Mint Jelly

Ingredients

• 4 lbs of tart apples (e.g. Granny Smith), unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores (including the cores is important as this is where most of the natural pectin is)
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh mint, chopped, lightly packed
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups sugar (7/8 cups for each cup of juice)

Method

1 Combine apple pieces with water and mint in a large pan. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, until apples are soft.

2 Add vinegar, return to boil. Simmer covered, 5 more minutes.

3 Use a potato masher to mash up the apple pieces to the consistency of apple sauce.

4 Spoon the apple pulp into a muslin cloth (or a couple layers of cheesecloth) or a large, fine mesh sieve, suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours. Do not squeeze.

5 Measure the juice, then pour into a large pot. Add the sugar (7/8 a cup for each cup of juice). Heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar gets dissolved and doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

6 Bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, using a spoon to skim off the surface scum. Continue to boil until a candy thermometer shows that the temperature has reached 8°F above the boiling point at your altitude (boiling point is 212°F at sea level, so at sea level the temperature should read 220°F).

7 Pour into sterilized jars to within 1/4" from the top and seal.

Makes approx. 4 half-pint jars.