Quince Jelly

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Gather the ingredients.

2. Step 2

   Wash quinces and cut off stem ends. Leave peels on. Core fruit by chopping around cores. Compost or discard stems and cores.

3. Step 3

   Chop fruit into large chunks, 6 to 8 pieces per quince.

4. Step 4

   Place quince in a large pot. Pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft, about 1 hour.

5. Step 5

   Mash cooked quince with a potato masher. If mashed fruit is on the dry side, add a little more water. You want a consistency like soupy applesauce.

6. Step 6

   Place a colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth or a very finely meshed strainer over a large bowl or pot. Ladle runny quince mash into strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander. Leave it for 2 hours. Save mash to make quince paste .

7. Step 7

   You should end up with at least 4 cups of juice. If you are not getting much juice, stir a little more water into the mash in the cheesecloth-lined colander or the strainer (do not add water directly to strained juice or it will be too diluted).

8. Step 8

   Sterilize canning jars in boiling water. While jars are sterilizing, measure juice. Pour quince juice into a large pot. Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup of juice.

9. Step 9

   Bring juice to a boil over high heat. Stir constantly at first until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir occasionally after that until the ​ gel point .

10. Step 10

    Ladle into sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch space at the top. Screw on canning lids.

11. Step 11

    Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove jars of quince jelly from boiling water bath and allow them to cool completely.