Apple Lavender Jelly

We are way behind on posting what we’ve been canning in the kitchen but we are pretty certain folks are busy with their own holiday prepartions…baking delicious cookies, canning some preserves for gifts, wrestling with the traffic and crowded shops, and for some of us struggling with the snow too!  Only two more sleeps and Santa will be here…yeah!! 

Yesterday, was spent hand delivering all of our gift boxes…which I will post pictures of after Christmas (don’t want to spoil it for those patient souls).  And, now that is done, I can get caught up with a few things here.

There are so many fabulous canning blogs out there that you can get caught up in all the wonderful things that are being made.  I really find it inspiring to see what others are canning, baking, and cooking.  And, when a preserver says that they’ve tried something new and think it is worth doing…I take note. 

A while back, I read this post by Kaela from Local Kitchen about Apple Jelly with Lemon and Lavender.  It’s a recipe she modified from Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber but I think Kaela really added her own flavour and flair to this one and I was anxious to try it.  Lavender buds…who would of thought!?!

APPLE LAVENDER JELLY by Local Kitchen:

• 4lbs apples to yield 4 cups apple juice (I used Ida Reds like Local Kitchen) but you can use Granny Smiths. 
• 1 small lemon, preferably organic
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 9 cups filtered water, divided
• 1 tsp dried lavender buds (look for them at your local health food store)
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cups raw sugar (organic cane sugar), divided

Day One

1. Wash the apples, quarter, remove stems and blossom ends.  Place peels, cores, seeds, and all in a stainless steel preserving pan.  Add the 8 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft and broken down.  About 30-40 minutes.
2. Strain softened apples through a jelly bag (we love this one), or several layers of dampened cheesecloth, to collect the juice.  Give the pulp about 8 hours to drain (it is best left over night).   Do not squeeze the jelly bag in attempt to collect more juice as you will add unwanted pulp making the finished product less clear.   Don’t let the pulp go to waste, reserve if for sauce, butter, or leather ~ a trick Kaela is excellent at reminding us to do!

Day Two:

1. Prepare for water-bath canning.  Sterilize jars in the oven at 250F for 30 minutes.
2. Place 5 spoons and 1 plate in the freezer to do your set tests.
3. Scrub the lemon well and slice into thin rounds.  Remove all of the seeds and place the slices in a single layer in a large stainless steel preserving pan or non-reactive pot.  Add 1 cup of water and poach lemon slices over medium heat until lemon rinds are transparent.  (The amount of time this takes will vary depending on how thinly sliced your lemons are.   It took us approximately 45 minutes.)  Add additional water if necessary to prevent rinds from sticking to the bottom.
4. To the pot, add 4 cups of apple juice, lemon juice, lavender, sugar, and salt.  (Once the sugar has been added you can put the mixture into your copper jam pan to finish.)  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved.  Maintain a lively boil, skimming the foam occasionally, until the jelly reaches the set point.  Start checking the set after about 20-25 minutes.  To check the set point remove it from the heat and dip a frozen spoon into the jelly or put  a blob on a frozen plate and running your finger through it.  If it stays separated than it is done.  If it pools back together then return to the heat and continue cooking. 
5. Ladle hot jelly into hot sterilized jars, wipe rim, place lid and rings on and adjust to finger-tip tight.  Process in the hot water bath for 10 minutes.  When time is up, turn off heat, remove lid and wait 5 minutes before removing jars.
6. Check seals, label, and store.

Put up Total:

• 7 x 250mL