Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
grenfell
Posts: 3953
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Post by grenfell »

Christmas morning and the family is coming round later. I've never been a huge fan of cranberry sauce and normally have rowan berry jelly instead so went to the pantry to get a jar. All ok on that front but while in there i moved a couple of jars of crab apple jelly . Ok i'll accept that it should perhaps have been used before hand as it is dated as made in 2014 ( homemade) but that's not really the point of my post. The query i have is that the jelly is no longer jelly , it's liquid. It was certainly jelly when it was made and we have younger jelly that is still , well , jellified. I opened a jar , no mould , no bad smell and it tasted like crab apple jelly , i just had to spoon it out like soup.
This liquidification isn't something i've come across before and wondered if anyone else has experienced it. I'm also in two moods as to what to do with it now. I hate to waste stuff and it still tastes ok but not something i could spread on my toast...
jansman
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Re: Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Post by jansman »

Perhaps not enough pectin in there to make it set?
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grenfell
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Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Post by grenfell »

That would have been my first thought if it wasn't for the point that it had gone into the pantry as firm jelly. We've been eating it as jelly . It's not even as if it's the consistency of runny jam it's far more liquid than that. We've never had this "problem" with any other jam or jelly we've made which is the bit i find odd. I did also find a jar from 2016 and while that is still jelly it does look as if there is more liquid in there that originally. I'll admit to being at a loss.
ForgeCorvus
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Re: Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Post by ForgeCorvus »

I have eaten older jars of jam (factory not homemade) that seem to have become a solid lump with liquid around it..... I'm wondering if you're getting an extreme version of this.
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grenfell
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Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Post by grenfell »

Could be , i'm open to any theory if i'm honest. The internet seems to indicate that crab apples have a fair bit of pectin and it was certainly jelly when my wife made it and non of her other jams and jellies have liquified in this way. I've searched to see if crab apples have some effect that "reverses" the setting action of the pectin for want of a better description but haven't found anything as yet. The jars are all unopened and if it's any sort of contamination or infection it hasn't had any other affect other than the liqidification.
grenfell
Posts: 3953
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Crab apple jelly , or rather not...

Post by grenfell »

I've asked this question elsewhere and it stumped most people if i'm honest. I have had one suggestion that it may be due to the pectin being possibly more unstable in over ripe fruit and it's a possibility that some of the fruit may have been on the over ripe side.