Tag Archives: jelly

wild rose petal jelly and syrup

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

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wild rose petal jelly

This post is a catch-up from last July when Brian carefully picked a bundle of wild rose petals for me- truly a labor of love! We dried some and made a batch of jelly with the rest.

wild rose petal

I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website. I followed the advice of a reader and doubled the amount of pectin but my jelly still did not set and I had wild rose petal syrup instead. I look forward to trying again next year for the prized jelly. In the meantime, I have been enjoying this syrup mixed in fruit salads, as Nature Pop and drizzled over chocolate cake. The last four jars will be saved for the darkest days of winter when we can enjoy the scent of July wild rose blossoms and the promise of summer-to-come.

wild rose petal syrup

For medicinal and nutritional benefits of wild rose petals, click here to visit a previous cabinorganic post. In the meantime, here is Martha Stewart’s recipe:

Rose Petal Jelly

2 cups water

3 cups unsprayed pink rose petals, thicker tissue at base of petals removed

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 ounces liquid pectin (or double this)

1 tablespoon rose water

STEP 1 Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan; remove from heat. Add petals; cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain liquid into clean saucepan. Discard petals.

STEP 2 Add sugar and lemon juice to pan. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes; add pectin, and boil 2 minutes (for firmer jelly, boil up to 2 minutes more). Remove from heat, add rose water. Pour into sterilized jars, and let cool completely. Store in refrigerator up to 6 months.

wild rose petal jelly2

wild rose petal jelly

I will let you know the results of next summer’s attempt in July!

hot pepper jelly

13 Sunday Jan 2013

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hot pepper jelly

Here is the jelly recipe that I use for those yummy cheesy hot pepper jelly tarts. This jelly can be made any time of year and is a great hostess gift. Serve this jelly with brie or camembert cheese and crackers. It is also lovely on scones.

hot pepper jelly

Hot Pepper Jelly

1-½  cups red (or green) peppers, seeded and chopped

¼ cup canned jalapeno peppers, drained and chopped

1-½  cups white vinegar

6-½ cups granulated sugar

6 oz. liquid pectin

Combine chopped peppers and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into large pot.

Add sugar. Heat on medium-high heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.

Stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil on high heat. Boil hard to 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off foam.

Pour into hot, sterilized jars to within ¼ inch from the top. Seal. Makes 6 half pints.

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves. Edmonton, AB: Company’ Coming Publishing Limited.

chokecherry jelly

06 Sunday Jan 2013

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chokecherry jelly3

I was rummaging though the pantry this afternoon and realized that I never did share my chokecherry recipe last fall! My apologies!

I remember eating chokecherries as a child as we had a bush in the backyard of one of the houses that we lived in. I could barely stand the intense tart flavor but they were addictive and I liked the way they made the inside of my mouth feel.

Last summer, while restoring the Zen deck, I heavily pruned a large bush that grows through the center of it and was delighted to discover that it was a chokecherry bush! B spent hours picking these berries from the roof in the late afternoons and I made jelly from them. One batch was picked and made in early August and the other in late August. It is interesting to note the difference in color, with the earlier batch a cherry red and the later batch almost a deep purple.

Both batches did not set properly but that is fine with me as I will be using these taste syrups for pancakes, waffles and crepes. They will also be nice added to soda water for a fruity bubbly Italian Soda.

chokecherry jelly

chokecherries

Chokecherry Jelly

3 lbs chokecherries

3 cups water

3 cups prepared juice

6-½ cups sugar (or less if you like it less sweet)

6 ounces (170 grams) liquid pectin

Combine chokecherries and water in a large pot. Heat on medium-high until it comes to a boil/ Boil slowly for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour berries and juice into a jelly bag in a bowl. Tie the bag above bowl or place bag in food mill or large sieve so the juice will drain into the bowl.

Combine reserved juice and sugar in a large pot. Stir over fairlt high heat until it comes to a boil.

Stir in pectin, continuing to stir as it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off foam and pour quickly into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of the top. Seal. Makes 6 half pints. Enjoy!

chokecherry syrup

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves. Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

chokecherries1

and finally… apple jelly

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

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At last, here is the crabapple jelly recipe I’ve been using for over a decade. It’s from Jean Pare’s Company’s Coming series on Preserves. I’ve tried adding a single bird’s eye chili on each jar for color and a bit of heat but usually I stick to the classic recipe. Crabapple jelly is my absolute favorite along with raspberry jam.

 Crabapple Jelly

4 ½ lbs. crabapples, or tart apples, such as Granny Smith

7 cups water

5 cups of the prepared juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

3 ¾ cups sugar

Remove stems and blossom ends from apples. Coarsely chop apples with peel and core included. Turn into large pot. Add water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Cook for about 50 minutes until mushy-soft. Drain several hours or overnight in a jelly bag.

Combine prepared juice and lemon juice in a large pot. Add sugar. Stir on medium-high heat until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, testing for jelly stage near the end. Skim off foam if necessary. Pour into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of top. Seal. Makes 3 half-pints.

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves.  Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

the season for jams and jellies…

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in appreciate the seasons, cook, preserve, wild berries

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Since early August I have been been busy picking berries as they ripen in the wild and preserving them in jams and jellies.  I love making preserves! I love the process of turning berries into little jars of sunshine, the satisfaction of a cupboard filled with preserves and the way the entire house smells like pie when the jams and jellies are cooking. I also love giving these jewels away as gifts as it is rare to enjoy wild berry preserves unless your lucky enough to find them at the farmers market or you pick and preserve them yourself.

Above is this year’s gooseberry jam. Click here for the recipe.

Here is this year’s rosehip jelly. One batch set beautifully and the other did not. I will simply label the watery one as ‘rosehip syrup’ and use it for pancakes and waffles. Click here for the recipe.

This raspberry jam is not from wild berries but from fruit from a dear friend’s backyard. Click here for the recipe.

Here is some high bush cranberry jelly in progress and below is the final jellies, just in time to serve with Thanksgiving turkey. Click here for the recipe.

I have also made apple butter, apple jelly and two batches of chokecherry jelly. I will post those soon with the recipes. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season!

Swamp Red Currant Jelly

29 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by in cook, forage, preserve, wild berries

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I decided to use the strained juice to make a teeny tiny batch of jelly. I was thinking of the Potted Saffron Brioche I plan on making for breakfast tomorrow morning and thought how wonderful it would be to have a tart little dollop of wild red currant jelly to go with it. My 2 cups of fresh Swamp Red Currants only yielded 1/4 cup of strained juice. As you can see, it wasn’t quite enough jelly to fill this little jar, but it will be just enough to spread on a few brioche tomorrow morning!

Swamp Red Currant Jelly

8 cups wild red currants

2 cups water

4 cups of the prepared juice (after straining)

3-1/2 cups organic sugar (or whatever sweetener you prefer to use) Note: I only use half the amount of sweetener as we don’t like things to be too sweet.

Juice of 1 lemon

Combine the currants and the water in a pot. Gently crush or mash the currents to a pulp. Bring to a boil over medium heat and allow the mixture to boil for 15 minutes while stirring gently. Drain in a jelly bag for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Place the drained juice in a pot. Bring to a boil on medium heat and boil rapidly for 5 minutes.

Stir in your sweetener and the lemon juice. Boil hard for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Test for the jelly stage. Pour into hot sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch to the top. Seal. Yield: 3 half pints.