow jelly recipe with your choice of grown or foraged berries and cooking apples. Makes a delicious autumn preserve using whatever edible berries you have available. Makes three pint jars
Servings 3 Pint jars (8 oz / 225 g)
Calories 260kcal
Cost $5
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cooking apples (or crab apples or flowering quince) 500 g
- 1 lb Hedgerow fruit and berries of your choice 500 g / supplement with other fruit if you don't have enough
- 2.25 cups White granulated sugar 450 g / 15.87 oz
- 2.5 cups Water 600 ml
Instructions
- Clean and sterilize your preserving jars. Run them through the dishwasher or place them in the oven at 270°F (130°C) for 20 minutes and then let them cool. Inspect them for any cracks or imperfections and discard any that aren't perfect. The lids can go in the dishwasher too or you can pour scalding water over them and leave them in it for five minutes before repeating. Allow them to fully air-dry before you use them to seal your jars.
- Put a plate in the freezer in preparation for testing the setting point.
- Rinse your fruit then chop up the apples and place them into a large saucepan with the berries. Don't peel or core the apples since the apples in this recipe are there to ensure that your jelly actually gels. Pectin is the magic ingredient in this equation and it's concentrated in all the apple bits that you might normally discard.
- Pour the water over the fruit and bring the contents of your pan to a simmer. Keep the fruit on low and use a potato masher or stick blender to ensure the berries have released their gorgeous flavor into the water. This process should only take about ten minutes.
- Set up your jelly strainer over a bowl and pour the berry-apple mixture into the bag. Leave the berries to drip for at least a few hours if not overnight. Allow the juice to drip out for at least three hours but preferably overnight. Remember that if you squeeze the bag to try to speed up the process that your final jelly will not come out clear.
- When the bag has stopped dripping, measure the amount of liquid you have in the bowl and compost the pulp. For every 2.5 cups (600 ml) of juice, you'll need 2.25 cups (450g) of sugar.
- In a large saucepan bring the juice to a boil then slowly add your sugar and stir until it's completely dissolved. Leave the mixture to boil steadily for about ten minutes until you reach the setting point.
- Check to see that the setting point has been reached by dribbling a small amount of the juice onto the plate you’ve chilled in the freezer. Leave it for a minute and then push at it from the edge with your fingertip. If the jelly crinkles up, then the setting point has been met and you can move on to step 8. If it just moves aside in a liquidy way and without any crinkling then continue boiling.
- Turn the heat off and let the pan sit for a couple of minutes until a skin forms on the surface of the jelly. Skim this off with a spoon and discard then pour the jelly into the warm jars using a jam funnel. Fill to within a quarter-inch of the rim and twist on the lids or lids and rings firmly, but not overly tight.
- Water-bath the jars to ensure that they're fully sterilized*. Fill a tall pan with water and place either a rack at the bottom. Bring to a boil then lower your jars in so that they're not touching and that there's at least an inch of water above. Bring back to a rolling boil and leave the jars in the boiling water for five minutes. Lift them out vertically (not tilted) with a jar lifter and set them on the counter to cool. The lids will seal as the jelly cools – you’ll hear a pop as the seal closes. It may take twelve or more hours for the seal to take.
- Store the clear jelly for up to a year in a cool cupboard. Once open, refrigerate, and use within six months.
Notes
- In Britain, it's not common for people to water-bath high-acid preserves like this elderberry jelly. It's much safer if you do though since it will ensure that the contents are sterile. You can read more on the topic here.
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcal