Who doesn't like a nice jar of spicy apple jam?Well I definitely do and that's why I decided to make some for the first time in my life. I also decided to alter the spices a little for every batch I made just to try out different tastes and combinations :))The actual recipe of the jam is combined from a couple of recipes I found on the internet. And I can tell you that i didn't follow them very strictly, I kind of winged it :P
The only thing I actually tried to follow was that for every liter of cubed apples I used approximately 250g of sugar (maybe little less, because that seemed like A LOT of sugar).
So the recipe that I came up with was something like this:
- Ingredients: 4 l of apples (peeled and chopped into cubes)
1 kg of jam sugar (it has some pectin in it witch acts as a gelling agent)
spices to your flavor (this is optional)
*I made three different kind of jam: one with
cinnamon (I put two cinnamon sticks to thepot and added a teaspoon or so of powdered cinnamon also), another one with ginger (I used a couple of teaspoons of powdered ginger but you could also use fresh ginger and grate it into the pot) and the last one with a combination of Christmas spices (a couple of cinnamon sticks, a couple of teaspoons powdered ginger, 6-9 gloves and a teaspoon of ground nutmeg)
- Making the jam:
Start with peeling, coring and chopping the apples into cubes. Place into a large pot, pour the sugar over the apples (don't mix), cover the pot and let sit over night. This helps the apples to release their own juices so you don't have to use any water to make the jam. This makes the taste more concentrated. The next day put the pot on medium heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spices and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally.
While the jam is simmering prep your jars and lids.
When the jam is ready and your jars are prepped it's time to fill the jars and put the lids on immediately while the jam is still hot (be careful not to burn yourself). this makes sure the lids will be airtight.
When the jars have cooled, it's time to make the labels and decorate the jars (this part is optional of course, but for me it makes the jam even more special).
I used some little doilies, white fabric with little red polka dots and some red yarn.
the doilies were too big so I cut them a bit smaller with these scissors with a zigzag edge, I also cut the fabric with the same scissors.
I wrote the labels, glued them on, put the fabric on the lids and tied it with the yarn. it's fairly simple but it took me a while to tie the fabric on top of the lids, it's more difficult than it seems :P and i should have used different glue for the labels so the writing wouldn't have bled. All in all I'm very happy and proud of my little jars of spicy goodness :))
Have a great weekend!
