Apple or Crabapple Jelly

• Ready In: 1 hr 8 mins
• Yields: 30 1/2Pint Jars

Ingredients

• 15  lbs apples (sour or tart or crab)
•  water, cold
• 1 1⁄2 lbs sugar
•  of fresh mint (optional) or 2  dashes mint sauce (optional) or 2  dashes  green food coloring (optional) or 2  dashes cloves (optional)

Directions

1. Wash 15 pounds of tart apples and quarter without peeling.
2. Place in a preserving pan, just cover with cold water, and simmer gently until soft and tender.
3. Drain through a jelly bag.
4. Shift the pulp gently occasionally to keep the juice flowing; do not force the juice through as this will make the jelly cloudy.
5. Measure 32 fluid ounces of juice into a 12-quart pan and boil for 5 minutes.
6. Add the sugar and boil for 5 to 8 minutes longer, or until a drop jells on a cold plate. Pour into hot clean jars and seal.
7. Continue cooking 32 fluid ounces at a time until all the juice has been used.
8. Use the pulp for making an apple cheese.
9. MINT APPLE JELLY: Cook a few sprigs of fresh mint with the apples when preparing to extract the juice. [1 or 2 drops of mint sauce may be used if fresh mint is not available.] Add a few drops of green food colouring and mint sauce just before pouring into the jars. Avoid adding too much flavouring and colouring.
10. SPICED APPLE JELLY: Tie a few whole cloves in a piece of muslin. Drop into the juice at the beginning of cooking and only remove when jelly is poured into the jars.