I have more than just homemade jelly recipes, check out more links at the bottom of the page.
Following are some excellent recipes for jelly, but first I want to give you some simple tips to jelly making.
When making jelly, you want to prepare small quantities at a time: 2 pounds or 4 cups of prepared fruit will make 2 cups of juice; 2 cups of juice mixed with 1-1/2 cups sugar makes about 2 cups jelly.
For homemade jelly recipes, fruit should be fresh, just ripe, or a little under-ripe. Wild raspberries, blackberries, grapes and plums all make good jelly.
Larger fruit should be washed, stemmed and cut into quarters. Add water to cover and cook until tender.
Berries, currants, grapes and other juicy fruits should be crushed with a spoon or masher. They need very little water, as mashing releases their own juices.
EXTRACTING THE JUICE
Put cooked fruit into a jelly bag (see below) and let it drip for several hours or overnight. Do not squeeze the bag if a clear jelly is what you want. Add a small amount of water to the pulp remaining in the bag, reheat the mixture, return it to the bag and squeeze it through.
HOW TO MAKE A JELLY BAG
Make a bag of cotton cloth or several thicknesses of cheesecloth. Place the cooked fruit in the bag and hang it over a bowl to catch juice as it drips. You may also place the bag in a colander and let it drip into a bowl below it. Pour the fruit into the bag, gather the top ends of the bag and tie securely. Then lift the bag from the colander and hang it over a bowl.
HOW TO COOK JELLY
Cook the fruit in a enameled kettle or pan. Measure the fruit juice. Allow 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar for each cup of juice, according to the amount of natural pectin in the fruit. Fruit with less pectin require more sugar.
Boil the juice rapidly for 5 minutes to reduce it slightly and add the sugar; boiling rapidly until the mixture reaches jelly point (see below). Skim the froth from the jelly and pour it immediately into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
TESTING TO JELLY POINT
What is the “jelly point?” A thermometer is the best way to test to jelly point; which is the point at which it will stiffen when it is cold. The thermometer should hang down the inside of the kettle, with the bulb completely covered with jelly, but it should not touch the bottom of the pan.
The “jelly point” is reached at 8 degrees above the boiling point of water (which is 212 degrees at standard sea level). So you are looking for 220 degrees.
If you do not have a thermometer, you can use the “sheet test.” This is when a spoon filled with jelly is tilted, two drops poured from the side of the spoon flow together and fall as one. Or, a few drops of jelly may be spooned onto a cold plate and quickly chilled. When a spoon drawn through this jelly leaves a track, it indicates that the rest will stiffen sufficiently when it is cold.
HOW TO FILL AND SEAL JELLY GLASSES
Wash glasses thoroughly, place in cold water, and boil for 5 minutes. Keep hot. When ready to use, drain without handling the inside of the glass. Set glasses on a hot, wet cloth and fill. To prevent cracking glasses, place sterilized spoon in glass. Pour in jelly at once, filling to 1/2 inch from the top. Pour a tablespoon of melted paraffin over the top. When cook and the paraffin is set, wipe off any jelly splashes around the top and protect the paraffin with a cover of metal or paper. Label glasses. Now to my homemade jelly recipes.
Homemade Jelly Recipes
This homemade jelly recipe is worth it’s weight in gold. I really enjoy this homemade jelly on fresh bread.
PEACH JELLY
2 cups peach juice
2 cups apple juice
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 cups sugar
The skins from peaches used for home-canning may be used to make juice for jelly. Cover with water, boil hard, and strain. Reduce to two cups. Add apple and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Add the sugar, and boil rapidly to jelly point. Skim and pour into hot, sterilized jelly glasses. Seal with paraffin.
The first homemade jelly recipe is a keeper.
APPLE JELLY
Wash the apples and cut them into pieces Do not peel them or remove the core or seeds.
Put in the kettle and add cold water to cover; cooking till the apples are very soft. Pour into a jelly bag and let drip into a pan. When done, measure juice and place in a pan with an equal amount of sugar and bring to a boil; until it reaches “jelly point” (see above).
Flavor with vanilla or other extracts (cinnamon) if desired. Pour hot jelly into hot, sterilized glasses; seal with paraffin.
BERRY JELLY WITH PECTIN
2 quarts blackberries or boysenberries
1/2 cup water
1 box powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
Mash berries in pan. Add water and slowly bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for a few minutes until the berries are soft. Pour into a jelly bag and let drip into a bowl. If berries are really ripe and mild in flavor, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each cup of berry juice.
Mix juice with the pectin and stir over high heat until it comes to a hard boil. Add white sugar all at once and bring to another rolling boil; boiling for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon. Pour into hot, sterilized glasses and seal with melted paraffin.
This homemade jelly recipe is one of the most popular flavors.
HOMEMADE GRAPE JELLY RECIPE
A tart grape is best for this jelly. The sweet, ripe grapes contain too much sugar. Use half-ripe fruit. Four pounds of grapes (crushed), use 2 cups water. The water helps so the jelly does not crystallize.
Wash grapes and remove stems. Add water and boil until the seeds are free. Press through a colander, then strain through the jelly bag. Measure 2/3 cups of sugar to each cup of grape juice. When the juice comes to a boil – add the sugar and cook to the jelly point. Pour into hot, sterilized glasses and seal with paraffin.
This homemade jelly recipe is excellent with lamb.
HOMEMADE MINT JELLY
1/2 peck snow apples (white fleshed apples – McIntosh parent apple)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
green food coloring, optional
Wash apples, remove blossom ends and quarter. Put into pan with cold water barely to cover. Cook slowly, covered, until apples are soft.
Mash, drain off juice through a jelly bag and measure the juice. Boil the juice hard for 5 minutes and then add 1 cup of sugar for every cup of juice measured.
Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes and add mint leaves. Boil until it reaches jelly point and add lemon juice and green coloring. Strain into hot, sterilized glasses and seal with paraffin.
PLUM JELLY
For this homemade jelly recipe, you will need to use under-ripe, tart plums.
Wash fruit, remove stems. Put into kettle and cover with water; simmering until plums are very soft. Drip juice through a jelly bag and measure. Boil the juice hard for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar for each cup of juice and boil until jelly point. Pour into hot, sterilized jars. I have more than just homemade jelly recipes, check out the links below.
What a wonderful homemade jelly recipe.
RASPBERRY APPLE JELLY
1/4 peck apples
5 pints red raspberries
sugar
Wash and quarter apples, cover with cold water and cook until very soft.
Pick over the raspberries, wash and place in a pan; mash. You may also use currants. Heat slowly to the boiling point and cook until very soft. Place apples and berries together in a jelly bag and collect the juice. Measure the juice and add 1 cup of sugar to each cup of juice measured. Boil until jelly point. Skim, and fill hot, sterilized glasses. Seal with paraffin.
BLACK RASPBERRY JELLY
black raspberries
sugar
Wash the berries, measure and to every quart of berries, add 1/4 cup water. If you want firm jelly, then add 1 unpeeled and sliced tart apple for every quart of berries.
Heat slowly until boiling and pour into a jelly bag and let drip into a bowl. Measure the juice and add 1 cup of sugar to every cup of juice. Bring the juice to a boil, add the sugar and boil to jelly point. Pour into hot, sterilized jelly glasses and seal with paraffin.