What are you canning now?

[Kim_NC]

Quote:
Lilac jelly? I would love a description and a recipe.

I used purple lilacs. The jelly came out a rosy/purple shade and is very translucent. Quite pretty in the jar. It tastes...ummm...floral, much like the blossoms smell but more faint.
Lilac Jelly

2 cups fresh lilac blooms
2 cups boiling water
juice of one lemon (4 tablespoons)
1 package of powdered pectin
4 cups sugar

Make an infusion with blooms and water by placing your blossoms in a glass jar and covering them with the boiling water. Put a lid on the jar, and set aside for 24 hours. The infusion will turn a murky bluish green. Strain and discard the lilacs. Add the lemon juice to the lilac infusion. Stir in powdered pectin, and bring to a boil. Add the sugar, bring to a boil again, and boil vigorously for one minute. Skim if necessary. Pour into sterile jars and seal.

Makes approximately 4 cups jelly.

 

[Kim_NC]

You can do the same thing with other flowers if you can't get lilacs this year. Clover and honeysuckle for example are 'popular' for wild jellies. Others say the greens are bitter though, so be sure not to get any leaves mixed in.

 

[ozark hen]

Kim, that is awesome info. I assume you have to be careful as to what kind you use? I wish I had known this during the lilac season but now you have me thinking. LOL I have tons of wild honeysuckle..........what about white roses??

 

[wegotchickens]

I know that when you candy rose petals you're supposed to cut away the white part closest to the stem. It's bitter. I'd imagine the same would be true for making jelly.

I never did candy any rose petals, just remember reading that.

Maybe I'll try making some rose petal jelly instead of drying them all for potpourri. I'm harvesting regularly so I'm getting more flowers than ever! It would be a neat novelty jelly to add to Christmas baskets. And would be really pretty in those cute itty bitty jars, too!

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
I imagine you could make jelly with anything edible. I've even seen onion jelly!

I've got some lavender plants I'm putting in the ground this afternoon. Was planning to use it for potpourri too.

Wondering what potpourri jelly would taste like....

 

[JennsPeeps]

I was out walking tonight and walked past 2 rotting cardboard boxes sitting on the curb. I noticed that there were 2 pint mason jars in the gras next to the boxes, so I checked out the boxes.

SCORE!! 2 dozen intact pint mason jars!!!

After I got home I hopped in the car and went back to get them.

The 2nd best part is that I got to check the distance on my walk and it's what I thought it was. YAY!

On the subject of wild jellies & lavendar, last summer I made lavendar syrup & lavender sugar. The sugar hasn't been all that exciting but the syrup with some lemonade is divine. Add some sake (cold, of course) or some vodka and you've got a lovely summer adult beverage.

 

[Buckhorn Farm]

Quote:
such a cool find......lucky you!

 

[Scoop]

I just canned 9 pints of strawberry/rhubarb jam last night. Out of this world yummy!

A few weeks ago I was at a flea market with my son and he spied a carton of canning jars for $1.00. I grabbed them so quick your head would have spun! I thought they were pint jars but when we got home I discovered they were quart jars, most with lids and rings! Man was I ever a happy camper! I couldn't thank my son enough for pointing them out to me!

 

[cackle]

Quote:
Acre,

My zuchinni arre just starting to come in. Would you please share your recipe??

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

I have been canning like crazy here in No. Cal. In fact got up early to can but my addiction to BYC took 1st priority.

We are fortunate to have a fruiting Mulberry tree on our property and have harvested the tree three times and got over 3+ gallons of juice. Mixed with Boysenberries (2 cups Boysen 1 1/2cups Mulberry) and WOW! just one more level of richness. We laugh at the fact that we are from the Napa Valley and there people do wine tastings and we are now sitting down to breakfast with a pile of toast and homemade jams and doing "jam tastes". I made a batch each of Raspberry, Strawberry and Boysenberry wine jelly this week. That is on the taste test this morning.

Also, some one was talking about Lavender syrup. I have a recipe for Lavender jelly if you would like it - it is wonderful.


"Be Different" - Don't go with the flow - you are the flow. - Sugi Tanaka