Herbed Garlic Jelly

This is a yummy savory spread that lends itself to many uses.  Garlic bread, meat glaze, appetizers, etc.  It is pungent to make in your house, but worth the effort!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 C dry white wine

1/4 C minced garlic

1/4 C white wine vinegar

2 TBS finely chopped, fresh rosemary

3 1/2 C sugar, measured out in a separate bowl

1/2 tsp butter or margarine

1 pouch Certo fruit pectin

4-8 half pint canning jars with 2 piece lids, supplies for water bath canning. 

Prepare jars and lids as you normally would for canning any hot water bath canning.  Leave the jars simmering in hot water until ready to fill, and drain them well just before filling.

Mix wine, garlic, rosemary, and vinegar in a large stock pot.  Stir in the sugar and add the butter to reduce foaming.  

Bring mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin.  Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, and cook for exactly one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, and skim off any foam with a metal spoon. 

Ladle immediately into prepared, hot jars, leaving 1/8 inch head space.  Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp kitchen towel.  Cover with flat lids, and apply screw bands, screwing down to finger tight.  

Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Label and date your jelly, check to make sure that all the jars sealed, and enjoy it!  If any of the jars didn't seal, just keep them in the refrigerator!

Herbed Onion Jelly

I know that all of these savory jellies sound strange, but this one is to die for!  It makes a great glaze for chicken, and vegetables as well.  No need to season it, just put a little of this on it when it's almost done cooking... MMMMmmmmmm-MMmmmm!

Ingredients:
3 C prepared onion juice (buy about 2 lbs sweet onions)
2 C water
3/4 C white vinegar
3 TBS fresh thyme
5 1/2 C white sugar, measured into a separate bowl
1 box powdered pectin
1/2 tsp butter or margarine

Canning supplies for a hot water bath, including 5-8 half pint jars with 2 piece lids, and cheesecloth or a jelly bag.

Bring the boiling water canner, half full of water, to a simmer.  Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water, rinse with warm water.  Pour boiling water over the flat lids in a sauce pan on low to simmer. Drain the jars well just before filling.

Peel, quarter, and finely chop the onions.  Once again, I am happy to have a food processor. Place the onions in a saucepan and add the water.  Bring it to a boil.  Remove from the heat and let it cool just a little before running it through the jelly bag.

Cooked onions, ready for straining

Press the bag gently to facilitate the juicing process. You want to get exactly 3 cups of onion juice.  you can add up to 1/2 cup of water to get the exact measurement, but honestly, I had enough juice for 2 batches of jelly.

Onion juice and thyme

Place your measured juice into a large stock pot.  Stir in the vinegar and thyme.  Stir in the pectin, and add the butter to reduce the foaming.  Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in the sugar, all at once, and then stir to break up all the sugar.  Bring the mixture back to a full rolling boil, and continue to boil it for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove it from the heat.  Skim off any foam and then fill the hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp kitchen towel.  Apply the flat metal lids and then screw the bands on finger tight.  Immerse into the hot water bath.  Add hot water to cover jars by 1-2 inches.  Cover and bring up to a gentle boil.  Process for 10 minutes.  Remove the jars to sit in a draft free area until cooled completely.  Make sure to check that all of the jars are sealed.  Label and date your jelly!

You can add other herbs to this recipe.  I made one that just has the thyme in it, and one that also has sage and rosemary in it.  Both are delicious!

Tomato Basil Jam

This has been a big hit since I made it, and I am sure your family will love it too!  I just got finished making the second batch!

3 C peeled and chopped tomatoes
3 TBS basalmic vinegar
1/4 C lemon juice
1 TBS lemon zest
2 tsp finely minced garlic
2 shallots finely minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 box pectin
3 C granulated sugar
2 TBS finely chopped fresh basil

Canning supplies for a hot water bath, including 4-8 half pint jars with 2 piece lids.

Prepare jars and lids with hot water bath.I am not listing all the steps here, because my regular readers may get sick of it, but I did list them in the Grape Jelly post as well as the Strawberry Jam post.

Place tomatoes, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, red chili flakes, and salt in a large pot over high heat.  Stir in pectin.  Bring to full rolling boil.  Stir in sugar and bring to rolling boil again, cook at rolling boil for 1 minute.

After cooking, while cooling a bit

Remove from heat.  Cool 6 minutes.  Stir in basil.  Fill hot  jars. Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath.  Don't forget to label and date your jars!

Edit:  I have made this recipe a couple of times.  The first time, I had some tomato juice in the pot because I didn't strain the fruit good.  The batch didn't set.  The second time I made it, I did strain all of the juice off of the chopped fruit, and it didn't set either.  You can call it a sauce, but the flavor is phenomenal, either way!

Hot pepper jam

Savory jams make wonderful gifts and are good for a wide variety of things.  You can put it on a cracker with some cream cheese, you can marinate meat in it, you can glaze meat with it; it all depends on you!

I am putting this recipe out there, and the regular version is just as you would expect a recipe from me.  Next to it, however, are some measurements in parenthesis.  If you want to make a hot version (I call this medium), use these measurements. You could also make your own blend using any number of types of hot peppers.  For an atomic heat, I would use all habanero peppers, or mostly habaneros with a little jalapeno.  You get the idea!

It turned out so pretty!

This recipe makes about 6 half pints.

Ingredients:
(2) 2 1/2 C finely chopped red bell pepper
(1) 1 1/4 C finely chopped green bell pepper
(1) 1/4 C finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 C apple cider vinegar
1 (1.75 oz) package fruit pectin
5 C granulated sugar, measured out in a separate bowl.

Half pint jars and 2 piece lids, hot water bath canning supplies.

Once again, I used my food processor for this project.  I cut the peppers in half, and cored/seeded them, and then put large chunks in my food processor and then measured out the fruit, leaving behind the juice.  You want the jam to set, and it won't if it has too much liquid in it.  Also, you may want to over estimate the amount of pepper you need.  I bought 2 enormous red bell peppers, one enormous green bell, and 4 rather large jalapenos, and I had just enough pepper. I also made the medium version.

Place all the finely diced peppers in a large pot on high heat and stir in vinegar and pectin.  Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Some of the reviews of this recipe that I read said that they had trouble with the jam setting, I think one reason is that people don't understand what a full rolling boil is.  You really want a good violent boil when making jams and jellies.  Part of this is to reduce down the amount of liquid and preserve the flavor.

Once the mixture has reached a full rolling boil, stir in the sugar, all at once.  Return the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly, and remove from heat. Again, it is essential to have a good violent boil before you start the timer.  You should be standing there, holding the spoon by the end of the handle hoping you don't burn your fingers.

Skim foam from the top of the jam.  Place into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

As always, label and date your jam!  I made the medium heat level and my husband loves it!  He swears it tastes just like a good General Tso's sauce, LOL!

Apple jelly

I've made apple jelly before, but it always amazes me how much better the flavor is than the store bought kind.  I forget how much I like apple jelly until I taste it again, too! 

Ingredients:
7 C prepared juice (buy about 5 lbs of tart apples)
5 C water
1 box powdered fruit pectin
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
9 C granulated sugar, measured in to a separate bowl

VERY large pot ( I use a 6 qt stock pot, and it boiled over a little)

10 to 12 half pint jars and 2 piece lids, and all of your canning supplies.

Bring the boiling water canner, half full or water to a simmer.  Wash the jars and screw bands with hot soapy water, rinse with warm water.  Go ahead and get your jars in the hot water to sterilize and stay hot.  Get the bands in a sauce pot of water simmering.  You do want to drain both the jars and the lids well before you put jelly in them. 

Wash your apples in some warm soapy water and rinse well.  You don't want any of the insecticides that they use in orchards in your jelly.  Go ahead and get the fruit working by cutting out any bruised or bad places in them, and core them.
  

There is a running debate on whether you have to core apples for jelly, since one of the best places for fruit pectin (the stuff that makes jam and jelly gel)is in apple seeds, but I use my food processor to get a good fine chop on the fruit, so I go ahead and cut out the core, stems and blossom ends. DO NOT PEEL THE APPLES >.>  If you don't have a food processor, just get a good small chop on the apples.  Chopping smaller makes it easier later, though. 

Place the prepared fruit into a large pot and add the water.  There is not going to be a lot of liquid at this point.  Bring the apples to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover them, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Give them a good stir every once in a while to prevent sticking or burning. 

While the apples are simmering, go ahead and get your jelly bag or cheesecloth ready.  If you have made jelly before, you know what a good investment a jelly bag is.  If you haven't I bet you go buy one if you want to make jelly again.  Once the 10 minutes is up, crush up the cooked apples, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.  

You can now scoop the hot apples into your jelly bag (or damp, triple-layered cheesecloth), which should be positioned over a large bowl. 

This recipe makes a large batch, so go slowly.  Gently press the apples every scoop or so to help with the draining process.  Also, if you have never made apple jelly before; fresh apple juice is a bit cloudy, and looks more like cider.  

You need 7 cups of juice into you large pot.  You want to be careful in your measurements, since canning and making jelly is somewhat of a science.  You can add up to 1/2 cup of water to get your measurement exact, if you need to.

Stir the powdered pectin into your measured juice, stir to dissolve. Add butter to reduce foaming and bring it up to a full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Pour in the sugar, all at once, and bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil.  Boil for exactly 1 minute, and then remove from heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle the hot jelly immediately into hot jars, leaving about 1/4 inch head space.  Wipe the rims and threads of the jars with a clean, dampened dish towel to remove any jelly, and place your hot flat lid, then screw down the metal rings finger tight.

Place your jars onto the rack in your canner.  Add enough water to cover the jars by 1-2 inches.  Bring the water up to a boil, and process for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off.  Leave the jars to sit in the water for another 5 minutes before gently lifting them out to a clean kitchen towel, in a draft-free space.

Let your jars cool overnight, then wipe them down and refrigerate any jars where the lid springs back up when pressed (these are not sealed properly).  Make sure you label and date your jelly!

Peach Jam

Are you ready for another trip into delicious Jam Land?  This was another new recipe for me, and I have never tasted peach jam so wonderful!
Ingredients:

4 C. prepared fruit (about 3lbs fresh, ripe peaches)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 (49g) box powdered fruit pectin
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
5 1/2 C granulated sugar

6 to 10 half pint jars with 2 piece lids
Hot water bath canning supplies

Prepare jars and lids with hot water bath.I am not listing all the steps here, because my regular readers may get sick of it, but I did list them in the Grape Jelly post as well as the Strawberry Jam post.

Peel and pit peaches. I found it easiest to peel the peaches with a vegetable peeler.  Once you get them peeled, the best way to pit them is to run a sharp knife all the way around the fruit to the pit and then turn it a little side-ways while still in the fruit.  It should pop one half of the fruit off an free of the pit.  The other side is easy to get by just slipping the knife under an edge of the pit and prying gently.

Finely chop the fruit, and again, I used my trusty food processor. I cut the peaches first into quarters and then diced them roughly to make sure I got an even process without making a lot of juice.

Measure 4 cups of diced fruit in to large pot.  Add lemon juice and stir until well blended, stir in fruit pectin and stir until dissolved.  Add in butter and bring to a full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
I should add that there isn't much 'juice' at this point.

Stir in sugar, all at once and return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim off foam.

Ladle immediately into hot jars.  Leave 1/8 inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

Make sure to label and date your jam!

Concord Grape Jelly

Today I had a new adventure in cooking:  I made grape jelly!  It is really good, and it isn't hard to make at all.  I suggest you make some of your own, it's far better than what you will find at your local super market.

Ingredients:
5 C prepared juice (Buy about 3.5 pounds of fully ripe, loose skinned grapes)
1 1/2 C. water
1 box Sure Jell
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
7 C granulated sugar, measured into a separate bowl

You will also need your canning supplies, and 8 to 12 half pint jars with 2 piece lids. 

Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Stem and crush grapes thoroughly, 1 layer at a time. I suppose you could crush your grapes up with a potato masher, but I used my handy-dandy food processor.  It worked just fine.  I did use seedless grapes, though.  I think if you were to use grapes with seeds in them, you wouldn't want to use a food processor.  The seeds might make your jelly bitter.  

Place mashed grapes in large saucepan; add water. Bring up to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 min, stirring occasionally. 

Scooping hot mashed grapes into jelly bag.

Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Be really careful pressing the bag, the juice is still REALLY hot!

Fresh grape juice!

Measure exactly 1-1/4 qt. (5 cups) prepared juice into 6- or 8-qt. pot.Stir pectin into juice in pot. Add butter to reduce foaming. 

Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, all at once. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. 

Be careful not to get too many jars out of the hot water at once, you want the hot jelly to go in to hot jars!

Wipe jar rims and threads with the corner of a clean damp kitchen towel. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands finger tight. 

Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)