So much work was done yesterday..
I was finally able to cut the grass (we’ve been getting rain all week). We pulled weeds in our garden, and old plants were dug up and carted to the mulch pile. We also added more fall plants to our garden…
And of course I canned; fig jam and grape jelly was made…
The fruit comes from our fig tree and grape vine that grow in our garden. Our grape vine produces a grape that’s not overly sweet and it’s tart too. We love them, and the grape jelly tastes the same way.
Canning: How long does it take jelly to set?
If you’re new to jelly making, don’t get discouraged if your jelly doesn’t set immediately. Sometimes it will take a while. 🙂 As a rule, I don’t gift anyone with the jelly until a few days later… simply for that reason. It’s perfectly edible before it sets, but I want it to be an actual jelly before I gift it to someone.
Yesterday it took about six hours for our grape jelly to set. There’s been occasions where our jelly has set almost immediately. This morning, almost 24 hours later, the grape jelly has become even more firm. The information included on the fruit-pectin packet, says it can take up to five days.
If you’re using a fruit pectin, such as Sure-Jell, make sure you follow the recommended suggestions. And although I rarely follow a recipe, when it comes to fruit pectin, I always use the recommended suggestions.
With the fig jam, I added orange and vanilla bean to my recipe and loved how it’s turned out. I’m not much of a sweet eater, but I’ll be sure to sample that fig jam again.
I use a smooth top stove, but have had not trouble canning. If you have a smooth top stove, make sure the surface of your pot is flat. If it isn’t you can always add a small metal cooling rack. I have a stainless steel cooling rack that I place onto the burner, and then I place some of my pots on that. I have a few pots that don’t have a flat surface.
We now have 25 jars of jam and jelly. Of course some will be given away as gifts, the rest will be stored away to spread on freshly baked bread, or perhaps added to thumbprint cookies, jelly rolls, jelly cakes, etc., oh I could ramble for a while about the variety of ways I could use my preserves.
What will I be canning next?
- Hot pepper jelly
- Mint Jelly
- Pickles
- Salsa
And although I don’t measure, yes that carries over into canning too, I’ll be sure to make an exception or two and post some of the recipes here at Celebrate Life.
Pepper jelly is on my list too! We love to use it in one of the grilled cheese sandwiches we make. 😎
Curls and Q recently posted..So Much Water, Glacier National Park
I love hot peppers @Curls and Q, The hotter the better (for me). I eat them raw, I started doing that when I was about five-years old. Hot peppers has some amazing health benefits too, so pure win for me. 😉
Aynaria recently posted..A watched pot never boils…
Wow! I have always wanted to make my own jam, just like my granny did it 30 years ago… The self made jam testes alway better, and you can be sure that there’s nothing unhealthy added. I wish I could have some more time to give it a try, I feel totally inspired by your great experiences!
Agi@fogbeültetés implantáció recently posted..Újra teljes lehet a mosolyom a fogbeültetés révén
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