Marmalade made from fresh apples at home for the winter is a unique dish that will delight adults and children during the cold season. The preparation retains most of the fruit’s vitamins, so it will boost your immunity. The advantage of marmalade is that it is quite simple to make; the housewife does not need much time for preservation.
Features of preparing apple marmalade for the winter
Marmalade is a tasty and light treat. For its preparation, apples are boiled to such a degree of viscosity that the puree from them can be cut with a knife. But it is difficult to achieve such a consistency at home, so recipes contain gelatin.
How to choose apples?
The most acceptable apples will be juicy, sweet and sour, containing a maximum of pectin. You can tell the latter by the type of skin on them. Where there is a lot of pectin, it will be very dense and even hard. Overripe fruits are also suitable, as they will quickly boil and release a lot of juice.
It should be noted that apples boil down a lot during the preparation of marmalade. To make 150-200 grams of delicacy, you will need over 1 kilogram of fresh fruit.
Preparation of containers
The container must be sterilized. It is better to take small jars, because they contain jam and the jam will be more convenient to store. Containers are thoroughly cleaned with soda and detergent; those with chips or cracks are not used. Sterilization occurs in the oven, on a kettle, in the microwave. There is no significant difference, the main thing is to do it efficiently and get rid of all microbes.
How to make marmalade?
There are several simple and proven preparation recipes.
Classic recipe
To prepare this classic recipe you only need two ingredients. This:
- 2 kilograms of apples;
- 1 kilogram of granulated sugar.
Apples with peel are baked in the oven, after they have cooled, they are rubbed through a sieve. The resulting puree is mixed with sugar and cooked over very low heat in a saucepan with a lid. It is advisable to stir constantly until completely thickened.You can find out that this has happened with a simple wooden spatula. Run the cutlery along the bottom of the saucepan - if no streaks form, the marmalade is ready. The resulting mixture is placed in jars and rolled up.
With gelatin
The gelatin option speeds up the cooking process. The fruits (choose ones that are already very overripe) are lightly baked in the oven, rubbed through a sieve or in a blender. Place on the fire in a saucepan, at which time the gelatin swells according to the instructions. It is added at the end; the composition must not be allowed to boil.
Plast marmalade
The sweetness, in the best oriental traditions, is prepared quite simply. Apples are cut into small layers. They are boiled in a saucepan until completely soft. Add 1 kg of sugar. Boil until the consistency of marmalade.
Sugarless
The sugar-free option involves using honey. You will need:
- 1 kg apples;
- 400 g honey.
The fruit slices are boiled until softened, then rubbed through a sieve while moistened. Put it back on the fire and cook until it thickens, at the very end add honey and boil for a couple more minutes.
With lemon
Need to:
- 1 kg of main ingredient;
- 600 grams of granulated sugar;
- 1 lemon with peel.
Prepared according to the standard recipe. The juice is squeezed out of the lemon and added 15 minutes before the end of cooking. This marmalade turns out to be quite sour.
With plums
To prepare this colorful delicacy you will need:
- 1 kilogram of plums;
- 1 kilogram of apples;
- 800 grams of sugar.
The fruit halves are cored and steamed under a lid, then ground into a paste. The plums are pitted and covered with sugar. You can start cooking only after the plums have released their juice. After this, the recipe is standard - cook until completely thickened over low heat.
With pears
The option with pears is very similar to the previous one. However, the pears do not need to be covered with granulated sugar. They are simply added in finely chopped form to the prepared puree at the initial stage.
Apple pulp treat
Despite the fact that cake is a processed product and is not used for most recipes, it makes a tasty treat. Suitable for making pies, pies and buns. The idea is not to throw out all the parts of the fruit, but simply cook them as in the standard recipe. To improve the taste, add cloves, cinnamon or vanillin. The cake is not rolled, as the jars are likely to swell.
Multicooker recipe
A kilogram of peeled apples is placed in a slow cooker, the “Stew” type is selected for 2 hours. After this time, 500 grams of sugar are added (wait another half hour). 15 minutes before the end, you can add honey, which will improve the taste of the dish.
Storage periods and rules
Alas, apple marmalade does not last long. This is due to the rapid loss of moisture (it will simply become dry and tasteless). You need to eat it in the first 6-8 months.
