I just made the first batch of Crabapple jelly (I used Certo) from the
Dolgo juice and it looks and tastes wonderful. Gonna make a second
batch while the kitchen is already sticky. :-) If I have enough juice
for a third batch, I may make that one without adding any pectin.

Boy, it sure did foam a lot. I skimmed all the foam, but still most of
the jars have a little bit or twp of foam suspended in the jelly (I
thought it would rise to the top during the BWB.) I don't think I missed
any, I think it formed as I stirred it to fill the ladle. How do you
keep all the foam out of your State Fair winning jellies? (in jam, it
wouldn't matter because it wouldn't show.) Do you ladle into the jars
thru a kitchen strainer?


Bob

I use a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of butter to reduce the foaming in
jelly. I think the saying, "just a dab will do ya" fits here. : - )

The Mayhaw jelly I did a couple of months ago made a lot of foam and
the butter worked wonderfully.

Mimi wrote:
> I use a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of butter to reduce the foaming in
> jelly. I think the saying, "just a dab will do ya" fits here. : - )
>
> The Mayhaw jelly I did a couple of months ago made a lot of foam and
> the butter worked wonderfully.


Thanks, I'll try that. I have the 2nd batch cooking right now. I added
all the foam from the first batch to the juice (before I added the
sugar) and brought it to a simmer, covered. All the foam dissolved. I
*just* dumped in the sugar and am rounding up small jars. (I'll never
hear the end of it from Wife if I put jelly in quart jars) :-)

I have 3 1/2 cups of juice left over. Think I'll add that to the mead
I'm gonna start this weekend. Should give it a nice pink color. Or I
guess I could mix it with Sprite and drink it...

Bob

zxcvbob wrote:
> Mimi wrote:
>> I use a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of butter to reduce the foaming in
>> jelly. I think the saying, "just a dab will do ya" fits here. : - )
>>
>> The Mayhaw jelly I did a couple of months ago made a lot of foam and
>> the butter worked wonderfully.
>
>
> Thanks, I'll try that. I have the 2nd batch cooking right now. I added
> all the foam from the first batch to the juice (before I added the
> sugar) and brought it to a simmer, covered. All the foam dissolved. I
> *just* dumped in the sugar and am rounding up small jars. (I'll never
> hear the end of it from Wife if I put jelly in quart jars) :-)
>
> I have 3 1/2 cups of juice left over. Think I'll add that to the mead
> I'm gonna start this weekend. Should give it a nice pink color. Or I
> guess I could mix it with Sprite and drink it...
>
> Bob

Or mix a little Everclear into it and call it applejack.

George Shirley wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>> Mimi wrote:
>>> I use a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of butter to reduce the foaming in
>>> jelly. I think the saying, "just a dab will do ya" fits here. : - )
>>>
>>> The Mayhaw jelly I did a couple of months ago made a lot of foam and
>>> the butter worked wonderfully.
>>
>>
>> Thanks, I'll try that. I have the 2nd batch cooking right now. I
>> added all the foam from the first batch to the juice (before I added
>> the sugar) and brought it to a simmer, covered. All the foam
>> dissolved. I *just* dumped in the sugar and am rounding up small
>> jars. (I'll never hear the end of it from Wife if I put jelly in quart
>> jars) :-)
>>
>> I have 3 1/2 cups of juice left over. Think I'll add that to the mead
>> I'm gonna start this weekend. Should give it a nice pink color. Or I
>> guess I could mix it with Sprite and drink it...
>>
>> Bob
>
> Or mix a little Everclear into it and call it applejack.


I was trying to figure out why the 2nd batch of jelly made so much more
than the first. Finally figured out that I must have got one of the
first batch jars mixed in when I was stealing the rings off, and BWB'ed
it a second time.

If I didn't know me better I'd say I'd been hittin' the sauce a little
early today. <g> (the second batch actually did make more, but just one
extra jar cuz of the foam thing, not three extra)

Bob

"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> George Shirley wrote:
>> zxcvbob wrote:
>>> Mimi wrote:
>>>> I use a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of butter to reduce the foaming in
>>>> jelly. I think the saying, "just a dab will do ya" fits here. : - )
>>>>
>>>> The Mayhaw jelly I did a couple of months ago made a lot of foam and
>>>> the butter worked wonderfully.
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks, I'll try that. I have the 2nd batch cooking right now. I added
>>> all the foam from the first batch to the juice (before I added the
>>> sugar) and brought it to a simmer, covered. All the foam dissolved. I
>>> *just* dumped in the sugar and am rounding up small jars. (I'll never
>>> hear the end of it from Wife if I put jelly in quart jars) :-)
>>>
>>> I have 3 1/2 cups of juice left over. Think I'll add that to the mead
>>> I'm gonna start this weekend. Should give it a nice pink color. Or I
>>> guess I could mix it with Sprite and drink it...
>>>
>>> Bob
>>
>> Or mix a little Everclear into it and call it applejack.
>
>
> I was trying to figure out why the 2nd batch of jelly made so much more
> than the first. Finally figured out that I must have got one of the first
> batch jars mixed in when I was stealing the rings off, and BWB'ed it a
> second time.
>
> If I didn't know me better I'd say I'd been hittin' the sauce a little
> early today. <g> (the second batch actually did make more, but just one
> extra jar cuz of the foam thing, not three extra)
>
> Bob

I put some small spoons in the freezer before I start making jelly. Less
than a minute after the jelly is poured into the jars the foam forms a
"skin" on the top of the jelly. A cold spoon will drag the skin and the
foam to one side of the jar where it can be spooned out. Works for me.

Lamont

lamont cranston wrote:
> "zxcvbob" > wrote in message
> ...
>> George Shirley wrote:
>>> zxcvbob wrote:
>>>> Mimi wrote:
>>>>> I use a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of butter to reduce the foaming in
>>>>> jelly. I think the saying, "just a dab will do ya" fits here. : - )
>>>>>
>>>>> The Mayhaw jelly I did a couple of months ago made a lot of foam and
>>>>> the butter worked wonderfully.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks, I'll try that. I have the 2nd batch cooking right now. I added
>>>> all the foam from the first batch to the juice (before I added the
>>>> sugar) and brought it to a simmer, covered. All the foam dissolved. I
>>>> *just* dumped in the sugar and am rounding up small jars. (I'll never
>>>> hear the end of it from Wife if I put jelly in quart jars) :-)
>>>>
>>>> I have 3 1/2 cups of juice left over. Think I'll add that to the mead
>>>> I'm gonna start this weekend. Should give it a nice pink color. Or I
>>>> guess I could mix it with Sprite and drink it...
>>>>
>>>> Bob
>>> Or mix a little Everclear into it and call it applejack.
>>
>> I was trying to figure out why the 2nd batch of jelly made so much more
>> than the first. Finally figured out that I must have got one of the first
>> batch jars mixed in when I was stealing the rings off, and BWB'ed it a
>> second time.
>>
>> If I didn't know me better I'd say I'd been hittin' the sauce a little
>> early today. <g> (the second batch actually did make more, but just one
>> extra jar cuz of the foam thing, not three extra)
>>
>> Bob
>
> I put some small spoons in the freezer before I start making jelly. Less
> than a minute after the jelly is poured into the jars the foam forms a
> "skin" on the top of the jelly. A cold spoon will drag the skin and the
> foam to one side of the jar where it can be spooned out. Works for me.
>
> Lamont

What I'm having trouble with is foam that forms in the pot and little
bits of it end up in the jars way below the surface.

I had a lot less foam with the 2nd batch. I brought the juice to a boil
first and then dumped in all the sugar at once and stirred gently, then
brought it back to a boil after the sugar was completely dissolved. (it
was starting to gel in the pot, I may not have needed the Certo, but the
pouch was cut open already) Also I added maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of
canola oil, that probably didn't hurt anything. I think handling the
sugar differently made most of the difference. With the first batch I
put all the sugar in the pot first, poured the cold juice over it, and
started cooking and stirring.

There was still a little bit of foam, so when I filled the jars I tried
ladling thru a sieve and canning funnel. Gave up on that after about 2
jars because it introduced so many little air bubbles. *But* they
cleared during the BWB, so I have a few perfect jars. I may enter this
jelly in the fair next year after all.

So the sieve thing worked better than I initially thought, I'll remember
it next time I have a batch of foamy jelly.

Bob