I'm using the base of Ball's Pepper Jelly Recipe and adding a bit of variation in hot peppers. I think this has just the right amount of "kick." Try this delightful jelly. It's easy to make & even easier to eat. A great use for all your Summer garden produce. Enjoy! Diane
Pepper Jelly yield: about 6 half-pint jars Ingredients
Directions:
Notes: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned. Recipe Adapted from: Ball Fresh Preserving Photos by: Canning and Cooking at Home
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I was out for a walk with the dogs earlier this week and the sights of all the blooming flowers and trees had my senses heightened. Then I saw a beautiful dark purple lilac bushes in my neighbors back yard and remembered, when I was little we'd pick the flowers off and suck on the ends to get the nectar - so lightly sweet with that lilac smell. I came home and thought "I wonder if I can make that into a jelly?" The answer is - yes! At that point I sent out feelers amoung my neighbors to see who had lilacs that would share and my neighbor John was kind enough to let me pilfer his large lilac that was in full, beautiful bloom!! I came home and immediately got to plucking off the flowers - knowing this wasn't a recipe that could 'wait'...You need to gather your lilacs and prepare to sit and pluck for a good 90 minutes! You want only the flower - not the brown stems nor the green mini flower stems (those act like bottle stoppers and hold in the nectar) Make sure to pack down the flowers in your measuring cup as you go!! I also saved a few flowers to place in each jar when making the jelly (which I won't do next time as those flowers turned an ugly brown color in the jars after processing) The two cups of packed flowers will be about 4 cups loose in a quart canning jar...I didn't weigh the amount of lilacs I trimmed off the lilac bush but, I packed a small shopping bag full and used it all!! I am totally impressed that my 'liquid' stayed lilac in color!!!! A lot of folks have their flowers turn amber or yellow upon adding the boiling water - it may be that they waited too long to steep their flowers, or had a different variety/color of lilac flower, or didn't remove all the brown and green stems...I did everything pretty swiftly from the gathering to the plucking and boiling...which I think yields the best results. ~Enjoy! Diane
Lilac Jelly 2 cups of packed lilac flowers 2 1/2 cups of boiling water Place the flowers into a quart canning jar, pour the boiling water over the flowers, make sure the flowers are submerged in the water, place lid on and shake a few times then let the jar sit out at room temperature overnight (about 10 hours) Grab a jelly bag and empty out the flowers and liquid into that to strain into a non-reactive bowl below (don't squeeze the jelly bag or your liquid will darken with some brown/green tinges.) 2 cups lilac water 1 box of sure-gel powdered low sugar pectin (pink box) 1/4 cup freshly squeeze lemon juice 4 cups of sugar Stir together the lilac water, lemon juice and sure-gel and bring to a boil. Add in the sugar and bring back to a roiling boil, stirring constantly. Once you reach a rolling boil, boil hard for 1 minute then remove from the heat. scrape off any foam that settles on top and then pour into sterilized containers. process in a water bath for 10 minutes or according to your altitude. Note: depending on the color of your lilacs - your end resulting jelly 'color' can be yellow, amber or lilac. My lilacs were vivid purple and dark purple - resulting jelly was a beautiful lilac purple/pink!! and yes, it tastes great!! A very light floral honey flavor (the same flavor you get from the nectar in the flower) Yield: Recipe makes approx 40 oz. total Recipe adapted from: Forager Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Who knew that you could 'jelly' some soda? or do you say pop? In any case, JD made some Mug Root Beer Jelly and said it turned out great. He remarked that it goes great with peanut butter too! I can't wait to try Cream Soda or Dr Pepper Jelly! ~Enjoy! Diane
Root Beer Jelly *guest post Ingredients: One 12 ounce can or bottle of Root Beer Three cups sugar One 3 oz envelope liquid pectin Directions: Bring root beer and sugar to full rolling boil, add in liquid pectin and cook 1 minute after mixture resumes to a boil. Ladle into hot, sterilized/prepared jars to 1/4" head-space, Water Bath 10 minutes or according to the elevation in your area. Recipe should work with any other soft drink but, the use of liquid pectin is preferred. Makes approximately 3 1/2 half pints Photos by: JD Provence for Canning and Cooking at Home Updated 6/6/16
I sense just a bit of "Spring" in the air!! (maybe its just my allergies - lol) It's time for me to revisit what 'jammie' creations from seasons past have thrived and which ones need tweaking. There are of course, my personal favorites and family favorites, I will list the "favorites" first below...these are the 'tried and true' and most requested. I hope you enjoy my recipe collection. Stay tuned as I will be adding new creations like Lavender/Lemon Jelly! ~Enjoy! Diane Family Favorites/Most Requested: Spiced Apple Butter: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/fall-is-in-the-air-spiced-apple-butter Caramel Apple Jam: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/caramel-apple-jam Peach Butter: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/homemade-peach-butter-small-batch Peach Jam: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/colorado-peach-jam-how-i-feel-for-jams Sweet Cherry Jam: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/sweet-cherry-jam Honorable Mentions: Pineapple Lime Coconut Rum Jam: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/pineapple-lime-with-coconut-rum-jam Sweet Blood Orange Jelly with Almond: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/sweet-blood-orange-jelly-with-almond Blood Orange Marmalade: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/blood-orange-marmalade Strawberry Orange Jam: http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/garys-blue-ribbon-strawberry-orange-jam Plenty More to Share! Click on Jam below to go to that recipe... As always, use the 'search box' on my website to go to these other amazing canning and cooking at home creations! Apricot Vanilla Bean Jam Blueberry Lemon Jam Blueberry Orange Marmalade Blackberry Jam, seedless Spiced Fig Jam Spring time Strawberry Vanilla Jam JD's New Years Jam Pluot (Plum/Apricot) Jam Wild Plum Jam Blush Apple Almond Jelly Red Wine Jelly Watermelon Jelly *fridge only Sweet Corn Cob Jelly Blackberry/Raspberry Jam Raspberry Sauce/Coulis/Jam Sweet Cherry with Pineapple Jam Diane's Strawberry-Honey Jam Maple Bacon Jam *fridge only Lilac Jelly Root Beer Jelly Remember: Replacing Sugar with Honey:
you can replace up to 1/2 the sugar in a recipe - up to 2 cups limit. I tried this recipe as a small batch just to make sure we liked the taste and that the jelly set up properly...while my initial idea was to use honey and sugar, I thought I'd try Splenda for a no sugar jelly... I have also included my favorite sugar/honey spiced orange jelly recipe that we love...~Enjoy! Diane Orange Jelly {Sugar Free} *I used Splenda in mine Ingredients: 4 cups prepared orange juice 3 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit Low or Sure Jel Low/No-Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine, optional Up to 3 cups sugar, 1-1/2 cups SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener: Granular, 3/4 to 1 cup honey, or desired amount of other artificial sweeteners (optional) 3 to 5 half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands Directions: Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning. Procedure: Sterilize canning jars and prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions. To make jelly. Place orange juice, in a large saucepan. Stir in half of your sugar choice (mix the other half with pectin, set aside) . Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add remaining sugar with pectin, continue stirring, and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. skim off any foam quickly. Pour hot jelly immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner 10 minutes or according to your altitude. Recipe Adapted from: Ball Fresh Preserving **********************Alternate recipe**************************************** Spiced Orange Jelly {Not Sugar Free} Ingredients: 2 cups orange juice (about 5 medium oranges) 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons) 2/3 cup water 1 package powdered pectin 2 tablespoons orange peel, finely chopped 1 teaspoon whole allspice ½ teaspoon whole cloves 4 sticks cinnamon, 2 inches long 3½ cups sugar (you can replace sugar: using 1 3/4 cups sugar and 1 3/4 cups of honey in this recipe) 3 to 5 half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands Directions: Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning. Procedure: Sterilize canning jars and prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions. To make jelly. Mix orange juice, lemon juice, and water in a large saucepan. Stir in pectin. Place orange peel, allspice, loves, and cinnamon sticks loosely in a clean white cloth; tie with a string and add to fruit mixture. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Remove spice bag and skim off foam quickly. Pour hot jelly immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner 10 minutes or according to your altitude. Recipe Adapted from: NCHFP All Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home |