How to Make Homemade Apple Jelly from Peels and Cores

What to do with apple waste, the peels and cores left from processing apples for pie filling or other treats, is a big question. One pie's worth of cores doesn't seem like much, but when processing apples in bulk, throwing out the leftover peels and cores can seem like a big waste. Make apple jelly from the peels and cores instead.

Making and canning apple jelly is a straight forward process. The apples are cooked with some water, then left to drain. The juice is mixed with sugar and pectin, heated through, ladled into sterile hot jars, and then processed for the appropriate amount of time.

Using peels and cores to make apple jelly is just as easy, and gives you more products for the same amount of apples. The point of using the peels and cores to make apple jelly is to allow the rest of the apple to be used in pie, or other apple treats, and the juice needed for the jelly to be extracted from the leftover apple parts.

This method can be adjusted to use any amount of apple peels and cores and can be adapted to any apple jelly recipe. First place the apple peels and cores into a large pot, and add water till it reaches halfway to all the way to the top of the peels and cores. This should be brought to a boil, and then simmered for about a half an hour on low heat. Strain the liquid into a container by pouring it through a towel lined colander, and leave it to drip and drain for a few hours. The liquid should be refrigerated at least over night and the sediment will settle thickly on the bottom. Ladling the juice into a measuring cup instead of pouring it will keep the sediment out of it, and the jelly crystal clear.

The juice should be measured to the amount needed in the jelly recipe being used. If the peels and cores yielded enough juice for more than one batch, only one batch at a time should be made, since canning recipes are not meant for doubling.

If you've used red apple peels, the apple jelly will be a beautiful jewel-clear ruby colored jelly. Just make sure that the apples have been cleaned with white vinegar and at least triple rinsed, to avoid concentrating any of the chemicals or dust or wax that may have been on the surface of the skin. Of course, organic apples would be safest for this method, but they must be cleaned and rinsed well too, because organic apple farmers spray for bugs and pests as well.

Their chemicals are natural, such as neem oil, and not man-made but they're still likely to be on the fruit, and aren't meant for people to ingest. If you're worried about any chemicals on the apple peels, just use the cores for extracting the juice for jelly making and leave the apple peels for the compost pile. The jelly in that case will not be red, but more likely a clear tan or light brown. If you don't mind artificial colors, it could be dyed with food coloring, but one of the nicest things about making your own jams, jellies, and other canned goods, is knowing that they're free from too many artificial or chemical ingredients.

I've used this method to make jelly for my household's use, and for gifts for friends and family. I used red apple peels and cores when making the juice, and it came out a beautiful clear pink/red color. I followed the recipe for Apple Jelly in the Ball Blue Book, starting at the point when the juice had been strained and was ready to be cooked with the sugar and the pectin to make apple jelly. This was my most popular canned product among our family and friends this year. Everyone really enjoys this jelly and thinks it's a great treat. Not bad for being made from a bit of leftovers!