Have you ever peeled apples for a recipe or your child’s snack and felt guilty about wasting the scraps?
No? Then you’re normal! I, on the other hand, was born with quite the guilt complex. When I was little, I used to feel bad for the toys I wasn’t playing with and would quickly run over to them to apologize for leaving them out of the fun (this was probably due, in part, to this 1986 Christmas movie by Jim Henson that led me to believe my toys were alive).
If you are still reading, appreciate my quirk, and are finding yourself nodding your head in agreement, then this recipe for Apple Scrap Jelly is for you! (And the good news is, we might not be the strange ones. It is now trendy and hip to be environmentally conscious and reduce your waste.)
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Ingredients:
- Apple peels and cores from about 20 apples
- 6 cups of water
- 6 TBSP classic pectin
- 9 cups of white sugar
- Cheesecloth
Directions:
1. Peel the apples. Prepare your canner, lids, and jars.
2. Cook the peels and cores in 6 cups of water until soft (30-45 minutes).
3. Place cheesecloth inside of a strainer. Pour the apple parts and water into the cheesecloth and allow them to drain. Don’t squeeze out the excess liquid or your jelly will be cloudy!
4. Add water to the liquid, as needed, to obtain a total of 7 cups. Put the 7 cups of liquid back into your clean pot. Add classic pectin and bring to a rapid boil.
5. Add sugar, stir, and boil hard for 1 minute. You’ll know it’s ready when the jelly starts to bubble up the pot. Remove the pot from the heat.
Kristie says
I used to make this every fall when I was making home canned applesauce or apple butter to use the scraps. One important thing to consider is if you are going to save the peels to use make sure your apples are organic and well washed, otherwise you are preserving a pretty tasty spread of concrntrated pesticides.
Melissa Lennig says
Yes, that is very true.
Laura says
Do you think I could add jalapenos to this recipe to make an apple pepper jelly?
Melissa Lennig says
Probably. I would consult a canning book to make sure you don’t have to alter any other ingredients. Apple pepper jelly sounds delicious!
Debbie says
This jelly is fantastic! I feel like I get more for my money by using the scraps. Beautiful color and the grand kids love it. It’s so easy to make even if you are a beginner!