Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Friday, March 05, 2010

Making Rosemary Jelly

I've always thought that canning things - putting up jams and jellies my grandmother might have said - was difficult. I remember as a young girl, when my mom would make jam... seemed like so many steps, so much equipment... funny ingredients like pectin and parafin.

I never thought to try canning until we started our garden last month. I'm hoping that we are able to get a lot out of it, and if we do, I'd like to be able to store some of it. And since we do not have a massive freezer, I figure I am going to have to learn how to can.

I found a recipe for rosemary jelly that sounded good. We have a lot of rosemary. Grows like a weed. Tastes good with pork. The recipe looked easy. Seemed like a big "thumbs up" in my book.

The necessary ingredient list was pretty short:

1 1/4 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid fruit pectin

That, plus 6 or 7 half pint jars with lids.

I started by chopping the rosemary. I used more than the recipe called for because the reviews said that it could use a stronger flavor.



Pour the boiling water over the rosemary and let it sit, covered for 15 minutes.






Strain out the rosemary. Add enough water to make 1 1/4 cups again. Probably you won't need much.

At this point I put all of my jars and the ring part of the lids in a BIG pot of boiling water. I put a rack on the bottom of the pot to keep the jars from touching the bottom. They make special canning racks, but I don't have one. Yet.

Pour the rosemary water back into the pot it was in before. Add the vinegar and sugar.


Stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

It doesn't take that long.
That "watched pot never boils" saying isn't really true. Sometimes it does seem like it though.

When you have a good boil, add the pectin and boil for another minute.

Remove from the heat and skim off the foam. That's the white stuff. It isn't bad or anything, just doesn't look very nice.

Take the jars out of the boiling water and pour the hot jelly mixture into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Top with the jar lids, and close tightly.

Carefully put the jars back into the big pot of boiling water. I have a handy jar lifter for this. Let the boil for 10 minutes and remove.

Let the jars sit in a draft-free area for 12 hours. You will see that the jars will seal up nicely. After 12 hours, remove the rings and gently lift up on the lid. If it is not sealed properly, you will need to boil the jar again in the big pot of water.

I think it tastes really good! It will be great with grilled pork or lamb, or on fresh, hot sourdough bread.



The Recipe:

Rosemary Jelly

1 1/4 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid fruit pectin
2 to 3 drops green food coloring (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine boiling water and rosemary; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid. If necessary, add water to measure 1 1/4 cups. Return liquid to pan; add sugar and vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add pectin, stirring until mixture boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; skim off foam.

Add food coloring if desired. Pour hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Yields 3 1/2 pints.

For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap! And if you have a recipe to share, please join in the fun!





Zentmrs

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6 comments:

  1. That sounds so tasty!! I LOVE rosemary but have killed 4 plants in 2 years. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I want to try again but my husband won't let me! I may just come home one day with one:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I love rosemary but my husband doesn't so I stopped growing it. How would you use this jelly? This would be fun to try.

    Stopping by from http://sweetluvininthekitchen.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm hosting Canning Week on my blog and I'd love to have you join us! We have a linky party with a prize for the best post and many giveaways!

    jen @ messhalltobistro.blogspot.com

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  4. Such great tips and step-by-step guides, I'm sure this will make it so much easier for others who are wanting to give this a try. Thanks so much for linking up and joining our party!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great idea. Thanks for linking it in! Cheers

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