We bought a big box of new season Royal Galas at the markets a couple of weeks ago. Whilst they looked magnificent, they weren’t crunchy enough for our liking (Galas rarely ever are). The boys were really good and no-one complained, but when we saw new season Fujis at the markets last Friday, we couldn’t resist. These looked lousy – all pockmarked and dimpled – but they’re crunchy and sweet, and so fresh that they should last for weeks outside the fridge.
Rather than waste the Galas, I turned them into apple pectin and pie filling. The peels and cores all went into a large pot to boil into pectin (we produced twelve large jars – which should be enough to set at least 36 kilos of fruit). I’ve posted the instructions for making pectin in the Jam section. The remaining pulp was sliced and cooked down with a little water until soft, then drained. I added lemon juice and sugar to taste, cooked it a little longer, then froze most of the filling in one litre containers, ready for a future mid-week treat.
Today I defrosted a box of filling, stirred a teaspoon of cinnamon through it, and made an apple pie for afternoon tea, using June’s wonderful shortcrust pastry. The boys have already eaten half of it!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 