This
exotic and gorgeously pretty lavender jelly will truly delight your
taste buds with pleasure. In fact, you will absolutely LOVE the taste This
jelly would be wonderful served as a dessert with ice cream, pudding, or
cream. It can also be served as an unusual accompaniment to meats, such as
lamb or poultry. How about serving it over brie cheese as a wonderful
appetizer? Let your imagination be your guide!
Check out Linda's
Butters, Condiments, Sauces, Relish & Jelly Recipes for more great ideas.
Lavender Jelly
Recipe Type:
Condiments,
Jams and Jellies,
Lavender Flowers,
Pectin
Yields:
five 1/2 pints
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dried
lavender flowers
Juice of 1
lemon (approximately 1/4 cup)
1 (1 3/4-ounces) box powdered
Pectin or 1 pouch (3-ounces) liquid pectin
4 cups granulated sugar
Preparation:
In a large saucepan over high heat bring
water just to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in dried lavender flowers, and
let steep for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, strain mixture into a deep
kettle or pot, discarding the lavender flowers. Stir in lemon juice and
pectin; continue stirring until the pectin is dissolved.
Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil;
add sugar. When the jelly solution returns to a hard rolling boil, let it
boil for 2 to 4 minutes (see below), stirring occasionally.
Boil Times:
2 minutes - soft gel
4 minutes - medium gel
Testing for "jell"
(thickness - I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and
let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the
consistency I like, then I know the jelly is ready. If not, I mix in a
little more pectin (about 1 teaspoon to 1/2 of another package) and bring it
to a boil again for 1 minute.
After boiling, transfer the jelly into hot
sterilized jars. Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled
jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them.
Makes five 1/2 pints.
Answers to Jelly Making Questions
Why should cooked jelly be made
in small batches?
If a larger quantity of juice is used, it will be
necessary to boil it longer thus causing loss of flavor,
darkening of jelly, and toughening of jelly. It really
doesn't work. Trust me; I've tried many times!
Should jelly be boiled slowly or rapidly?
It should be boiled rapidly since long, slow boiling
destroys the pectin in the fruit juice.
What
do I do if there's mold on my jellied fruit product?
Discard jams and jellies with mold on them. The mold
could be producing a mycotoxin (poisonous substance that
can make you sick). USDA and microbiologists recommend
against scooping out the mold and using the remaining
jam or jelly.
What
happens if my jam or jelly doesn't gel?
Remaking Soft Jellies
This information was extracted from the
Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture
Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. Revised 1994
Measure jelly to be re-cooked.
Work with no more than 4 to 6 cups at a time.
To Remake With Powered Pectin
For each quart of jelly, mix 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup
water, 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 4
teaspoons powdered pectin. Bring to a boil while
stirring. Add jelly and bring to a rolling boil over
high heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard 1/2 minute.
Remove from heat, quickly skim foam off jelly, and fill
sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust new
lids and process as recommended in Table 1. For more
information on how to sterilize jars see
"Sterilization of Empty Jars".
To Remake With Liquid Pectin
For each quart of jelly, measure 3/4 cup sugar, 2
tablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons
liquid pectin. Bring jelly only to boil over high heat,
while stirring. Remove from heat and quickly add the
sugar, lemon juice, and pectin. Bring to a full rolling
boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute.
Quickly skim off foam and fill sterile jars, leaving
1/4-inch headspace. Adjust new lids and process as
recommended in Table 1.
To Remake Without Added Pectin
For each quart of jelly, add 2 tablespoons bottled
lemon juice. Heat to boiling and boil for 3 to 4
minutes. Use one of the tests described on page 5 to
determine jelly doneness. Remove from heat, quickly skim
off foam, and fill sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch
headspace. Adjust new lids and process as recommended in
Table 1.
|
Table 1. Recommended process
time for Remade Soft Jellies
in a boiling-water canner. |
| |
Process Time at
Altitudes of |
|
Style of Pack |
Jar Size |
0 - 1,000 ft |
1,001 - 6,000 ft |
Above 6,000 ft |
|
Hot |
Half-pints or pints |
5 min |
10 |
15 |
