Cranberry Bee Balm Jelly Food

CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Put the cranberries in a saucepan. Remove wide strips of zest from 1/2 orange with a peeler; add to the saucepan with the juice of both oranges (about 1/2 cup). Add the sugar, coriander, a pinch of salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and remove the orange zest; stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a serving dish, pushing the sauce through with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

COSMOPOLITAN JELLY

Steps:

• If using the optional bee balm place in a jar and top with the vodka. Let sit overnight up to a week. Strain and set aside.
• Pour the juices, (not the vodka) into a heavy bottom pot. Whisk in the pectin to dissolve. Bring to a full rolling boil.over medium high heat, stirring frequently.
• Stir in sugar stir to dissolve, add the infused vodka or flavored vodka and return to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
• Skim foam. You can add 1 teaspoon butter when cooking the juices to a roiling boil before the sugar to reduce foam .
• Place one orange zest in each jar.
• Pour into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process in a boiling water bath 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool without moving in a draft free place. Label and store out of direct sunlight.

CRANBERRY & CLEMENTINE JELLY

Steps:

• Tip the berries and clementines into a preserving pan, and pour in 1 litre of water. Gently heat, stirring frequently, for 30 mins until the berries are soft. As the mixture softens, lightly crush to release all the juice from the berries. You can do this with a potato masher.
• Cool the mixture, then tip it into a jelly bag suspended over a large bowl, or into a large plastic sieve lined with muslin. You need a plastic sieve, as the acidity in the fruit will affect anything metal. Leave overnight so that the juices run through.
• The next day, measure the liquid. You should end up with 1.4 litres. If you have less, make up the mixture with water. If more, boil to evaporate the excess. Meanwhile, sterilise your jars and put a small plate in the freezer to chill.
• Return the liquid to the pan and add the sugar. Heat until dissolved, then bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, and allow to cook for about 20 mins. Use a sugar thermometer to take the temperature up to 105C or, after 15 mins, start checking it's set by dropping the mixture onto a chilled plate. When it is ready, the mixture will appear set when you push your finger through. The drips that come off the spoon will also look syrupy. Spoon off any remaining scum and stir in the Port. Pot into the jars, then leave to set. Will keep for at least a year.

SPICY PEPPER ORANGE JELLY

Steps:

• First you will need canning jars.
• Next, you will need to wash your jars and screw bands. Then sterilize them in boiling water to kill off any germs and bacteria.
• Set your jars and screw bands to dry in a clean area.
• Finely chop your peppers and orange peel.
• Add your peppers to a large pan over high heat. Mix in vinegar and fruit pectin.
• Stir constantly and let it reach to a rolling boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove from heat.
• At this point, you want to add sugar. Stir well and put it back on high heat, continually stirring. Let it reach to a rolling boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat. Skim off all foam.
• Ladle jelly into 8oz jars filling to 1/4in from the top. Cover with flat lids and screw on screw bands tightly.
• Place jars into canner. Water should cover jars completely. Water should be hot, but not boiling. Bring water to boil and process 5 minutes. Pull jars out and cool.
• You will start hearing a popping noise as the jars seal. When jars are completely cooled, check seals by pressing centers of lids with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.).
• Note: Scoop one ladle of pepper jelly in each jar to evenly distribute peppers before completely filling each jar. The peppers rise to the top. If you do not evenly distribute them, you will have no peppers left for the last jars.
• Note 2: If you don't like it spicy don't add spicy peppers, if you like it very spicy use spicier peppers! The orange peel is a personal choice, you don't have to add it.
• Enjoy.

FRESH FLOWER/HERB SYRUP

Steps:

• Join all ingredients in a large pot.
• Mix well until sugar and citric acid are dissolved.
• Let sit 2 days.
• Sieve and bring to boil.
• Fill the hot syrup in bottles (be careful while working with hot syrup).
• Serve with cold water or mineral water.
• Ideas: Use this syrup on plain yogurt, on ice cream, with sparkling wine, and many other ways.

FAMOUS HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Bring the berries and water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Crush the berries or put through a food mill.
• Strain the juice in a cheesecloth-lined sieve.
• Add any additional water if need to bring the juice up to 5 cups.
• Bring the juice and sugar up to a boil.
• Add the margarine, then the liquid pectin.
• Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly boil hard for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.
• Skim foam from surface and pour into sterile pint jars and seal.
• Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
• NOTE: Highbush cranberries are a fruit of the honeysuckle, and completely different fruit than the lowbush or commercial cranberry.
• Highbush cranberries grow on a shrub with pointed leaves whereas cranberries grow on a vine with oval leaves.
• Highbush cranberries have a single seed, which needs to be removed.
• If you have ever smelled something reminiscent of stinky socks on a stroll through the bush, you are likely very close to a good patch of highbush cranberries.
• The seeded pulp of the highbush cranberry can be used interchangeably with the pulp of the regular cranberry in any recipe.

HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Simmer the berries in the water (watch that the ratio is 2 c berries to 3 c water) for 10 minutes. Boil Rapidly for 3-5 minutes.
• Strain the liquid through a jelly bag or cheese cloth lined sieve overnight. Do not squeeze the mixture or your jelly will be cloudy.
• For each cup of juice, add 2/3 c white sugar. Stir it up well.
• I used 5 cups of juice and 4 1/2 c sugar for my batch.
• Bring to 220-222 degrees on candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat, skim off any foam.
• Pour into sterile jars and put in 5 minute water bath.
• OR: Bring juice and sugar to a boil, boil hard for 1 minute. Turn off heat, add pectin, stir well. Skim, fill jars and place in water bath 5 minutes.
• Enjoy your jelly!

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Combine the first three above ingredients and simmer until the berries begin to burst. Remove from the heat and taste. If it's too sweet for you, add a bit of lemon juice to increase the tartness.
• If it's too tart, you can add a bit more sugar and return to the heat in order until the sugar is integrated.
• Once the flavors are adjusted and the fruit has cooled a bit run it through a food mill or press it through a sieve, to remove the skins.
• Pour into clean jars (leaving 1/2 inch head space), wipe rims, apply lids (make sure to simmer your lids at approximately 180 degrees for about ten minutes prior to use) and process in a boiling water canner for fifteen minutes (starting the time when the canner returns to a boil).
• This recipe makes just a bit more than a pint (I filled a pint and a four-ounce jar).
• If you can't help but mess around with recipes, try adding some cinnamon, orange zest or a bit of vanilla bean (it's delicious, it just didn't match the food memory I was trying to satisfy). Make it your own!