Apple Pie Jam Recipe
10 years ago I bought a “columnar” or “colonnade” apple tree. The tag said that it would grow 10-12 feet tall so I bought it and put it in a pot. Then the fruit tree outgrew the pot so I planted it in the ground on the strata complex outside my balcony.
With yearly pruning by one of my accomplices it has been forced to contain itself to about a 20 ft tall narrow fruit tree. This fruit tree has never been sprayed (because I bought the stuff but have never got around to applying it), also no type of chemical fertilizer has ever been used (just the occasional bag of manure dumped around the tree’s base) and every year it still reliably produces 2-3 VERY LARGE totes of bright lime green”Granny Smith” like apples. It now seems to be a Guerrilla Garden Adventure tradition to get together with the Crazy Canner for an annual Apple Pie Jam making session. Some jars end up as Christmas gifts, some are for personal use and in my case some maybe used to “sweeten up” any potential strata complaints from fellow townhouse dwellers that may occur. Here’s the recipe if you want to make your own sweet deal:
Apple Pie Jam
Ingredients:
6 – 7 medium peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds)
1 – cup water
1/2 – teaspoon of butter
5 – cups white sugar
1 1/2 – teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 – teaspoon apple pie spice
1 – pouch of Certo liquid pectin (must be Liquid Certo)
Directions:
Step 1
Combine apples and water. Cover and cook slowly until tender. Measure out 4 1/2 cups of the apples and return to the pot. (Save remaining mixture for another use or if you are feeling especially wasteful just discard it)
Step 2
Add sugar and butter to the pan, bring to a full rolling boil stirring constantly. Quickly stir in liquid pectin and bring back to a full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute stirring constantly.
Step 3
Remove from heat and skim off any foam that may have formed. Stir in spices. Ladle jam into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and adjust lids. Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. If one of the jars doesn’t seal, keep it in the fridge and use it first.
Note: If you have never canned before don’t freak out if you don’t know how to do this step
There is a really good tutorial on Hot Water Bath Canning by Mavis Butterfield over at One Hundred Dollars a Month.