Women's eNews

Tuesday 13 October 2009

Tips On How To Make Pectin

Pectin is a kind of substance that can be found in a variety of fruits and that is used when creating jam. It is a carbohydrate structure that helps to keep fruits such as apples to be firm. The older they become the more pectin is removed from the fruit - which is why why it shrivels up. It is important to know how easy it is to make pectin so that you can produce your own jams.

You need to start by trimming 4 pounds of green apples in large chunks and place them inside of a 5 quart saucepan. After you can cut up 1 lemon in 1/3 inch slices and place them with the apples. Make sure to leave the seeds, cores, and peel when you cut both fruits. Cover just the top of the fruit with water and bring it to a boil.

After 45 minutes the fruit should be soft and half of the liquid in the pan should be boiled down. Place 4 levels of cheesecloth in a ibig bowl and secure it on the rim to make a bag. Place the fruit and the liquid within the bag and allow it drain till the fruit is entirely dry. Make sure not to squash the fruit up.

Pour out the juice into the saucepan and keep cooking it over medium heat. Make sure to keep stirring it. Reduce the heat to 50% from what you started with, making sure it does not boil over. Take away foam from the top to keep the pectin clear.

Take the pan away from the heat and put a spoonful of the pectin into a saucer and let it cool. When it forms a jelly then you have done everything right. If it is not then you have to keep cooking the pectin for another 20 minutes. Place it into an 8 ounce canning jars and seal it closed. Let it cool before using it for your jellies.
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