Homesteading Skills: How to Make Apple Pie Jam

Got extra apples this fall? Try preserving some with this delicious apple pie jam recipe!
This interesting recipe is a great way to use up extra apples from your home orchard – or your farmer’s market haul! It’s not applesauce and it’s not jam, but it’s somewhere in between, and this low-sugar version will satisfy your sweet tooth without giving you a toothache. It’s like apple pie in a jar, and not only is it delicious and easy to make, but it will also make great gifts for the holidays!
This recipe uses Pomona’s pectin, which is a natural pectin that doesn’t require a ton of sugar to set and is made from non-GMO citrus peels. However, you could use other types of pectin if desired, or none at all, like the old-fashioned jam-making method that was common before pectin was readily available.
You will need a water bath canner for this recipe, but if you don’t have one, a large kettle with a lid that can fit all of your jars will work just fine.
Here’s how to make it:
Low-Sugar Apple Pie Jam Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 pints
Ingredients:
8 cups peeled, chopped, and cored apples
¾ cup dried cranberries (optional)
8 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
1 cup water
4 teaspoons calcium water
4 teaspoons powder pectin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sugar
Instructions:
- Peel, core, and chop up 8 cup of apples. I prefer to use a sweet apple so I don’t need to add as much sugar. My favorite apple for baking and cooking is a Gravenstein and that’s what you see featured here.
- Place it in a big old stainless steel pot and add 8 Tablespoons bottled lemon juice and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes until apples are soft.
- Add 4 teaspoons of calcium water (comes in the Pomona Pectin and activates the pectin). Boil for 1 more minute.
- Add your spices and the sugar mixed with the powdered pectin. Return to a boil and stir constantly (because burnt sugar is so not wanted here) for 2 minutes. You’ll see and feel the mixture start to thicken up. Take it off the heat.
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See Full Recipe at MelissaKNorris.com…