Making Jelly

I spent yesterday making several batches of jelly. I love making jelly. There is nothing that compares to the taste of a home-made batch of jelly. And when you open one of those jars up over the winter, oh the taste of that jelly beats anything you can buy at the store by a mile.

I've been making jelly for several years now. I thought it was overwhelming when I first heard about it, but it's actually one of the easist preservation methods out there. You don't have to pressure can, and if you have a deep enough pot (or short enough jars) you can do this at home. I bought a canning rack at Wal-Mart for a few bucks a couple of years back, and I put this into my deep soup pot. It's a flat metal disc that sits on the bottom of the pan and keeps the jars from sitting directly on the heat.

You do need fresh fruit. Nothing moldy, or even questionable.  Think of it as a beauty contest!  Only the finest looking fruits go in!  I like to go pick our own at one of the pick-your own farms in our area. You need 4-5 cups of berries per batch, and it's more cost effective to pick it yourself and pay the bulk price. You'll also need a box of pectin. I use Sure-Jell- it's what our grocery store carries. The key to remember with jelly is to follow the directions in your pectin to the letter. I can not stress that enough! You must follow the directions to the letter! Jelly making and canning food for long term storage is not the time to experiment with a recipe! The recipes have been developed to inhibit the growth of molds and other frightening organisms that live in preserved food. Changing up the recipe could also endanger the lives of those you love. (Now, isn't that a cheery thought?)

Having said that, let's move on to the fun part!

Assemble the jars.  I use any jelly jar I have in the house!  The lids have to be new every year.  You can not re-use the lids!  (The lids are in the boxes)  You CAN reuse the bands- the hollow circular lid parts.

The directions say to crush the berries by hand with a potato masher.  I used to do that, but I've found that the blender does just as good a job.  It still leaves me with fruit chunks, but they are smaller and more evenly sliced.

Cooking the jelly.  Nothing compares to the taste of cooked jelly!  This is where I used to make my big mistakes when I first started jelly making.  I'd dump all of the sugar and pectin in and then bring it to a boil.  It would never jell, and would remain runny.  THIS is where you have to read the directions!  A portion of the sugar, and the box of pectin is added at the start.  The rest of the sugar is added once the jelly comes to a full boil.  Then, you bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil again.  Stir constantly! Once you can no longer stir down the boil, boil the mixture for exactly one minute, and then remove from the heat.  (Again, check your pectin and follow the manufacturer's instructions on the length of boiling time.)  I always use Sure-Jell, and that is the boil time for that particular brand.

The jelly has been put into jars.  I wipe the jelly off the rims, put the lids on, and then screw on the bands.  Since that big jar on the left isn't completely full, that one isn't going to be canned.  I'm going to put that in the refrigerator for us to eat tonight!

Everybody into the hot tub! This is called the "Water Bath Canning Method".   Once the jars go in, one inch of water must cover the tops of the jars in order to ensure a good seal.  The jars hang out in the water for a while.  Again, check the directions for the length of time they stay in the hot tub.  Times vary according to the fruit you are using.

Finished jelly!  About an hour from start to finish..  After the jars have cooled, check the seals on the lids.  Press down on the center of the lid.  If the lid bounces back, or pops, the seal is not complete.  You will have to refrigerate those jars and eat them first.  Make sure you label your jars with the item and the date.  I always write on the lids- it's a visual cue to myself to let me know that I've already used the lids and can't use them for canning again.  I store leftovers in mason jars in the fridge, and put an old (clean) lid on the top.  I feel better putting leftovers into a mason jar than into a plastic container.