Make Pectin Yourself – It’s That Easy

This is how you can make pectin yourself

If you want to do without the additives contained in the jam sugar, you can simply make the pectin itself. The gelling agent can be made from leftover apples. You will need 1.5 kg of sour apples or their leftovers and 750 ml of water.

1. Wash the apples, and remove the stems and leaves.
2. Chop the leftover apples with the core and seeds and place everything in a large saucepan with water.
3. Let the apples cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until nice and soft.
4. Pour the apple mixture into a damp cloth stretched over a sieve and let it drain for 10 hours without pressing or helping.
5. There should be about 500 ml of liquid, which you then boil down by about half in a saucepan over high heat.
6. Carry out a gelling test by mixing one teaspoon of the pectin liquid obtained and 2 tablespoons of denatured alcohol in a container. A large lump indicates good gelling ability, many small lumps mean that you have to continue to boil down the pectin liquid.
7. If the gelling test was successful, pour the pectin into airtight jars.

How to gel jam with pectin

You can now use your homemade pectin to make jam. You need 1.5 kg of fruit (for example cherries, bananas, peaches, or berries) and 250 ml of your made apple pectin.

• Place the fruit mixture in a large saucepan and add a dash of lemon juice and sugar depending on the acidity of the fruit.
• Add the homemade pectin and cook until thick.
• A setting test will help you to check whether the jam is already firm enough: put a teaspoon of the jam on a plate and let it cool to check the consistency.