How do I make jelly without added pectin?
This is the old way of making jelly and it’s still a very good way, provided the fruit is rich in natural pectin. Crab apples, green apples, sour cherries, and Concord grapes are examples of such fruit. You use less sugar with this method, but you must boil the mixture for a longer time and you end up with less jelly. If you are not sure if a fruit has enough pectin, make this test: pour one tablespoon of the cool fruit juice and one tablespoon denatured alcohol into a cup. Examples of brands are E2, Dalox, Solex–are available at paint and hardware stores. Stir slightly and let stand for 2 minutes. If a solid mass of jelly forms, the fruit has a high pectin content. In this case, use one cup sugar for each cup of juice when you make jelly. If several small jelly-like pieces form, however, the pectin content of the fruit is only moderate. Use only a 3/4 cup of sugar for each cup of juice. If the mixture forms small particles, the fruit has too little pectin to make jelly unless you add
