HELLO OUT THERE!

As a regular reader of many fine cooking/baking/food related blogs I have long desired a web log of my own. Sadly I have been unable (and I guess a little unwilling) to find the time to record my culinary triumphs and disasters and my general food musings. This afternoon however, while on my (lunch) study break, I decided that it was time I set up a personal blog space - hence Hug Around the Tummy was born.
Now I know that some of you may be wondering if it is wise to take seriously the musings and recipes provided by a gal who calls herself Toad. . . . .
To all those individuals, please rest assured that the pseudonym Toad is merely a measure taken to protect my anonymity and is unrelated to food. I am, as you will come to know in time, a staunch perfectionist and I can assure you that all posted recipes have been well researched and tested. Now without further ado I post my inaugural recipe.

Crabapple Jelly
Over the past year I have developed an almost obsessive fondness for jam and jelly making. Although I initially indulged in this hobby frequently, without restraint, I forced myself to quit cold turkey when the shelves of my jam cupboard began groaning under the weight of my creations and my cupboard steadfastly refused entry to any new jars.Recently however I was gifted with large bag of freshly picked crab apples. Although I had initially intended on freezing these beauties, I managed to negotiate some space in the cupboard (after much counter-gifting of jams and jellies to friends and family) thus making possible a final jam making session. The recipe for this preserve can be credited to Chudleigh's Apple Farm. Although I normally prefer following more detailed instructions, I was completely satisfied with the results (rare for me) so I shall reproduce the recipe as provided by the folks at the apple farm. I hope that you enjoy this jelly as much as I do!

Instructions
Place WASHED crab apples in a stainless steel pot and add water until it can barely be seen through the fruit. Boil the crab apples until they are soft (approx. 10 minutes) then pour the cooked crab apples into a strainer lined with 4 layers of wet cheesecloth. Allow the crab apple juice to drain into a glass (non-reactive) bowl for 24 hours. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE CRAB APPLES OR TRY TO EXTRACT MORE JUICE BY PRESSING ON THEM - squeezing the crab apples will make the jelly cloudy. The following day discard the crabapples in the cheesecloth and measure volume of juice collected. Measure out 1 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice for EVER CUP OF CRAB APPLE JUICE COLLECTED and set aside. Add the crab apple juice to a stainless steel pot and heat at med/high to boiling. Add the sugar and lemon juice to the juice and continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture jells (220F). NOTE: It will take 20-30 minutes for the mixture to reach the jelling temperature. Take the pot off the heat when the jelly reaches 220 F and skim the foam from the surface of the jelly with a metal spoon. Pour the jelly into sterilized jars then seal and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Allow the jellies to set, undisturbed, for 24 hours prior to storing them.