Save Some Apples

Surely it is a good idea to leave some of those first apples that fall from a tree to feed birds, insects, worms and, in the end, the tree itself.

But …
With trees in the public space, often the entire yield is left to rot.
And that’s a waste. A lot of waste.

Now I was talking about the many uses of the Nut Sack this week, and making apple jelly is one of them:

– Take a bunch of those apples that don’t really look like eating. They may be crab apples, or just ones that have fallen from the tree while still tiny, or those that have a suspicious hole in them. Anything goes. (Yes, you can use perfectly good ones as well.)
– Half tiny ones, quarter bigger ones, chop up big ones. Leave skin and core, but remove stalks and icky bits.
– Cover only just in water, add juice of half a lemon and boil until very soft.
– Tip your mush into the Nut Sack.
– For a full, cloudy jelly, you can squeeze out as much as you can (once cooled!), for a clearer jelly, just leave to drip overnight.
– Measure the obtained juice and add about 55 grams of preserving/ jam making sugar per 100 ml.
– Add juice of another half lemon, and if you want, this is also the moment to add any flavour you might like (cinnamon, vanilla, cardemom …).
– Bring to a boil while stirring and boil for a further 5 -10 minutes (when a drop of jelly on a cold saucer instantly thickens).