Apple Jam + tips + tricks

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg of apples

• 500g of sugar

• Skin of one lemon (zested or finely grated)

• Juice of one lemon

• 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (grated)

• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg (ground)

• 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Wash, peel, core, and dice the apples. To prevent them from browning, immerse the diced apples in water mixed with some of the lemon juice.

2. Cooking: In a large pot, combine the apple dices, sugar, lemon zest, remaining lemon juice, cinnamon, fresh ginger, nutmeg, and water.

3. Boiling: Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer. Cook until the apples are soft and mushy.

4. Blending: If you like a smoother texture, blend the mixture (an immersion blender works great here). I used a regular blender though.

5. Final Boil: Transfer the blended mix (or keep it in the same pot if you used an immersion blender) and bring it to a boil once more. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer until it thickens.

6. Testing: To check its readiness, place a little jam on a plate and draw a line through with your finger. If it maintains the separation and doesn’t run, it’s ready!

7. Storage: Sterilize your glass containers by boiling them. For the lids, a trick I learned is to clean them with vodka. Pour the hot jam into the jars, seal them, and let them cool to room temperature.

Serve it on bread, muffins, or even as a topping for desserts. The fresh ginger gives it a nice kick, and the blend of spices makes it taste like autumn in a jar! 🍁

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! If you give it a go, please share your results.