Mom and I make a production of making jelly at least once a year. So far we've made plum, peach, strawberry, and grape jams and jellies. The plums and peaches used are always either from our own trees or those belonging to friends or neighbors. Strawberries are always fresh and in season when they're best. We've never tried using frozen strawberries, but I can't imagine that they'd be any good for this purpose. The grape jelly was made from store-bought grape juice. We've only made grape jelly once, and while it had a really good taste, the consistency of the jelly was closer to syrup than jelly and we ended up throwing it out. Personally I think this was due to a lack of pulp in the juice.
People have said to me before that they always thought making jam or jelly was an incredibly complicated process and that's why they've never tried it. I say that, while preparing to make the jelly is somewhat time consuming, the actual process of making jelly is really quite simple.
Below is the process Mom and I use when we make plum jelly as we did it today. It's the same process used for nearly all jams and jellies; the only difference is the ingredient ratios and amount of jelly yielded. These directions are nearly the same as those you will find inside a box of pectin, though we have tweaked it just a bit to suit our own tastes. Perhaps seeing how it's done will inspire you to give it a try yourself.
Since we never make just one batch of jelly, we find it easier to do this as a joint effort. One of us (usually me) does the mixing and stirring while the other (usually Mom) makes sure everything stays clean and organized. It is possible, though, for one person to do all of this alone.
Two warnings before we begin:
1) If you're planning to make more than one batch of jam/jelly, do not try to shorten the process by doubling the batch.
2) Homemade jam/jelly is not for the diet-conscious. Do not try to exchange the sugar for sugar-substitute.
Attempting either of these will result in syrup instead of jam/jelly.OK then. Here we go.
Ingredients:- 1 box pectin (we usually use SureJel but any brand will do)
- 1 tablespoon butter/margarine (not absolutely necessary but we've found that it cuts down on the frothiness during cooking)
- 6 cups plum juice (we leave a fair amount of pulp in the juice as it improves taste and color)
- 8 1/2 cups sugar
Yields 4-5 pints or 8-10 half-pints
You will need:- canning jars (either pint or half-pint) with rings and lids (It's helpful to have a few extra ready as yield is never exactly the same.)
- large stock pot or dutch oven (at least 5-quart size)
- small saucepan
- ladle
- funnel with wide opening
- mixing spoon (preferably one with a longish handle) NOT a whisk
- clean, wet rag
- hand towels
- pot holders
- timer or clock with second hand
We always put the canning jars through the dishwasher first. It not only gets them clean but the heat of the dishwasher sanitizes them as well. Remember, you're trying to preserve food here. Cleanliness counts!
If you're doing this alone, you'll need everything laid out before you start mixing and cooking. After the jars are washed and sanitized, make sure they're all completely dry and set them out on your counter near the cooking area. Make sure there's a hand towel or something else to put the cooking pot on later as you'll be moving it to that area when you fill the jars with your cooked jelly. Put the funnel, ladle, rings (but not lids), wet rag, and an extra hand towel with the jars.
Put the lids in the small saucepan and cover them with water. Place this on the stove but don't turn it on just yet.
Measure the sugar into the bowl and set it near the stove.
In the large stockpot, add your plum juice, pectin, and butter/margarine. Place that on the stove, but don't turn it on yet.
Now is the time to make sure everything is within reach. Make sure you've got something to drink, that you've gone to the bathroom, have your cell phone handy - whatever. Once you start cooking your jelly you can't walk away from it until the jelly is in the jars. You're going to be busy for about 20 minutes, give or take.
This is the plum juice before the pectin or butter were added. There's a bit of froth already happening and the juice is very cloudy because of the pulp.
When you're ready to begin, turn the burner under the stockpot to high and begin stirring slowly. S L O W L Y. This is a major point on contention between Mom and me - and why I always end up being the one to mix and stir. The saying about "a watched pot never boils" somewhat applies here. A pot that's stirred to quickly takes forever to boil. Once the pectin dissolves you're only trying to keep the juice from scorching. Just stir nice and slow.
Stir until the juice comes to a full boil. For these purposes we're going to define a "full boil" as a boil that is not disrupted by stirring. Once it's reached a full boil, gradually add the sugar. Keep stirring as the sugar dissolves. You'll notice that the juice immediately becomes very clear. LOL Congratulations! You now have fruit-flavored syrup!
Turn the heat under the small saucepan (with the lids and water) to medium. Heating the lids in this manner will soften the rubber seal around the lid and allow it to adhere to the jar. Heat just until the water comes to a boil and turn the heat off. Over-boiling could cause the rubber seal to soften too much and your jars will not seal. THIS WILL CAUSE YOUR JELLY TO SPOIL AS THE JARS MUST SEAL TO ENSURE PROPER FOOD PRESERVATION. After turning off the heat, leave the saucepan on the stove until needed later.
Continue stirring juice mixture S L O W L Y until the mixture comes to another full boil.
Here is the point where we tweaked the directions from the package. The directions from the package say to stir at a full boil for two minutes. We've found that the consistency of the finished product is not as firm as we like it when boiled for two minutes. We've since started increasing the boil time to two minutes and thirty seconds. This gives a firmer jelly that we like better. Boiling time is up to you but it must be at least two minutes. Remember that the longer you boil the mixture, the firmer your finished jelly will be. Set the timer to your preferred time (or start watching the clock) and stir until the time is up. You'll have to stir faster now, though, because the mixture expands rather violently during this time.
When time is up, turn the heat off and remove the pot to the area where the jars have been set out. Be mindful of what you touch from here on out. The mixture should be upwards of 220 degrees by now.
Home stretch now, folks. Here we go.
Using the ladle and funnel, transfer the mixture into your prepared jars, filling up to the bottom rim.
After the jars are filled, use the wet rag to clean any spilled jelly from the rim of the jar. Be sure to use a hand towel when handling the jars! They're hot!
Remove the saucepan of lids from the stove. One at a time, remove the lids from the water (you can use a pair of tongs if needed), tap off the excess water, and lay the lids on the filled jars. Screw the rings on tight, remembering to use a hand towel when holding the jars. They're hot!
After you screw on the rings, turn the jars upside down. This will aid in sealing the lids. Make sure the jars are not touching each other. Leave them like this for 5-10 minutes. Go sit down, begin clean-up, go to the bathroom, have a smoke - whatever. Just leave the jars alone for 5-10 minutes.
Ready to finish this up?
After the jars have been upside down for the proper amount of time, turn them right side up again. Use a hand towel! They're still hot! Arrange them so they're not touching and leave them alone for a bit. After about 20 minutes (it varies), you'll begin to hear popping sounds from the jars. This is the lids sealing. Success! It shouldn't take more than an hour for all of the lids to seal. You'll be able to tell if the lids didn't seal. Be sure to give them plenty of time to seal first. Gently press down on the center of the lid. If you're able to press down, it didn't seal properly. This doesn't mean that the jar is spoiled! An unsealed jar can be put in the refrigerator and will remain good for a couple of weeks.
After the jelly has cooled completely (and the lids have sealed, of course) make sure the outside of the jars are clean. (Hey! Jelly making is a sticky business!) You can use a stick-on label and write the type of jelly and the date made or use a permanent marker to write the type and date on the lid. Put one jar in the refrigerator for immediate use and store the rest in your pantry or cupboard.
This method will preserve the jelly for at least a year. It may preserve it longer but, in all honesty, we've always either eaten it all or given so much away that it never lasts even a year!
