Juice for making jelly

[moorebev]

I am new to canning and jelly making, this is really the first year that I have really got into doing these things and I think I am addicted. I love seeing the end result of all the hard work. My question is when you are making jelly such as apple jelly can you use store bought apple juice? This is the recipe that I want to try.7 cups apple juice 1 cup red cinnamon candies 8 cups white sugar 1 box Sure-Jell 1/2 teaspoon butter

 

[JMediger]

Yes, you can use regular store bought juice. If you can get sugar free or no sugar added, you will get a better tasting jelly (not so sweet).

Good Luck!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Moorebev...

When you consider the cost of juice, sugar, shur-gel, jar lids, time and effort. It is hardly worth the effort from that standpoint. However for fun, and to make something not on your grocers shelf, then...

Have fun, and Enjoy!

 

[CharlieD]

I've never made jelly from juice, but I regularly make jams and jelly from fruits and berries. There is no way in the world you can tell me that it is cheaper to buy them in the store. For example I just made some black currant jelly/jam/preserve (I do not know what it is called properly, actually had the whole thread here about it, and still can't figure it out what's what), anyway, the little jar, 5 o6 ounces cost like $5 box in the store. Did not cost me more than a buck, maybe less.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I wish I could ge my hands on some fresh black currants! They make great jelly, and are good made into a sauce of sorts. I've made blackberry jelly/jam both from wild and cultivated ones in my back yard It is my favorite! Well, next to crab apple! Apple jelly and grape I can buy for 99 cents a quart!

 

[Andy M.]

Jelly is clear and is made from the fruit's juice. There are no pieces of fruit in jelly.

Jam is made with the fruit and contains pieces of the fruit along with jelled liquid.

Preserves are jams with bigger pieces of fruit in the jar. Don't ask, I don't know how much bigger. All the jars in the market seem to be of preserves rather than jams.

 

[BettyR]

I am new to canning and jelly making, this is really the first year that I have really got into doing these things and I think I am addicted. I love seeing the end result of all the hard work. My question is when you are making jelly such as apple jelly can you use store bought apple juice? This is the recipe that I want to try.7 cups apple juice 1 cup red cinnamon candies 8 cups white sugar 1 box Sure-Jell 1/2 teaspoon butter

If you enjoy something a little different you should try this recipe. My husband is addicted to the stuff.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/Recipes/J...PeachPearOther/SURE.JELLDutchApplePieJam.html

I do it a little differently than the recipe; I cut my apples into thin slices as though I were making a pie and I cook them down in a little water until they are tinder and the water that I added to cook them in is reduced to almost a syrup. I don’t use any allspice (I don’t like it) and I increase the cinnamon to 2 teaspoons. I add the 1-1/4 cups of water that the recipe calls for to the hot apples then I add 1/2 cup of dried blueberries rather than raisins.

Then I continue with the recipe as written. I put the jelly into two sterilized quart jars and invert them on a tea towel on the counter for 10 minutes then turn them right side up. The jars seal and I store them in the frig. I don’t mess with the water bath; the jelly never lasts that long and I keep it stored in the frig. anyway.

We are out right now of I would post a picture of it. I’ll be making some soon and if you would like I’ll take a picture for you.

 

[BettyR]

I wish I could ge my hands on some fresh black currants! They make great jelly, and are good made into a sauce of sorts. I've made blackberry jelly/jam both from wild and cultivated ones in my back yard It is my favorite! Well, next to crab apple! Apple jelly and grape I can buy for 99 cents a quart!

You don't need fresh currants, if you can find frozen ones you can use them the same way that you use the fresh ones. If all you can find is dried ones you can pour a little boiling water over them and let them sit to plump up and you can make jelly out of them.

We don't have any place around here where we can buy jelly for 99¢ a quart but even if we did I don't think it would taste as good as what we make. I was at the farmer’s market a few days ago and they had some pint jars of homemade Mayhaw jelly for $4.99 a jar and people will pay it to get homemade jelly.

 

[silentmeow]

We are blessed with an abundance of berries, raspberries(black and red), blueberries, elderberries, blackberries and sour cherries in our backyard every year. I freeze some of the berries whole but to save freezer space I cook them down to juice and freeze the juice. I freeze the required amount for a batch of jelly so come winter when the garden harvesting is done I can settle down and make jelly! I cut the sugar a bit so the tartness of the berry comes through. It makes great Christmas gifts and the occasional thank you gift.

 

[moorebev]

Betty that sounds good, I would love to see what it looks like thank you. I will have to try this.

 

[BettyR]

Betty that sounds good, I would love to see what it looks like thank you. I will have to try this.

I'll be making some in a couple of days and I'll snap a picture for you.

 

[moorebev]

one other question, What hoppens if you use sure-jell that is out of date? I have some and my husband thinks it will be fine.

 

[BettyR]

I wouldn’t use out of date Sure-Jell; I don’t think they would put an expiration date on the box if it didn’t loose its potency over time.

If it doesn’t jell you can rescue it but it’s a lot of trouble. It’s a lot less hassle to make sure all your ingredients are fresh before you start.

 

[CharlieD]

Jelly is clear and is made from the fruit's juice. There are no pieces of fruit in jelly.

Jam is made with the fruit and contains pieces of the fruit along with jelled liquid.

Preserves are jams with bigger pieces of fruit in the jar. Don't ask, I don't know how much bigger. All the jars in the market seem to be of preserves rather than jams.

Andy, Thank you.

 

[CharlieD]

I wish I could ge my hands on some fresh black currants! They make great jelly, and are good made into a sauce of sorts. I've made blackberry jelly/jam both from wild and cultivated ones in my back yard It is my favorite! Well, next to crab apple! Apple jelly and grape I can buy for 99 cents a quart!

I'll be more than happy to send you cople-three branches, it's all you need to plant the plant. By next year you'll have the fresh berries. Let me know.

 

[Loprraine]

"I wouldn’t use out of date Sure-Jell; I don’t think they would put an expiration date on the box if it didn’t loose its potency over time. "

You're right, Betty. I learned that the hard way.

 

[Moosetoo]

Silentmeow, can you give me some pointers on how you process elderberries? We planted 5 bushes last year and they really took off. I'm trying to juice using the same method I use for grapes, but I am not satisfied with the results. I've seen recipes for elderberry pie.....but what about those seeds. I'm really a novice here, so any help would be appreciated.

 

[silentmeow]

Moosetoo, I cut the stems off with the berries attached. I stick the whole stem plus berries into a plastic bag which ends up being many plastic bags! When I get home I put on plastic gloves, really stains the fingers, and strip all the berries off the stems into a large pot. There will be some stems in there and probably some bugs. When I've striped the berries off and the pot is full I wash them which removes some of the stems and hopefully the bugs! Then I dump out or strain out the water and put the pot on the stove over low heat. I cook the berries until they are soft and attack them with a potato masher, squishing the juice out. I pour it through a metal strainer and if I think I've missed a lot I repeat the process. This can be strained several times if you want absolutely no seeds. I've only made jelly with the juice, not sure how good it would be for a pie. I don't make pies because if I did we would eat them! I freeze the juice to use when I want. It's an unusual flavor and store bought can't compare, too much sugar! Keep an eye on the berries as the birds can strip a bush in no time! Hope this helps, it's more of a method than a recipe! I spent money for an appliance that would remove the seeds and found it useless, the seeds plugged up the strainer so I do it the old fashioned way! Have fun and keep me posted!

 

[Moosetoo]

Thank you, Silentmeow. That was very helpful.