Let me know, Max, if you ever try that Shaker Apple Catsup. When the family says, “Pass the catsup,” you give them a jar of Apple Catsup. Wonder if they would notice the difference?
This Shaker recipe I have made many times. It is just your basic Apple Jelly with a twist: Ginger. The Shakers were almost as big on lemons as they were on apples. The believed, correctly, that lemons were good for you, and they ordered wagon loads of them. Knowing the Shakers, I will bet they even tried to grow them in their orchards. Cold climate or not.
To me, this is even better made with candied ginger that is finely minced. If your apples don’t cook up a pale pink blush, a tiny drop of red food coloring helps.
I included the Shaker sister’s comment from the original recipe just for fun. Think of cooking up a big batch of this in a huge copper kettle over an open fire. We don’t know how fortunate we are to have stoves that produce steady heat.
Shaker Apple Ginger Jelly:
3 pounds apples
3 cups light brown sugar
1 ½ cups lemons
2 tablespoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon salt
With a grater, grate off all the peel from both lemons. Peel and chop the apples. Place in a heavy sauce pan and add the sugar, spices, grated lemon rind, the juice from the lemons, the ginger and the salt. Add just enough water to keep the mixture from burning. Cover and cook on the lowest temperature for 4 hours. Uncover, stir, and add water if necessary. “Great care must be taken to keep from scorching,” wrote the Shaker sister from Shirley Village.
Turn out into small jelly jars. Seal. Makes about 2 pints jelly.
Finely chopped preserved ginger slices can also be used.
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