A heavenly recipe that’s oh so tasTEA!

The sweet, light and floral flavor of Honeybush Tea perfectly balances the tartness of the homemade apple pectin to create a jelly that’s irresistible on hot buttered toast. It’s also a winner for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You can even combine it with nuts and spices to provide a yummy filling for apple dumplings!

HONEYBUSH AND APPLE JAM

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Rooibos Rocks Honeybush teabags 
• 2 ¼ cups boiling water
• 3 cups green apple pectin stock (see recipe below)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 ¼ cups sugar

METHOD:

1. Steep the teabags in the boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove the teabags (squeezing out as much of the water as possible). Put the infusion into a 6-8 quart pan. Add the pectin stock, lemon juice, and sugar to the pan. Bring everything to the boil and cook gently for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
2. The jelly should register 220°F on a candy thermometer before you ladle it into sterilized canning jars.

How to prepare the Green Apple Pectin Stock

1. Take 3lbs of green apples (Granny Smith work well) and cut into 8 sections, discarding the stems but retaining peels, core, seeds and fruit - all contain valuable pectin. Place the apple sections in a 6-8 quart pan, add 6 cups of water then cover the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the apples have broken down and the peels separate from the pulp, which should take 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure apples at the bottom don’t brown.
2. Put a large mesh sieve over a deep bowl and pour the cooked apples and juice intoit. Let the pulp drain for at least half an hour, until you have about 5½ cups juice. Stir occasionally to dislodge the pulp at the bottom of the sieve and allow proper draining (but don’t press down too hard as this will push the pulp through the sieve).
3. Don’t waste the pulp – it can be passed through a food mill to remove seeds and skins to create a very tart applesauce that can be eaten immediately or used in another recipe (sweetened and spiced to suit your taste).
4. Bring the 5½ cups juice to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to about 3 cups. This should take about 20 minutes. You can refrigerate your pectin stock for up to 2 weeks or freeze for several months.