Why Should You Make Your Own Apple Pectin?

Fall is a season of abundance and harvest. Today, I am going to talk about apples and how to use apples to boost your health.

First, let’s talk about a few health benefits of apple juice. Alkaline in the apples helps the digestive system cleanse and detox. Apple juice is rich in potassium, which is crucial for heart function. Apple juice contains 88% of living water that our body cells can absorb easily for hydration. Apple juice is one of the best hydrating food for your body.

Now let’s talk about the amazing health benefits of apple pectin. Pectin is a naturally occurring gelatinous substance that is extracted from fruits like berries, apples, and citrus.

• ·       A prebiotic that promotes good gut bacteria.
• ·       Improves blood sugar and reduces the risk of diabetes.
• ·       Promotes weight loss by increasing the length of fullness.
• ·       Regulates digestive system and relieves both constipation and diarrhea.
• ·       Helps detoxify the body and removes the toxins inside your body.
• ·       Promotes bone health with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
• ·       Improves cholesterol profiles and benefits heart health.

How to make homemade apple pectin with an abundant supply from Mother Nature? Apple pectin is pretty simple to make and quite inexpensive. If you have access to local farmers, you can get lots of free under-ripe apples that fall off the trees, they are ideal because they contain higher levels of pectin. The best apples for making apple pectin are the small under-ripe ones that should be stripped off the tree to allow for healthier, larger fruits. This makes homemade pectin a bonus product from apples that would have otherwise been thrown away and wasted. 

Method One:

Here are the ingredients for 2 cups of apple pectin, 3 lbs of under-ripe apples, and 3 tbsp. lemon juice.

Instructions: Chop apples into large chunks, including the skins and seeds, and place them in a large pot. Add enough water to just cover the apples, about 8 cups, then add lemon juice. Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until apple chunks are reduced by two-thirds to a half, and apples are very soft. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve. You will get about 4 cups of liquid. Return the liquid to a pot and discard solids. Bring the liquid to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bubbles are large, the liquid is syrupy. Pour the liquid throw a cheesecloth into a bowl. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and tie it into a knot. Hang the cheese knot over the bowl to drip overnight to get the most out of it. The remaining liquid you get is apple pectin.

Method Two:

In a large pot, bring chopped apples and water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down. Line a large bowl with a dampened cheesecloth. Pour the pulp and juice through the cheesecloth. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth, and tie it into a knot. Hang the knot over a bowl and allow it to drip into a bowl overnight. The next day, port the apple juice into a large pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook with low heat until the liquid is reduced by half. The final product is your homemade apple pectin, you can refrigerate and use it within a few days or pour it into containers and freeze for up to 6 months.

It is tricky to determine the level of pectin you have achieved in your liquid. If you want to use your homemade apple pectin for jam, it’s a good idea to test your liquid. The most commonly used test to determine the strength of pectin in your liquid is to mix 1 tsp. of your pectin liquid that is cooled to room temperature with 1 tbsp. of rubbing alcohol, stir the mixture well, and let it sit for one minute. If the mixture firms up to jelly, you have a good strength of pectin.

When making jams and jellies, homemade pectin is a great alternative to commercial pectin because now you know for sure you are using the best organic ingredients. If you have an apple tree in your backyard, it is truly a treasure tree for your health. What do you think? For more information on holistic nutrition and alternative medicine, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.