Compost Heap Jelly

(yield about 5 four ounce jars) adapted from The River Cottage Preserves Handbook p 41 and 83 and borrowed from http://creatingnirvanatoday.blogspot.com/2010/10/compost-heap-jelly.html

Optional spice bag:
1 stick cinnamon
1" piece of ginger root, bruised
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice

1 pound, 2 ounces apple cores and peel
1 pound, 2 ounces citrus fruit peel (unwaxed lemon, orange, grapefruit and/or lime), cut into about 3/8-inch shreds
Granulated sugar
Juice of 1 orange, lemon, or grapefruit (optional)

Directions

Put the apple peel and the citrus peel into a saucepan. Add sufficient water to cover (you’ll probably need about 6 cups). Add optional spice bag, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 45 to 60 minutes—this softens the fruit and releases the valuable pectin. Remove optional spice bag, if using. Turn the fruit into a jelly bag or piece of cheesecloth and leave overnight to drip. Squeezing the peel to get the juice out can cause your jelly to be cloudy, so resist the urge to squeeze the juice.

Measure the strained liquid and allow 1 cup of sugar for every cup of juice. Return the juice to the pan and add the orange, lemon, or grapefruit juice, if using. Bring to a boil, then add sugar. Stir until dissolved, then boil rapidly, without stirring, until the setting point is reached, about 10 minutes or so.

To test for setting point, use the crinkle or saucer test, dollop test, or temperature test.

Crinkle or saucer test: Drop a little jam onto a cold saucer. Allow to cool for a minute, then push gently with your fingertip. If the jam crinkles, the setting point has been reached

Dollop test: Dip a clean wooden spoon into the jam, hold it up over the pan, twirl it around a couple of times, then let the jam drop from the side of it. If the jam doesn’t run freely off the spoon but falls away in small drollops, the setting point has been reached.

Temperature test: Place a candy thermometer into the jam when it has reached a rolling boil. When it reads 220˚F, the setting point has been reached. Pectin rich fruits will set a degree or two lower (apples are high in pectin).

 Remove from heat and stir, always going in the same direction, until all the surface bubbles have disappeared. Pour into warm, sterilized jars and either swirl or tap the side of the jars to remove any remaining bubbles. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Dreamcicle Jelly

This was the jelly I made last night. It was quite easy and really does taste like my favorite orange dreamcicle bars I loved as a child. I did mine a little different but is basically at least near all the recipes going around. Around here in the middle of the woods there are no vanilla beans to be found, not even in West Branch, I know I tried. Was suppose to make 7 ( 1/2 pints ) and was spot on.

4 cups Simply orange Juice with high pulp
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
1 box fruit pectin

Wash and rinse your jars and I always put them in my boiling water bath until they are needed along with the tops but not the bands.

In a large sauce pan,  (I use a 2 qt casserole pan) put the OJ and sugar and bring it to a full rolling boil. Boil 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and pectin and boil 1 more minute.

Take the jars out as you use them and set tops. then put all the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes and set out in a non drafty area to seal. Six out of the seven sealed as I was pulling them out and the last did about five minutes later.

Note when I do this again I will be cooking it longer as it was a bit runny.

Strawberry Mango Pineapple Jalapeno Jelly

I decided to make some Jam while I was at the store so I picked up the stuff thinking I would do that some day soon. Well I got home and started making the jam, which, turned into jelly as I wasn't thinking and processed it for a full minute in my blender. I used the start of an older recipe I created and tweaked it from there. Seems I can never keep with a recipe and today was no different. As you can see below It made  (9) 8 oz jars which left my scrambling for jars as the  recipe I tweaked only made (7) 8 oz jars

In a blender put
3-5 jalapeños cut in half, scraped of seeds (I used 3)
1 1/4 cup large chopped strawberries (was about 6 food sized ones)
1 mango seeded and skinned
1 small can pineapple chunks with liquid
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

Course for a few seconds for jam and up to a minute for jelly. Then pour into a large pot with

6 1/2 cups sugar
1 box sure jel

Bring to a boil and boil ten minutes. put into hot washed and sterilized jars with hot lids. Seal tightly and put into a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Take out let cool and check to see if tops sealed. If not reheat, use new tops and try again.