Home Made Jelly without the Corn Syrup!

How to Make Homemade Jelly from Fruit Juice

I remember being a very small child and watching my mom, grandma, and aunts make home made canned jelly.  The process seemed so overwhelming, and it’s definitely not something we kids ever got to join in on.  Canning jelly at home has long been a sort of dream of mine, as I love many of the “old” domestic arts.  I figured it would have to wait until the kids were much older, but when I got the chance this week to make jelly with my mom, I decided to go for it.

You know what?  It wasn’t very hard.  YOU DON’T EVEN NEED SPECIAL CANNING EQUIPMENT!!!  Not only that, but the kids got to join in just about as much as they do on other cooking projects, and I know they’re going to be so proud to have “their” jelly on sandwiches and toast this winter!

Don’t be intimidated by the number of pictures in this post, it’s actually very easy, and it probably took a little less than an hour to make 12 half-pint jars.  I just don’t usually have another adult around when I’m doing crafts and cooking, so I got a little shutter-happy since I wasn’t doing it all on my own.

Home Made Jelly Recipe

How to make home made raspberry jelly.

Start by washing your jars and the ring tops.

Put the flat lid part into a shallow pan, cover with boiling water, and leave them there until you need them later.

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Pour exactly four cups of juice into a pan on medium-high heat. (We used raspberry juice from some U-Pick berries, but I’ve been looking around, and it seems like you can even do this with regular 100% juice from the store! Just be sure to look up the recipes, as the amount of sugar will vary.)

Add in the sugar.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to limit the amount of foaming that will happen.  Stir constantly until it comes to a rolling boil.

 

Quickly add two packets of fruit pectin while stirring.  Return to a full boil, stirring constantly, for one minute.  Remove from heat.

Use a metal spoon to skim the foam off of your home made jelly.

You will feel the liquid getting a little thicker. Ladle it to within 1/8″ of the top of your jars.

Wipe the rims and threads of your canning jars, place the lids on, and screw the rings on tightly.

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Place jars into a large pot with water that covers them by at least 1-2″. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

Remove your home made jelly from the “water bath,” and let cool on a towel. You’ll want to check and make sure that they seal by gently pressing down on the lids to make sure you don’t hear a “pop” sound.