There’s something so satisfying creating something from scratch. It’s almost like you’ve cracked the code to adulthood. I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way, right? For some reason the feeling is even more gratifying when it’s something my kids go through a metric ton of.
Jams and jellies were my gateway to gratification. They’re so easy to make and can. And that satisfaction is still a feeling that I get every time I pull something I worked so hard to preserve off our shelves in the winter. All that work in the summer was all for something. If you don’t want to can them, there’s even instant pectin out now where all you do is mix the fruit, sugar and pectin together, and it makes the jelly instantly! All you have to do is freeze it in portions. It’s like magic!
Back in the fall when I was doing our applesauce for the year, I posted a picture on Instagram of my prep for Apple Peel Jelly. A few were curious as to what on earth I was doing with a pot full of apple peels and cores, so I decided to write it down for you all.
This jelly falls into its own category of satisfaction. Not only is it super simple to make, because you know… it’s jelly and jelly is super simple to make, BUT it’s made from things that would have been tossed anyways! All I did was squeeze a little more use out the apples we had on hand. This jelly is also so beautiful, in my opinion, because the peels give the jelly a nice blush/pink color. I’ve made apple jelly with apple juice before, and it’s just not the same.
What You Need:
- Apple Peels and cores left over from making applesauce. I used peels and cores from 14 pounds of apples.
- Water
- 6qt pan*
- Strainer
- Pectin* — I prefer to use Ball Flex Batch Pectin. Unlike with boxed pectin, I don’t have to wait until I have a specific amount of fruit. I can make small or large batches of jams and jellies.
- Fruit Fresh* — if you don’t want your peels and cores to turn brown while you prep your apples, this is your best friend in this process. I don’t mind some brown with my apples, but I do use it a lot when I’m canning peaches.
- Water Bath Canning Kit* — I’ve had this kit since 2010. It’s been through hell and back, including being dropped on my deck, and it’s still kicking! The canner itself holds up to 7 quarts, or 9 pints, and is a breeze to use. Plus, it comes with other items you’ll need, like the headspace tool, jar lifter and funnel, without having to purchase them separately.
- Jars, Lids & Rings*
- Sugar
- Butter
Please note: these instructions assume you have already made applesauce and want to use the peels and cores before throwing them in your compost pile. You can still follow these instructions if you’re using store bought juice. Just skip ahead to the second step, making the jelly, and continue with the steps from there.
Juice the Peels & Cores
Place your peels and cores in a 6qt stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the peels and cores are soft. It should take about 30 minutes or so.
Strain the peels from the juice. Allow the juice to cool; compost the peels and cores. I didn’t get back to the juice for a few days {soccer season and all}, and it was perfectly fine sitting in the fridge until then.
Before going on, you’ll need to measure the amount of juice you have. I wound up with 8 cups. Any more than this and the pectin may not set correctly, so you’ll have to divvy it up into separate batches of jelly.
When I did return to making the jelly, I noticed that there was pulp at the bottom. If you prefer to leave the pulp at the bottom, you could, but I chose to strain it out. There was a cup of pulp at the bottom, so I added in a cup of water to bring the liquid back to 8 cups.
Prep Your Jars
Unlike when you’re cooking applesauce down or peeling peaches, making jelly will go really fast. So while you’re waiting for the juice mixture to come to a boil, wash and sterilize your jars. For 8 cups of juice, you’ll need roughly 8 – 10 half pint jars. I didn’t have enough empty 8oz jars, so I used some 12oz jars and it worked out fine.
I’d also get your canner filled up and start heating up the water. Trust me, it’ll take longer to heat up than the jelly will to set.
Make the Apple Peel Jelly
Put the apple juice in your 6qt pot. Add in 6 tablespoons of Regular Pectin* {if you’re making a smaller batch with 4 cups of juice, use 3 tablespoons of pectin}. I also add in a teaspoon of butter to help reduce the amount of foam that the jelly makes.
Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, or a boil that doesn’t go away when you stir the mixture.
Add in 4 cups of sugar, making sure to stir constantly for the sugar to dissolve and not stick. Bring the mixture back to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Fill Your Jars
Ladle the jelly into hot jars, leaving about 1/4″ headspace. Using a damp cloth, wipe rim of the jar. Add the lid and tighten the ring until fingertip tight.
Place the jar in the canner and repeat until all the jars are filled.
Process the Apple Peel Jelly
When all the jars are filled, lower the rack into the canner and bring the canner up to a boil. If you’re like me and forgot to start the canner early on, you can place the jars in hot, non-boiling water and they’ll be fine. Just don’t place hot jars filled with hot jelly in cold water. And remember to start your processing time after the water comes to a boil.
Process half pints for 10 minutes, remembering to adjust your processing time for your altitude.
When the processing time is done, turn off the heat and remove the lid. Allow the jars to cool inside the canner for 5 minutes before removing. Place jars on a towel and allow to cool for 12 hours before checking the seal.
If any seals failed, reprocess the jars. Don’t be alarmed if your jelly still looks like a liquid at this point. It can take up to two weeks before the pectin will set completely. Remember to remove the rings before storing jars in your pantry.
Looking for more food preservation tutorials?
- Canning Homemade Applesauce
- Canning Peaches
- Habanero Jelly
- Freezing Sliced Peaches
- Freezing Sweet Corn
Do you have a receipt for pepper jelly using pepper juice! I have 8 cups of juice from a previous canning project and don’t want to throw it out!
Catherine
Hi Catherine! Yes I do!
I have a jalapeno jelly recipe here: https://www.makingcentsmatter.com/how-to-make-jalapeno-jelly/
And a habanero jelly recipe here: https://www.makingcentsmatter.com/habanero-jelly/
No matter the peppers you currently have, either of those recipes should work for your needs!
Can I sweeten this with honey or Stevia or any other types of sugar? My son cannot mix fruit with white sugar or he gets a tummy ache.
Hi Dawn! Absolutely! I don’t use Stevia, but have used honey in the past. Honestly, the calculations get a bit finicky for me. For honey, you use 7/8 cup for every cup of sugar, and since honey is a little liquid-y, reduce the juice by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey you do use.
You can also make it without sugar if you like. For that, you’d need a different pectin; Ball does make a low sugar / no sugar flex pectin. I’ve used it many times before when I don’t have enough sugar, or if the fruit is super sweet as it is and I don’t want to add a ton more sugar. Just follow the ratios on the jar (I don’t know them off the top of my head); it’s super simple!
My jelly didn’t set. I’m not way experienced making jelly. I did the spoon test. It was fine. Water bath, all seals good. 1 1/2 weeks later, still liquid.
Help!
Hi Lisa! I’m sorry to hear that your jelly didn’t set! Depending on the pectin, it can take up to two weeks for jellies to set, especially ones made from juice. Some other things can affect whether a jelly will set, like uneven heating or it not boiling long enough.
Either way, if after two weeks it’s still not set, you can recook the jelly in small batches to help it reset.
For every pint (2 cups) of jam, you’ll need 4 teaspoons sugar, 4 teaspoons water, and 2 teaspoons pectin.
Add the jam, pectin, sugar and water to a nonreactive pot, and bring it to a hard rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down) for a full minute.
Fill clean and sterilized jars, top with new lids, fit rings, and process in a waterbath canner for 5 minutes.
**Don’t try to reprocess more than 3 pints (6 cups) of unset jam at a time. The chances increase that it won’t set for a second time.**
Personally, by the time I realize the jams didn’t set, we’re on to other things and I don’t have the time to reprocess jams. Rather than letting it go to waste, I use them in our oatmeal, and on top of pancakes, french toast, or cottage cheese.
Hope this helps!
Mine didn’t set either intact I had alittle extra put it in the fridge n it turned to water in a mater of hours. Very disappointed seeing i have a pain disorder and it took alot of work. I’m hoping what you suggested above will work so its not a complete waste.
I’m sorry it didn’t set for you! As I mentioned above there can be a variety of reasons why. And remember, it can take up to two weeks for the pectin to completely set with liquid jellies, so I wouldn’t worry about it being liquid in your fridge shortly after it was made.
If the above steps don’t work for you, it’s still not a waste. When we have jellies or jams that don’t set, I mix them into plain oatmeal, or even add to cottage cheese and yogurt. There’s tons of other uses for unset jelly!
Fingers crossed that it sets for you!
What happens if my jelly doesn’t set?
Hi Patricia! I’m sorry to hear that your jelly didn’t set! Keep in mind that depending on the pectin, it can take up to two weeks for jellies to set, especially ones made from juice.
If after two weeks it’s still not set, you can recook the jelly in small batches to help it reset.
For every pint (2 cups) of jam, you’ll need 4 teaspoons sugar, 4 teaspoons water, and 2 teaspoons pectin.
Add the jam, pectin, sugar and water to a nonreactive pot, and bring it to a hard rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down) for a full minute.
Fill clean and sterilized jars, top with new lids, fit rings, and process in a waterbath canner for 5 minutes.
**For this method to be effective, don’t try to reprocess more than 3 pints (6 cups) of unset jam at a time. The chances increase that it won’t set for a second time.**
Personally, by the time I realize the jams didn’t set, we’re on to other things and I don’t have the time to reprocess jams. So rather than letting it go to waste, I use them in our oatmeal, and on top of pancakes, french toast, or cottage cheese.
Hope this helps!
Hi. I just recently came across this post of yours and am excited to try it. I have a question: I read how you put the juice you made in the fridge. I’m curious to know if you can freeze that juice if you don’t have time to get to the jelly making right off. As long as you have the right amount for the recipe when you do make it then it should be ok, right?
I don’t think freezing it would be an issue. I have frozen lots of stuff to keep it until I can get to it – especially tomato puree! Let me know how it works out for you! I’d be interested to know!
My jelly didn’t set either. On researching on safe canning practices jelly needs pectin , sugar and acid. I added more sugar and lemon juice and it set up fine. Evidently it is unsafe to can low acid foods without an acid.
Hi Connie! Jelly not setting properly is a result of uneven heating, not boiling long enough, or too much liquid/fruit to pectin in your recipe.
The pH is entirely different, and determines what method is the safest to use when canning. In general, items with a pH lower than 4.6 are safe to can using a water bath canner, while a pH higher than 4.6 need a pressure canner. Fruits that hover around the 4.6 range, such as tomatoes, can be canned either way, but need the help of citric acid or lemon juice if you are canning them in a waterbath canner.
Apples have an acidity around 3-4, so they are perfectly safe to can without any added acid.
Hello! I made this twice and everyone loves it! I let it boil really well before adding ball perfect pectin in the plastic jar. I then added the sugar after getting it back to a boil and let it boil again until I couldn’t stir it out! *i had no setting issue as of next day*
I also sprinkled in a little more pectin than called for!
Kate,
I tried the Apple Peel Jelly recipe today! I was intrigued to use the entire apple after making applesauce and apple butter. Little waste and you’re absolutely right, it is so satisfying knowing you made something from scraps that were going to be thrown out. I loved the color it really is so beautiful! I’m excited to use as gifts! Thanks so much for your inspiration!
Hey, I am looking for the same sort of frugal use for pear peels and cores since we had a bumper crop this year and in canning tons of pear butter/sauce/cobbler filling. Do you know of this recipe would work for pear peels and cores?
Hi! I’m so jealous of your bumper crop of pears!! I haven’t had the opportunity to can pears at all (to the disappointment of my middle) since I don’t have any local pear orchards. But everything I’ve read about canning them tells me that they’re very similar to apples in acidity. The only exception is Asian pears, which are considered to be lower in acid than apples, and would need an extra boost in acidity like lemon juice or citric acid to be canned safely. So as long as the varieties you use are Bartlett, Anjou, and so on, I imagine this method would also work for pears.
I’m planning on making this Apple jelly with my left over peels from 1/2 bushel of apples….. my question is “about how much water would be need to cover the peels? “ I’d like to put the water in the pot so while I’m peeling and coring the apples they sit in the water to keep from browning. Thanks for the recipe.
I would start with 2 quarts. If you’ve got a ton of peels in your pot, like I had above in my 6 quart pot, it may need slightly less, but you can always add more to the pot if needed. You can also use Fruit Fresh to help prevent browning. I love using it to prevent peaches turning brown while I’m peeling them, and can be used with or without water.
Thank you. So far so good and today I’m going to make the jelly from my saved juice.
Should I let the juice get to a boil before adding pectin? Stirring till dissolved, bring back to boil, add sugar, stirring till dissolved, bringing back to boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and finishing process?
Sorry!! It does get a bit confusing with jelly making because there’s so many steps in such a short time.
Add juice and pectin to a pot. Bring to a boil.
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve, and return to a full boil, for only one minute.
Once the minute is done, remove from heat and start filling jars.
Jelly tends to set slower than jams, and it can take up to two weeks, but depending on how much natural pectin was in the juice, it may set relatively fast.
I hope that helps!
Hi, I was wondering why my question wasn’t answered or posted? Thanks
Sorry I sent wrong email just now:-(
Hi Natalie! I can see your initial comment, and I replied to it. It’s nested under another comment though. I’m sorry I can’t approve and reply to comments right away.
Will any extra apple jelly that wont fit in my batch for the canner set upin the freezer or refrigerator? I had a bit leftover that would not fit into my canner.
Hi! The extra jelly will be fine in your fridge without canning it, as long as you use it within a reasonable time period. The canning process doesn’t help set the jam, it just helps make it shelf stable. Enjoy!