Good afternoon,
It's a horrible rainy day in Wales (surprise surprise) so I thought a nice little blog might make it all better, especially when the blog is about making homemade pectin for all those delicious jams and jellies that we will all be making in the beautiful, long summer days ahead.
Pectin is VITAL for jellies, jams and marmalades to set. Fruits which are naturally high in pectin, such as cooking apples, currants, gooseberries and cranberries, won't have any difficulty in setting. However, fruits such as pears, elderberries, figs and peaches are low in pectin and so they will need a little bit of help to set.
With the summer coming up and an abundance of berries and soft fruits to be had, it will be quite handy to have a store of pectin available in order to make some jam or jellies.
The following recipe and "pectin test" are, from "The Gentle Art of Preserving" by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi. This book is not only one of my favourite recipe books, but it's full of practical information and guidance on how preserve all sorts of foods. It is a definite asset to any kitchen!
Homemade pectin stock
1kg cooking apples or crabapples
1-1.5L water
"Chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces... put in a saucepan and cover with the water. Put a lid on the pan and bring to the boil, and then simmer until the fruit is really soft and pulpy, up to 1 hour. Transfer the pulp to a jelly bag and set aside for at least 5 hours (preferably overnight)."
The juice which will have come from the straining will be the desired pectin. However, this can be tested by doing the following...
"Remove one teaspoon of the cooked juice and put into a small jar or ramekin. Add 1 tablespoon of methylated spirits and swirl them both together. If the mixture comes together in a jellified lump, the juice is high in pectin; if it forms small clumps, then it has medium levels of pectin; if it forms tiny lumps or no lumps at all, your fruit is low in pectin."
This pectin can be used straight away or can be frozen in small quantities. It can also be poured into sterilized jars and then placed in a water bath for 10 minutes, and this way it will store safely for around 6 months.
This is something I will definitely be doing this year, as I have already faced a few issues with strawberry jam not setting properly and also grape jelly not setting at all! It also ensures that good, homemade pectin is being made from produce from the garden (or someone else's) rather than using mass produced stuff. Win-win!
