How to Make Herb Jelly

Опубликовал Admin
26-08-2021, 11:30
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Chopped herbs – fresh, dried or frozen – make delicious and unique jellies you can store at home or give as gifts! You can make herb jelly using cooking apples, which are a natural source of pectin. Alternately, you can use liquid pectin, which is a faster process and may help the jelly set more firmly. Make herb jelly with water, fruit juice or wine – whichever you think will complement the herbs and/or flowers you choose.

Sterilizing Jars

  1. Choose jars for your jelly. Choose jars with plastic lined, screw-top lids. If you plan to freeze any jelly, make sure the jars are freezer safe. Jelly is poured, so the mouth size of the jar doesn’t need to be extra-wide.
    • Jelly recipes are typically presented with the amount of half-pint jars they will make. For example, if a recipe makes four half-pint jars, you’ll want four eight-ounce (240 mL) jars.
    • Plastic-lined lids are compatible with acidic ingredients like vinegar and lemon juice, whereas other types of lids like waxed and cellophane are not.
  2. Place jelly jars in the dishwasher or a large pot. If you have a dishwasher, wash the jars on the regular cycle. Then set the dishwasher to “heated dry” until the jelly is ready to fill the jars. Alternately, boil the jars in a pot of water for ten minutes. Leave them in the hot water until you’re ready to fill them with jelly.
    • Cooking jelly with apples is an overnight process, so you won’t need to do this until the second day.
  3. Clean the lids. Fill a small pot with hot tap water. Place the metal lids into the water over low heat for at least five minutes. This will clean them and soften the seal. Leave them there to soak until you’re ready to use them.

Selecting Herbs and a Base

  1. Wash and dry the herbs. Rinse herb springs and/or flower petals in a sieve or colander under running water. Allow the sieve to drain. Spread the herbs out on paper towels. Blot them lightly.
    • Some examples of edible flower petals are nasturtiums, violets, pansies, rose petals, violas, calendulas, dianthuses, marigolds, geraniums and daylilies.
    • Some examples of herbs you may want to use are parsley, apple mint, tarragon, lemon thyme, fennel, lemon balm, marjoram and mint.
    • You can use the leaves or flowers for certain herbs, such as scented basils, bee balm, chamomile, chive, garlic, ginger, rosemary and lemon verbena.
  2. Chop the herbs. If the stems aren’t woody, you can chop the herbs with the stems included. Otherwise, separate the leaves and discard the stems. Chop enough herbs and flowers to firmly pack your measuring cups.
    • For example, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, oregano and marjoram all have woody stems. Pinch the top of the stem with one hand. Strip the leaves with your other hand by running your fingers down the stem from top to bottom.
    • Soft herbs like cilantro, parsley and chervil have tender stems. You can chop their stems along with the leaves.
  3. Test the taste in a tea first. Brew tea using the herbs you’d like to include in your jelly. You can use any edible fresh, frozen or dried herb leaves and flowers, if desired. Some flavor combinations will blend well, and some won’t, so this is a good way to test the taste before committing to a jelly flavor.
  4. Select water, fruit juice or wine as a base. Choose water if you want the flavor of your herbs to stand alone. For example, you may want to use water for strong flavors like fennel or basil with cloves. To use wine or juice, select complimentary flavors.
    • Try red grape juice with lemon balm, white grape juice with lemon thyme, or purple grape juice with regular thyme.
    • Lemon verbena pairs well with lemonade, while pineapple sage blends nicely with pineapple juice.
    • Mint, sage, rosemary and scented geranium go well with apple juice.
    • White wine pairs well with parsley or sweet woodruff.

Cooking Jelly with Liquid Pectin

  1. Bring herbs and liquid to a boil. Pour the herbs, fruit juice, water and vinegar into a large pot. Turn up the heat (medium to high). Let the mixture boil for ten seconds.
  2. Cover the pot and remove it from heat. Allow it to stand for about fifteen minutes, or until completely cooled.
  3. Strain the cooled liquid. Place a colander or strainer over a large bowl. Line the strainer with two layers of 100% cotton cheesecloth. Pour the mixture onto the cheesecloth and push it down to squeeze out all of the juice.
    • After straining, the leaves, stems and petals can be discarded.
  4. Boil the herb liquid with pectin. Pour the herb juice into a clean saucepan. Add just a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Add pectin and whisk it until dissolved. Bring the ingredients to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
  5. Add sugar and return to a boil. Stir the sugar in and continue stirring as the ingredients come to a full rolling boil. Allow the boil to continue for one minute (keep stirring).
  6. Remove from heat and skim. Take the pot off the heat and use a metal spoon to quickly skim the foam off the top of the mixture.
  7. Pour the hot jelly into sterilized jars. Place a funnel over a jar. Ladle the jelly into the jar, with 1/4 inch (6 mm) of headspace at the top. Wipe off the rims of the jars and put on the lids.
  8. Place the filled jars in a boiling-water canner for five minutes. Begin timing once the water is boiling. After five minutes, remove the jars and allow them to cool on wire racks.

Cooking Jelly with Apples

  1. Sterilize a jelly bag. Use a hot iron on a clean jelly bag. Your jelly bag can be cheesecloth, a piece of muslin, a pillowcase or a thin tea cloth about eighteen inches (45 cm) square. Place the sterilized cloth over a large bowl or bucket.
  2. Wash and slice cooking apples. Rinse the apples under running water and pat them dry. If there are any bruised or rotten spots in the apples, cut those parts out. Chop the apples into half-inch (13 mm) pieces, with the skin and cores included.
    • Granny Smith apples offer a high amount of pectin, but you can use another type of apple, such as Winesap or Bramleys.
  3. Simmer the apples for 30 minutes. Pour five cups (1.4 L) of water into a pot. Add the apples. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then lower the heat so that the contents simmer gently. Allow it to simmer until the fruit is soft and mushy.
  4. Pour in cider vinegar. Bring the ingredients to a rapid boil. Let it boil fast for five minutes.
  5. Let the apples drain overnight. Place a sieve on top of a clean bucket. Line the sieve with your sterilized muslin. Place a clean tea cloth over the top.
    • The tea cloth over the top is a barrier to keep flies out.
    • Leave the bag to drip for about twelve hours.
  6. Combine the apple juice with sugar. Measure the juice. In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot pour in a pound (454 g) of sugar for every pint (2.5 cups or 570 mL) of juice.
  7. Dissolve the sugar in the juice. Heat the ingredients gently, stirring them occasionally, until all the sugar is dissolved.
  8. Bring the liquid to a boil. If desired, add a just a few drops of food coloring before boiling if you want to give the jelly a rich color such as red or green. Heat the ingredients a little at a time so that the ingredients come to a boil slowly.
  9. Test the jelly every three to five minutes for a setting point. Use a jam thermometer to determine when the jelly has reached 217 °F (103 °C). Alternately, put a couple of testing plates in the refrigerator to get cold. Drizzle warm jam onto a plate and put it back in the fridge for about two minutes.
    • If the liquid begins to froth before it sets, put in a pat of butter.
    • After two minutes in the refrigerator, touch the jam with your finger. If it leaves a crinkly track, the jam is ready.
    • You may find the jam to be tastier if it’s a bit runny. Jam will firm up after several months.
  10. Stir herbs into liquid once it’s cooled a bit. Remove the liquid from heat. After ten to fifteen minutes, gently stir the herbs into the liquid.
  11. Fill the jars with jelly. Place a funnel over a sterilized jar. Ladle the warm jelly into the jar, leaving about 1/4" (6 mm) of headspace. Cover the jar right away with a screw-top lid. Repeat this for each jar.
    • Tip filled jars upside-down for several seconds to coat and seal them. Let them cool right-side-up on a heatproof surface.

Ingredients

Cooking Jelly with Liquid Pectin

  • 2 cups (300 g) chopped herbs and/or flowers
  • 2 cups (475 mL) water, juice or wine
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice or white vinegar
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • 4 cups (800 g) sugar or honey
  • 3 ounces (90 mL) liquid fruit pectin

Cooking Jelly with Apples

  • 1 pound (454 g) cooking apples
  • 1/2 cup (75 g) chopped herbs and/or flowers
  • 1 cup (280 mL) cider vinegar
  • 5 cups (1.14 L) water, juice or wine
  • White granulated sugar
  • Food coloring (optional)

Tips

  • Label your jelly jars once they’re cold before storing them.
  • Store jelly for up to a year in a cool, dark place.
  • Try herb jelly spread on cakes, crackers or roasted meat.
  • For a jelly with spicy bite, try making jalapeño jelly.

Warnings

  • Confirm that your herbs and/or flowers are edible before using them in jelly or tea.
  • Avoid storing jelly jars in damp areas.

Things You'll Need

  • Jars with lids
  • Large pot with lid
  • Small pot
  • Sieve or colander
  • Paper towels
  • Chopping knife
  • Cheesecloth
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Metal spoon
  • Wire racks or heat-safe surface
  • Ladle
  • Funnel
  • Tea cloth (if cooking with apples)
  • Large bowl or bucket (if cooking with apples)
  • Jam thermometer or small saucers (if cooking with apples)
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