Foraging Discovery: Apple Pectin

Barb LeeContributor - July 1, 2023

Hopefully the forum can tolerate a topic that may not exactly be “survival” oriented, but we do occasionally have more “homestead-y” posts, which this probably is.  In this case, the end product does actually have some health benefits that could be beneficial when the medicine kit lacks a few items.  I’m just so pleased with my results I had to share somewhere, hope you all don’t mind!

For years I have known that pectin for jelly and jam making could be produced from immature apples, but my old source of information didn’t include practical instructions for using it.  This year we have so many apples on our trees that they’re in danger of another catastrophic branch breakage event.  Thinning the the old giants should be a priority.  The subject of apple pectin from immature fruit came to mind, so I did a search and after writing down notes from six or so sources, I had a satisfactory amount of understanding to give it a try.

In order to keep this short, I’ll just say my first attempt at making strawberry jam with the home made pectin was a huge success! So now I’m in the process of putting up enough apple pectin to last for a season or two.  Sometimes the trees make such a heroic effort to overproduce fruit that they produce nothing for the next couple of years. My pectin is made from Yellow Transparent and Gravenstein apples – I’m sure immature wild and crab apples would be great.

Can’t say if the do-it-yourself pectin represents a cost savings over the $4/box Sure-Jell, as it requires water and power to make the product, ditto canning it, plus canning lids if using disposable ones.

Here is an article on the health benefits/side effects for using apple pectin for ailments such as diarrhea: https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-apple-pectin-89599

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Thanks for sharing, Barb! I’d love to see your notes if you’d care to share. I love how you turned a problem/threat into something usable for the future!