windfalls

About a week ago, a welcome gift, in the form of a bag of windfall apples, was left on our doorstep by one of our neighbours.

This kind gesture meant lots of fruit to ...
 

 

 

 

... to make into compote, to mix with blackberries to make crumbles ... and to turn into

preserves.

In this case, a recipe for spiced cider and apple jelly from one of my favourite preserving books:

Perfect Preserves : Maggie Mayhew

 



 The ingredients are:

900g/2lb cooking apples coarsely chopped but with skins and cores intact
900ml/11/4 pints sweet cider
2 oranges, juice and pips
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
150ml/1/2pint water
900g/2lb warmed granulated sugar
Put all the ingredients except the sugar into a large pan,  bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for about an hour.
Strain overnight in a jelly bag then for each 600ml of liquid add 450g/1lb sugar. stir until sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly until set, about 10mins.

 

 



Makes about 3lb of beautiful amber jelly, somewhat like a delicate marmalade and do not fear, if like me you do not like cloves as their addition simply gives a warm background note.

 

Enjoy on toasted muffins....or crumpets....or scones......or on just about anything!