My favorite time of year is here!!!! Apple season!!! There is nothing like going apple picking on a crisp fall day. Loading up your cart with fresh apples, and your belly while you pick! We go to an awesome local farm called, Blackman Homested Farm. They’re a low-spray farm and utilize integrated pest management (IPM). This prevents them from spraying very much, and keeps residues very low. I love to make so many delicious apple treats, but our kids’ favorites are my no added sugar apple sauce (which they sit and eat with a spoon out of the jar!) and this spiced apple jam! Other ideas for all those apples you picked: apple sauce, apple cobbler, baked apple pancake, fall harvest salad, dehydrating them for snacks, apple cranberry oatmeal bars, caramelized apple winter spiced cake, and well….apple cider sangria.
Slice of Plant-Based Gluten Free Apple Spice Cake
Making your own jam is so awesome! I haven’t bought jam now in several years. For jam, you typically use a pectin to help it thicken. Apples naturally contain a substantial amount of pectin, a starch found in fruits and veggies that helps things jell. You don’t have to use pectin with this, but it will help the jam firm up more than without it. If making without, your jam will have more or an apple butter consistency but that’s yummy too! I love Pomona’s Pectin (Amazon link, can buy in a 3-pack, or I buy in bulk, as it lasts for a long time and much less $) brand because it lets me use WAY less sugar, and it doesn’t have a funky after taste that I have experienced with other low-sugar pectins. YOU can control how much sugar you use, or none at all! In this jam, I use local maple syrup, but you can totally omit it all together (you will need to increase the apple cider to compensate for this). Did you know that typical jams use 1 cup of sugar for every 1 cup of fruit!!! Yucko!!! Not me sister!
I use an apple peeler FYI, because it is SOOOOO much faster. It peels, cuts, and cores the apples. I highly recommend this tool!.
**Note: I typically double or triple the recipe below, because making a little jam is virtually the same effort as making a lot of jam. Makes great presents!
Ingredients, made 9 pints when doubled:
- 4 cups peeled & finely shredded apples (food processor is best for this)
- 1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup-or could use date paste-alternative is to omit sugar, and increase apple cider (this will make it more like an apple butter but still awesome!)
- 1/4 cup orange (could use lemon juice)
- 1/4 cup apple cider (alternatively, all o.j. or all cider)-use more if needed to thin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- If using: 2 tsp Pomona’s pectin and 4 tsp calcium water (see instructions on pectin, if using another low-sugar pectin, follow the instructions) ***Can also omit, will be more like an apple sauce/butter consistency
Instructions:
- *If canning jam: have jars and rims cleaned/sterilized (use a dish washer or heat in boiling water), and have hot water canning bath ready to go.
- Shred apples to equal 4 cups
- Add pectin to maple syrup and mix
- Place apples, spices, and calcium water into pot, and bring to boil and add in pectin mixture.
- Cook until apples have thinned out, about 25-30 minutes, reducing heat so jam doesn’t splatter. This will be a thicker jam, and can be thinned out if desired with additional cider. You can use a stick blender to make smooth.
- If canning, pour into jars. Use a knife to run inside jars to get rid of any air bubbles. Wipe rims, and place lids and rims on jars
- Place in hot water bath canner for 12 minutes. Remove, and let cool. Be sure lids make a popping noise as they cool, or when checked after 2 hours, the lids are depressed in center, and can’t be opened. Jam will keep on shelves for 1 year, and should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks of opening.
- 4 cups peeled & finely shredded apples (food processor is best for this)
- ⅓-1/2 cup maple syrup-or could use date paste-alternative is to omit, and increase apple cider (this will make it more like an apple butter
- ¼ cup orange (could use lemon juice)
- ¼ cup apple cider (alternatively, all o.j. or all cider)-use more if needed to thin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp fresh nutmeg
- ½ tsp all spice
- If using: 2 tsp Pomona's pectin and 4 tsp calcium water (see instructions on pectin, if using another low-sugar pectin, follow the instructions) ***Can also omit, will be more like an apple sauce/butter consistency
- *If canning jam: have jars and rims cleaned/sterilized (use a dish washer or heat in boiling water), and have hot water canning bath ready to go.
- Shred apples to equal 4 cups
- Add pectin to maple syrup and mix
- Place apples, spices, and calcium water into pot, and bring to boil and add in pectin mixture.
- Cook until apples have thinned out, about 25-30 minutes, reducing heat so jam doesn't splatter. This will be a thicker jam, and can be thinned out if desired with additional cider. You can use a stick blender to make smooth.
- If canning, pour into jars. Use a knife to run inside jars to get rid of any air bubbles. Wipe rims, and place lids and rims on jars
- Place in hot water bath canner for 12 minutes. Remove, and let cool. Be sure lids make a popping noise as they cool, or when checked after 2 hours, the lids are depressed in center, and can't be opened. Jam will keep on shelves for 1 year, and should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks of opening.
Yum! Your Spiced Apple Jam looks delicious Jessica. Thank you so much for choosing Pomona’s Universal Pectin for your recipe. We just wanted to note that low sugar jams and jellies made with Pomona’s are only able to be kept on the shelf for 1 year, and should be use up with in that time. Once opened, jams and jellies should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks.
Happy jamming!
Thanks Shelby! I updated to reflect your suggestions. Thanks for visiting! I have other recipes on the site that use your pectin 🙂 Pear jam coming soon…
Looks like a really yummy recipe. I’d like to try it without adding maple syrup. At what stage should the o.j. and apple cider vinegar be added?
If you don’t add the syrup, you will need to increase the juice. I add liquids after apples are mashed. I would choose either cider or OJ, not both.
Do u have to peel apples?
No, but you will have floating skins. Up to you!
I felt like the spice was too much. Next time I’d cut back on the allspice and nutmeg.
Spice is a personal preference. Add a little and then taste, can always add more but not take away