The wild apples trees on the farm are flush with fruit. The old timer up the road says that’s a bad sign – lots of apples means a long, harsh winter. He also says women shouldn’t be allowed to drive and that moonshine will cure the flu. But I digress…
This jam is autumn at its finest – it’s sweet, a little bit tart with the wild apples and good enough to eat right out of the jar.
Caramel Apple Jam
NOTE: If wild apples are unavailable, Granny Smith or Macintosh work wonderfully.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 cups apples, peeled and diced into 1/8″ cubes
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1.75 oz powdered pectin (6 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
- 2-1/2 cups white sugar
- 1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
DIRECTIONS
- Combine apples, water and butter in a large stock pot; cook over low heat until apples are very tender.
- NOTE: If you like a chunkier jam, skip to next step. I use my immersion mixer (or a potato masher) to slightly blend the jam, leaving apple pieces throughout. If you blend too much, you’ll have applesauce.
- Add pectin and bring to a boil.
- Add remaining ingredients and boil for 1-2 minutes; constantly stirring.
- Place into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace.
- Process in a water bath canner (click here for canning instructions) for 10 minutes for both 1/2 pint and pint jars.
The Farmers in the Dell 