I am a jelly snob.....perhaps is a jam snob, as my brother wants jelly that is clear of things and I do not mind clutter in my jelly.
I grew up eating those sugar things out of the stores and one period of my life, my Mom actually went on a jelly making spree as we had things like Nanking Cherries.......that is a cherry bush supposedly from China.....and she made this substance that I wondered what it was, as it actually had flavor and startled the pallet.
I appreciated jelly after that and wondered at a rhubard blueberry pie filling thing Mom made too, which was a delight.
I found in my jelly making tries that the more tart of fruit produced the most flavorful jellies. My specialty was chokecherry jam, as those little berries are too astrigent to eat.
I have made apple, in you boil the apples, mash, strain and burn you hands to make that clear jelly........made gooseberry, red currant, raspberry........grape...strawberry, all with mixed results as I am a jelly snob.
I made black mulberry and it tasted like soap to me...........that was disappointing as I love mulberry pie.
The reason for this meandering blog is to report on a discovery that I have found an equal to chokecherry and maybe surpasses it, in the sweet Bing cherry.
I realize that Bings are as expensive as gold now, but in that Mom purchased a lug of them for 10 dollars........of course on sale we found they are mostly rotten.
My grocerer though is a friend and the price was refunded, but she said we could do what we wanted with them......the result was cherry jelly.
I discovered that blenders and food processors do have a place....after Mom pitted the cherries which is a real suck job, but I am very thankful for that as it makes the jelly taste better when I do not have to do the suck job.
I put the fruit into a food processor to turn it into a liquid, and then the basic recipe is like 4 cups of fruit, 5 cups of sugar and a Sure Jell.........Mom only had one package, so I tried using that Knox stuff I keep around for goats with intestinal problems, and I think it worked, but it was not as flavorful as the Sure Jell which I suspect has that apple pectin thing going on.
Jelly making is dangerous as it is a thick hot liquid which sticks if it gets on you and burns the whole time like napalm. It is though worth the effort and risk when you taste the end product compared to that Smuckers crap on the shelves. Jelly should be a thing that is like salt, in accenting so much what you are eating that it is bland without it.
I do recommend jelly making, as if one bothers to speak to a store manager and they are not complete asses, most will agree to clearance prices on expired fruit or allow dumpster diving before they end up in the dumpster.
I really would like to try blueberry alone and perhaps will be an adventure with TL in the future, as I love blueberries...at least in pie. In other things, they just are bland and worthless. It is that lemon included with the blueberries that makes them snap.
I think I get about 8 cups of jelly for 4 cups of fruit and 5 cups of sugar, which is about all one needs for a supply. I have jelly from..........oh Lord when my beloved Uncle died which is Clinton era and it keeps just fine. Things sealed will not mold and kept in a moderate dark place do not turn rancid for sometime...at least in jelly.
I really enjoy the sight of that glistening film of jelly starting to show that I have made jelly as I pour it into the jars. Oh and as I destroyed by melting a plastic wide mouth funnel......it is a good idea to have a metal canning funnel for the purpose. Fortunately in my thrift store numbers of old people have died or gone old codger home, and their bratty children who eat Smuckers and Vlasic dump all their primo old canning stuff there, and I of course confiscate it for like 80 cents.
I realize in some areas like Ohio you can pick your own blueberries by the buckets what it cost for a few containers in other areas, so you probably have things in your locality that would suffice. I know of a South Dakota recipe for corn cob jelly.......that is like horse nuts Hannah in how absolutely devoid of everything do you have to be to be using a corn cob.......I conclude it must be a flavor like store purchased jelly in being something sweet......better than a kick in the head as they say round those parts.
Any way, I am going to close up shop on this as have to photoshop a photo for the banner and then get this posted for today.....unless of course it reposts for another day as something more important happened.
Never hurts to have a case of homemade jelly on hand.....makes bread allot more fun when that is all on has to eat in times of starving.
Bing cheeries though when not tree ripened make better jelly than for eating.
agtG
