Apple Jelly and Apricot Jam

“We’re jammin’, jammin’, jammin’, jammin’, We’ll jam until this jam is through. Yeah, we’re jammin’, jammin’, jammin’, jammin’, and I hope you like jammin’ too.”- Bob Marley and the Wailers

This post is dedicated to my brother’s girlfriend Karen who inspired me to get into making jelly and jam.

Well I was all set to make a final batch of hard cider from the last of the golden delicious apple juice from last year. Unfortunately I had a ton of schoolwork to take care of and a gallon and a half of the juice went bad before I could add the yeast and get the grog fermenting. In a desperate attempt to save the last of the juice I cooked down the remaining half gallon with cinnamon, sugar, and pectin to make an apple jelly. It came our a bit more like apple honey, but tasted like apple pie! Mary suggested drizzling it over waffles…that sounds pretty good to me!

My girl harvesting the Golden Delicious fruit 

Ron and Abalone helping 

 Abalone waiting to catch another apple as it is shaken loose of the canopy

 



 Cider cooking down

 



Apple Honey

The next day I noticed that the apricot tree down the block was finally ripe and dropping fruit. That evening I came by and saw a few of the neighbors harvesting. When I stopped to inquire, they said that the neighbor who owned the tree was out of town, and they just couldn’t watch the fruit fall and rot. They said that whatever they ended up doing with the fruit, half of it would be preserved for the neighbor when they returned.

Fruit lost to the insects 

 

More still in the tree

Later in the evening I returned with my dog and a bag, and brought home a nice little batch of fruit.

 

I got a pot simmering a few minutes ago. Added the fruit, sugar, and eventually some pectin. The concoction cooked as I sat by smiling and enjoying the aromas of a good harvest.

The Jam was sweet with just the right amount of tart.

I just dropped off half of the apricot jam to the neighbor who just got back to town.

On the way back I spied a fig tree on public land dropping fruit, and I think the wild mustard seeds are ready to reap as well, so away I go.

Keep the old ways alive!