Making your own pectin!

Everyone loves making jams and jellies but the cost of pectin just keeps getting higher and higher.  If you want to really get down to business and do it like Grandma used to do then you should give making your own pectin a try.  I will tell you how it''s done.

Commercial pectin comes in either powder or liquid form.  There are several brands out there to choose from.  What I am going to teach you how to make is a liquid pectin made from apples.

If you happen to have a Crab Apple Tree or any other Apple Tree in your yard, then you are blessed.  Crab Apples make great pectin but any of the little green apples will do good.  Use them while they are small.

Wash your apples by filling the sink with water and adding one cup of vinegar.  Let them sit about ten or fifteen minutes.

Fill a large stainless steel pot with the apples.  If they are larger than crab apples then cut them in half.  Add just enough water to cover them.  I didn't take enough pictures, so I will update and do more with my next batch.

Cook them until your apples are completely soft and the skins are bursting open.  It will look like a pot of mush, but don't mash them up like apple sauce.  I usually cook them about an hour.

Now you are almost done.  Line a colander with several layers of cheese cloth or use a jelly bag if you have one.  Put your apples in this to strain the liquid.  Let it sit and drip for several hours or even overnight.  

You will be tempted to stir it, but DON'T do that.  You just want the pure pectin to drip through.

Wait until your pectin is completely cool and then test it's strength.

Test your pectin to see how good it's jelling strength is by pouring a little rubbing alcohol in a small bowl.  Put a spoonful of your pectin in the alcohol.  Wait one minute and then dip it out with a fork.  It should cling to the fork like a gel.  

Toss the alcohol..Do not taste this...it's for testing the strength of your pectin

If it doesn't cling to the fork then put it back in a pot and boil to reduce it some more.  Cool and test again.  

You can use this pectin to make jams or jellies right away or store it in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

It usually take about 1/4 cup of pectin for every cup of fruit you are using.  For example if you are making a batch of jam that calls for 5 cups of crushed berries then you should use at least 1 1/4 cup of the homemade pectin and at least 6 to 7 cups of sugar.

Always add 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice when using home made pectin, it will help it set better.

Cook your jam until you  see it forms foam and test it using the cold spoon test.  Dip a spoonful of jam and hold an ice cube to the bottom of the spoon until the jam cools.  If it sets then your are ready to fill your jars and process.

Making jam or jelly using home made pectin is something you will have to practice and not every batch will turn out right.  If it doesn't set the first time, you can either add a little more sugar and pectin and reboil or use it for syrup on ice cream.  

The downside to making and using your own pectin.

• There are no tested recipes to tell you exactly how much of anything to use.
• You usually end up using more sugar than you normally would using commercial pectin.
• It takes much longer to cook and you will lose some of the flavor from the fruit.

The upside to making and using your own pectin.

• You are getting all natural ingredients
• You save money 
• You have the pleasure of knowing it's truly homemade
• Most commercial pectins are made from GMO products and you want to stay away from that when possible.

Weights and Measures of Veggies

Here's a handy little chart to help you determine how many pounds you are getting when you buy your veggies by volume.

Commodity	Retail Unit(volume)	Net Weight(pounds)
Asparagus	bushel	45
Beans, Lima	bushel peck	32 8 to 9
Beans, Snap	bushel peck	28 to 30 8
Beets	bushel, topped	50 to 58
Broccoli	bushel	23 to 25
Brussels Sprouts	dry quart	1 1/2
Cabbage	weight	2 to 6
Carrots	bushel, topped	50
Cauliflower	12 to 16 trimmed	18 to 24
Corn	5 doz. bag or crate	35 to 40
Cucumbers	bushel peck	48 to 50 12 to 13
Eggplant	bushel	33 to 35
Greens	bushel	18 to 20
Okra	bushel	26
Onions, Dry	weight	50
Onions, Green	bunch 48 bunches	15 to 18
Peas, Green	bushel peck	28 to 30 7 to 8
Peppers, Green	bushel	25 to 30
Potatoes	bushel peck	50 to 60 12 to 15
Potatoes, New	weight	10
Pumpkins	pie pumpkins	5 to 15
Radishes	bunch	1/2 to 3/4
Rhubarb	bunch	2 to 2 1/2
Squash, Summer	bushel peck	40 to 44 10
Squash, Winter	small medium large	1 to 4 6 to 12 15 to 40
Sweet Potatoes	bushel peck	50 12 to 14
Tomatoes	bushel 8 dry quarts or peck	50 to 60 12 to 15
Turnips	bushel peck	50 to 56 12 to 15

Fruit Syrups

Selecting, Preparing and Canning Fruit

Berry Syrup

The one I did is Strawberry.  Turned out delicious.  This little bit was left over so I had to try it.

Juices from fresh or frozen blueberries, cherries, grapes, raspberries (black or red), and strawberries are easily made into toppings for use on ice cream and pastries.
Yield: About 9 half-pints.

1. Procedure: Select 6½ cups of fresh or frozen fruit of your choice. Wash, cap, and stem fresh fruit and crush in a saucepan. 
2. Heat to boiling and simmer until soft (5 to 10 minutes).

1. Strain hot through a colander and drain until cool enough to handle. 
2. Strain the collected juice through a double layer of cheesecloth or jelly bag. Discard the dry pulp. 

1. The yield of the pressed juice should be about 4½ to 5 cups.
2. Combine the juice with 6¾ cups of sugar in a large saucepan, bring to boil, and simmer 1 minute. 

1. To make a syrup with whole fruit pieces, save 1 or 2 cups of the fresh or frozen fruit, combine these with the sugar, and simmer as in making regular syrup. 
2. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and fill into clean half-pint or pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. 
3. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in the table below.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Berry Syrup in a boiling-water canner. 

Recommended process time for Berry Syrup in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Half-pints or Pints	10 min	15	20

Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes before taking jars out of canner.  Place on a towel to cool for 24 hours.  Label and Store.

This recipe was obtained from the NCHFP website