Bunny McElwee wrote:
> I would like to make some juice for Apple Jelly. I've tried in t he
> past, with both regular apples as well as a bottled apple juice. Both turned
> out like syrup, not jelly, both used Sure Jell, followed the directions, to
> no avail. What are the best type of apples to use for jelly? Most recipes
> say xx number of pounds of apples, but they don't say what kind. Some say
> sour apples, but do they mean Granny Smith? My grandmothers apple jelly was
> always a pinkish/red color, and that would be untrue of a granny smith. She
> also says she's always made her jelly from the skins of red apples, hence
> the pinkish/red jelly, but can't remember what kind. Can anyone lead me in
> the right direction? I understand Red Delicious is not an acceptable choice
> since it is not "sour" enough. Any help would be appreciated.

I've had good luck with a variety called L-star. I've made applesauce,
applepie filling and will be using them for pectin. I would think they
would make lovely apple juice. IMO granny smith and red delicious are
not near as good varieties as they used to be. I always used granny
smiths for pies but find the L-star much nicer. It is a tart smaller
apple with a yellowish to red blush. The fruit is nice and firm.
>
> I've had similar issues with Grape Jelly. My problem is I don't live in
> an area that has access to Concords, so I can't use them. The only access I
> have is to Red Globes (Do not make jelly, but make a pretty sickening sweet
> syrup, much to my dismay) Red seedless and green grapes. I've also tried to
> make jelly from bottled or frozen concentrates, to no avail. They always end
> up syrupy. I've not been able to find one that I can use that will setup
> firm like jelly.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help!
>