Quince Jelly

First Stage of Cooking

1. Cover the quince with water:

   Put the quince pieces in a large stockpot with a thick bottom and add water (if you are eyeballing it, put in enough water to cover the pieces of quince by about 1 inch.)
2. Cook the quince until soft:

   Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the quince pieces are soft.
3. Mash the cooked quince:

   With a potato masher, mash the quince to the consistency of slightly runny applesauce. Add more water if necessary. If the mash is too thick, you won't get enough juice out of it.
4. Strain the quince juice from the pulp:

   Place a metal strainer over a pot. Drape 2 layers of cheesecloth over the strainer. (You can skip the cheesecloth if you are using a fine mesh strainer). Ladle the pulp into the cheesecloth. You may need to have two strainers set up this way.

   Let the pulp strain for 3 to 4 hours. If you aren't getting enough juice out of the pulp, you may need to mix more water into the mash.
5. Measure the juice and add sugar:

   Measure the amount of juice you have. It should be about 4 to 5 cups. Pour the strained quince juice into a thick-bottomed pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Measure out the sugar—a little less than 1 cup sugar for every 1 cup of juice. Add the sugar to the juice.

Second stage of cooking

1. Bring to a boil:

   Bring to a boil, initially stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved, so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Insert a candy thermometer to monitor the jelly temperature.
2. Skim the foam:

   As the jelly cooks, skim off the foam that comes to the surface with a spoon.
3. Sterilize the jars and prepare the lids:

   As the jelly is boiling, sterilize your jars for canning. Wash the lids and rings in hot, soapy water.

   How to Sterilize Canning Jars

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4. Look for the set point:

   As the temperature rises above the boiling point of water (212°F), you will notice the consistency of the jelly/juice begins to change. When the temperature is approximately 6 to 8 degrees higher than boiling point at your altitude (anywhere from 218°F to 220°F at sea level) the jelly is ready to pour into jars. (Quince has so much pectin, it can set earlier than other types of jellies.)
   

   Simple Tip!

   Note that candy thermometers aren't always the most reliable indicators of whether or not a jelly is done. Another way to test is put a half teaspoonful of the jelly on a chilled (in the freezer) plate. Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it with your fingertip. If it wrinkles up, it's ready.

Canning

1. Ladle the jelly into jars and seal:

   Use a large ladle to pour the jelly into the sterilized jars to 5/8 inch from the top rim of the jar. Seal the top with a canning lid and ring. You will hear a popping noise as a vacuum seal is created as the jars of jelly cool.

   Lower the filled jars into a water bath canner and process for 5 minutes. Remove the jars form the canner and let cool. The sealed jars will keep at room temperature for at least 1 year, but are best consumed within 12 months. Refrigerate any unsealed jars for up to 6 months.

   Simple Tip!

   If you want to use paraffin wax to seal the jars instead of the canning lids, melt some paraffin in a separate small saucepan. Pour enough melted paraffin over the jelly in the jars to add 1/4-inch layer of wax to the top. The paraffin wax will float to the top, cool, and harden, forming a seal over the jelly as it cools. Note that this method is no longer endorsed by current canning experts because sometimes it doesn't seal perfectly, and mold can get in.