Spiced Apple Jam

Every fall, we would take our kids apple picking and come home with at least 50 pounds of apples. I remember one year we picked 125 pounds of apples. When you have seven kids with you picking apples to bring home, it adds up quickly.

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We Picked 125 Pounds of Apples in One Day

And what do you do with 125 pounds of apples? My boys will eat 2 or 3 apples a day each but they wouldn’t eat 125 pounds of apples before they went bad. And there are only so many apple pies and apple crisps a family can eat. And since our extended family comes with us and picks their own apples, there is no one to give extra apples to.

The year we picked 125 pounds of apples, I didn’t know what to do with so many apples. My youngest daughter had the idea of making apple jam, which I thought was a great idea, as long as she helped me. I had grown up watching my grandmother making homemade jams and preserves and thought it would be great to teach my daughter how to make jam.

So we spent the morning together in the kitchen peeling and coring apples and cooking them into jam. And the results were amazing and this recipe has become a family tradition in the fall.

Spiced Apple Jam

This recipe is for Spiced Apple Jam, not to be confused with Spicy Apple Jam, (which I will post separately). This recipe is not at all spicy, it does contain spices like cinnamon and cloves though.

I usually use Pink Lady apples but have also used Gala and Crispin with great results. I wouldn’t use Macintosh because I find them too soft and usually only use these for making apple sauce.

Special Equipment and Ingredients

You will need mason jars to store the jam. These can be found in department and hardware stores as well as some dollar stores. I prefer using 8-ounce jars but any size jars can be used. Wide-mouth jars are also a good choice because it makes it easier to fill and to get every last bit of jam out of the jar.

Paraffin is also used to preserve the jam. You are probably wondering about using wax in food, but don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe and easy to remove.

This recipe calls for liquid pectin which I found on Amazon. You will need two boxes to make this jam.

Enjoying Spiced Apple Jam

This jam is great served on toast, alone, or with peanut butter. My kids have spread it on banana bread and zucchini bread.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does.

Spiced Apple Jam

Great on toast

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Equipment

• mason jars
• paraffin

Ingredients

  

• 16 cups apples cored, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 14 cups sugar
• 5 tsp cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp all-spice
• 1 tsp nutmeg optional
• 4 pouches liquid pectin

Instructions

 

• In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add cubed apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, all-spice, cloves and nutmeg (if using).
• Stir to coat the apples completely
• Bring mixture to a rolling boil, stirring.
• Continue at a rolling boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and add pectin immediately, stirring to mix in the pectin thoroughly.
• Ladle the jam into clean sterilized mason jars, filling to the neck of the jar, leaving space for the paraffin.
• Wipe down the sides once full and add ⅛” inch of paraffin to the top of the jam, making sure the wax goes all the way to the sides and touches the glass all around. Also make sure there are no air bubbles.
• Place lids and jars and tightly close.
• Store in a cool space.

Notes

When you open a jar, make sure you remove the wax from the top of the jam and discard. Store jam in the fridge once opened.

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