Recipe: Apple Ginger Jam

I haven't made this yet, but found the recipe in a very old-timey preservation book. Let me know how you like it!

Ingredients:

about 4 pounds of apples

1 cup water

sugar

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

1 lemon (juice and grated rind)

Directions:

Peel and core the apples. Boil in the water until the apples are soft. Strain the apple(sauce) through a coarse sieve and weigh it. Add 3/4 cup of sugar for each pound of applesauce. Bring to a boil again and skim. Stir in the ginger, lemon juice, and lemon rind. Boil again but this time WITHOUT STIRRING until the right consistency is obtained. Pour into sterilized jars and cover tightly.

Note: At this point, I assume you can seal the jar with wax, etc.

Dehydrating Apples

Whether you grow the apples yourself, harvest them from your (sharing) neighbor, or you buy at the local farmer's market, apples are so easy to dry.

• Choose the apples that look the best. Cut out any bad parts.
• Wash, core and peel. Slice into 1/4 inch slices, placing each in lemon juice mixed with water to prevent browning. Soak for 5 minutes.
• Note: Sometimes we add ground cinnamon to the lemon water. The cinnamon sticks when you arrange the slices on the drying tray. The smell and resulting taste is heavenly.
• When all the apple are sliced, soaked and ready, arrange in single layers on trays. They can touch because they will shrink some.
• Dry 6-12 hours until piable - Temp: 135 degrees F.
• Freeze in freezer baggie for 2 days to kill any bug eggs that may have been laid while dehydrating. If you're 100% sure there aren't any, you can skip this step.
• Store in moisture-proof jar with a moisture absorber. Seal. Cover with dark paper to keep light out. Label with contents and date. Store in cool, dry, dark area.

You can rehydrate the apples to use in a recipe, or eat dried as a snack. Either way, this is a great way to store apples.