Sloe and Apple Jewel Jelly

Sloe and Apple Jewel Jelly ... Yum

It's sunny and brisk so get your boots on, a waterproof, plastic carrier bags, scissors, gardening gloves and let's go and get some sloes and crab apples ... ah bliss. What else do you have to do? Feel the chill on your face, the breeze through your hair and get searching. I'm on one of my favorite walks through the Downes and the only one without a dog. My eyes are keen to find some apples so I follow some well established pathways (big mistake) it's a mud ring so I deviate off the beaten path and scan the trees. Ah just ahead I see a dappling of yellow dots. I crunch myself through the long grass and follow those yellow beauties and come to a stop. Above me stands a vision of loveliness-
a crab apple tree... yey. I am only 5 feet tall so I manage to bag a few low hanging handfuls of apples and the rest dance in the breeze above me. I am satisfied with my find and I move on to scouring the sloes.

L.Moore Sloes

L.Moore A close up of sloes

I continue across the Downes passing lots of dogs who come over and say hello curious and cute. Not too far away I see some baron looking shrubs. As I move closer I can see their spikes and when I look deeper into the wild mass I see those dark rustic jewels tough as old boots swaying in the wind. It's time for the gardening gloves so I don't get any nasty thorns/scratches. I start by picking one at a time and quickly upgrade to three or four at a time. The gloves are a life saver. These little gems cling on like suckers. Before I know it I have enough to make an incredible jelly. You forget about time when your absorbed in the daily life of our ancestors. My hands are numb so I put them under my arm to thaw out and head home bathed in the wildness. On my way I eye up the fattest rose hips that catch my eye. I will be returning for these after the first frost so they are soft to the touch and bursting with goodness ...yum.            

This jelly is delicious with cheese and/or with meats. Experiment and see what you think. I add just a little more sugar than the jam making rule of equal amounts of sugar to the juice as sloes are bitter. This recipe works well for me and I love the zing of lime with the chillies in it ... superb. It's such a beautiful rich color and there is no reason why you can't experiment with adding more exotic ingredients to your jelly to make it seasonal. What a wonderful life it is to seek, find, make and enjoy.    

Sloe & Apple Jewel Jelly

Fig 1. L. Moore Sloes

Fig 2. L. Moore Apples

Fig 3. L. Moore Sloes and Apples yum!

Fig 4. L. Moore Cooking sloes and apples

Fig 5. L. Moore sieved juice from jelly bag

Fig 6. L. Moore Ta Dah Jewel Jelly with cheese superb

Ingredients

1 pound of sloes
1 pound of wild apples
2 TBS lime juice
dried chillies (as many as you see fit for human consumption)
Sugar (the same amount of sieved juice and half again)
Black pepper and salt (to taste)

Method
put a saucer in the fridge to get cold (for your plate test later on)
Wash fruit and place in a pan (don't peel apples or core them just chop them up a bit)
Fill the pan about half way up with water
Cook fruit until soft and then mash with a masher
Sieve your fruit and capture the juice in a bowl
Measure the same amount of sugar to the amount of juice sieved. Then add about half again of sugar.
Place the juice and all the sugar into a clean saucepan
Bring to the boil and stir constantly until sugar has dissolved (as you would for any jam making)
Add your lime juice and salt and pepper and chillies and stir
Keep stirring for about 20/40 mins
When it begins to feel like the consistency is getting a bit heavier as you stir do a plate test.
when it's ready pour into sterilized jars, label and enjoy ... yum

Plate test
turn heat off
add about a tablespoon of mixture to your previously chilled saucer you had in the fridge
place back in the fridge and wait until it gets cold
once cold push your finger across the mixture and if it wrinkles up your jelly is ready
if it has not wrinkled up heat up your mixture for a bit longer and try again

Sterilizing jars
I put my oven on at gas number 4
then wash my collected jars
then I place a piece of ovenproof paper (or greaseproof) onto a baking tray and put my jars on top with lids off
put in the oven for about 15 minutes along with my pyrex jug for pouring into my jars
then I boil my lids in a pan on the cooker for the same amount of time
I time it right so my jelly/jam is ready at the same time as my jars and pour jelly into jars, put lids on and wait to cool.
Then I label and date my jars and give away as presents hooray!