Fresh Lemon Jelly Recipes

LEMON JELLY RECIPE

Steps:

• Place a saucer in the freezer.
• Sterilize the jars. For more information regarding sterilizing jars, have a look at this post.
• Squeeze the lemons to obtain 500 ml/ 2 cups juice and the clementines to obtain 250 ml/ 1 cup juice. Strain the juice to remove the pulp.
• Pour the juice into a large wide pot. Add the sugar and stir well.
• Bring to a boil, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture is boiling set the timer to 10 minutes. Stir often while the jelly is cooking.
• After 10 minutes of cooking time start checking the jelly. Place a small amount of jelly on the freezer saucer and wait for about 30 seconds. If you are able to trace a line through the jelly, a line that stays that way, then the jelly is done. If not, return the pot to the burner and continue boiling for a few minutes more.
• Try the consistency of the jelly again and continue in this manner until the consistency is right. The time the jelly needs to get the right consistency depends on the pot you are using. Mine was large and wide and that sped up the process, my jelly only needed 15 minutes.
• Pour the jelly into the sterilized jars and close well.

FRESH LEMON JELLY

Steps:

• 1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel.
• 3/4 cup lemon juice.
• Combine lemon peel water and juice for 10 minutes.
• Strain to remove pulp seeds etc.
• Measure 2 cups juice.
• Combine 2 cups juice with sugar.
• Cook over high heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
• QUICKLY stir in pectin.
• Return to full rolling boil.
• Boil for 1 minute.
• Fill in 4/8 ounce jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Procecss in a water bath for 5 minutes.

LEMON JELLY

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, lemon rind and water in a glass bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.
• Strain mixture into a large saucepan.
• Add sugar to juice mix and stir well.
• Bring to a hard boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
• Stir in fruit pectin.
• Bring back to full boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in food coloring.
• Skim off foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle into hot sterilized jars (I run mine through the dishwasher).
• Cover immediately with 1/8 inch hot paraffin.

MEYER LEMON JELLY

Steps:

• 1. Take 2 pounds of the freshest lemons you can find--not overripe or stale because the younger fruit has more pectin in it. Slice off the stem-end of the lemon but leave the blossom end intact as that's the end that has more pectin in it. Using a blade on a food processor or a mandolin, slice the lemons as thinly as you can and throw them into a large stockpot with 3 quarts of water. Bring the lemon water and zest to a boil and then reduce your heat and gently boil things for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture set for 30 minutes (you can let it set longer if necessary--overnight if you must). Strain the lemons, seed and pulp from the liquid through three or four layers of cheese cloth. This should give you about 5 or 6 cups of liquid (the recipe said 5 but I got 6 and it worked fine for me). Now here's the trickiest part: Combine the liquid, 2 cups of fresh lemon juice and 6 cups of sugar back in the stockpot and bring to a boil. Immediately once everything is well combined you'll notice that the juice is suddenly light and clear and shiny. That's your pectin reacting with the sugar and the acid from the lemon juice and it's supposed to do that. Trust me, it's very pretty. Boil the mixture fairly hard (though not too aggressively, you don't want it overflowing or going too foamy on you), stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until the jelly begins to "sheet off the back of a spoon." I had no idea what "sheeting" meant so I wasn't quite sure when the jelly would be ready. After ruining a batch I figured it out.
• 2. The best thing to do is to take a plate and stick it in the freezer, ready to go so that when you have boiled the mix for 10 minutes and it appears to be ever-so-slightly thicker on the back of your spoon you can then take out the frozen plate, put a teaspoon of the liquid on the plate and see if it sets up. If it does, that's prooof that the jelly is ready. Mine set up just a little bit on the plate but after boiling my first batch too long I decided to put the jelly in jars anyway and see if it was done despite my apprehensions. I warn you, it may look completely runny and watery but it really only takes about 10 minutes to see a slight change in the consistency off that spoon and over boiling it is disasterous because it makes the lemons taste bitter and burnt. If you want that fresh lemon taste you can't overboil it. I know, I ruined my first batch doing that. Once the 1o minutes have passed then immediately pull the pot off the stove and ladle the jelly into four waiting half-pint jars that have been properly cleaned and sterilized. Screw on the lids and invert them on the counter for 5 minutes, then turn them back right-side up and they'll seal themselves nicely. There is enough acid in the lemon jelly not to have to worry about a water bath. It should keep nicely for a year or so--if you can wait that long to eat it.

BASIC JELLY

Steps:

• Combine fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, mashing occasionally with a potato masher, until fruit is very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl; let drain without pressing on fruit, 4 hours. Strain again through sieve lined with damp cheesecloth. Measure juice; you will have 3 to 4 cups.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring juice to a boil. Add 3/4 cup sugar for each cup of juice. Add lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Return to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, 8 to 12 minutes. To test if jelly is done, dip a large metal spoon in, lift it horizontally above pot, and let mixture drip back in. Jelly is done when mixture has thickened slightly and drops of it slide together off spoon in a sheet. (Temperature should register 221 degrees on a candy thermometer.) Skim foam from top.
• Ladle jelly into clean containers, leaving 3/4 inch of headroom. Let cool completely. Cover, label, and refrigerate up to 1 month, or freeze up to 1 year.