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1
Coarsely chop the apples, discarding any bad parts, but dont peel or core them.
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2
Place in a preserving pan with the herbs, reserving half a dozen small sprigs to put into the jars.
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3
Barely cover the apples with water.
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4
Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the fruit is very soft.
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5
Pour the contents of the pan into a jelly strainer bag or piece of cheesecloth suspended over a bowl (see p. 33) and leave to drip for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
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6
Measure the strained juice.
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7
For every cup of juice, measure out 1 cup of sugar.
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8
Return the juice to the cleaned-out pan and add the vinegar.
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9
Heat to a boil, then add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
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10
Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 10 to 12 minutes, until the setting point is reached (see p. 41).
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11
Remove from the heat and skim with a slotted spoon to remove any scum.
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12
Pour into small, warm, sterilized jars (see p. 21), adding an herb sprig to each.
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13
Cover and seal (see p. 22).
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14
Use within 1 year.
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15
For stronger-flavored jellies, you can add 3 to 4 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs after removing the jelly from the heat.
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16
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before potting.
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17
For exquisite rose-petal or dandelion jelly, add 1 ounce of scented petals instead of herbs.
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18
The above method can also be used to make quince jelly, replacing the apples with quince and leaving out the herbs.
