Red Currant Pomegranate Cranberry Jelly Reduced Sugar Food

RED CURRANT JELLY

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash the currants, and if the stems are on don't pick them. You'll get rid of stems and seeds later when you strain their juice.
• Place the washed currants in a nonreactive pot -no cast iron unless it is enameled, and no aluminum. Add the water.
• Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until the red currants have released all of their juice, about 20 minutes. While they are cooking, gently crush the fruit with a potato masher or the bottom of a wine bottle; this will help the fruit release the juice.
• Drain the red currants and their liquid overnight by pouring the mixture into either a dampened jelly bag or by lining a colander with butter muslin or several layers of cheesecloth . Pick your method and place a large bowl or pot underneath the bag or colander. Do not squeeze the jelly bag, muslin, or cheesecloth because that will result in a cloudy jelly.
• Sterilize your canning jars .
• Once strained, measure the red currant juice. You should have about 2 1/2 cups.
• Pour the measured juice into a large, nonreactive pot and add an equal amount of sugar-for 2 1/2 cups of juice, add 2 1/2 cups of sugar.
• Bring the red currant juice and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches the gel point .
• If the jelly is ready before the jars are sterilized, simply remove the jelly from the heat until the jars are ready. Reheat the jelly just back to a simmer before filling the jars.
• Ladle the hot, liquid jelly into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace.
• Screw on canning lids.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Keep in mind that the jelly will still be hot and liquid when it comes out of the boiling water bath. It will gel as it cools.
• Once cooled, the jelly is ready to be used. Enjoy!

RED CURRANT POMEGRANATE CRANBERRY JELLY, REDUCED SUGAR

Steps:

• Pour all juices and water into heavy cooking pot.
• In a small bowl, combine pectin and ¼ c sugar.
• Add to juices in pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly.
• After liquid comes to a boil, quickly add remaining sugar and mix in well.
• Bring mixture back to a hard rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down) and boil for one minute.
• Remove from heat and quickly ladle hot liquid into sterilized jars.
• Screw on lids and process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.
• Remove from bath and wait for lids to"pop".
• If all processed properly, let sit undisturbed for 24 hours before testing for gel.
• If some of your jars did not process properly, refer to your pectin box for re-processing or put in your refrigerator and treat as open jar of jelly, using within one month.
• *Note: To make red currant juice, wash red currants well (you don't need to remove stems).
• Put berries in heavy cooking pot and add ½ cup water.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Pour cooked fruit into a jelly bag and let drip over bowl for several hours, or until done dripping.
• Don't try to coax the juice out quicker by squeezing the jelly bag or your jelly will come out cloudy.
• 4 pints of berries gave me 2 cups juice.

RED CURRANT & RASPBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Using a potato masher, crush currants in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.
• Add water& bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat, cover& boil gently for 10 minutes.
• Add raspberries, return to a boil& boil gently for 3 minutes.
• Strain mixture through a coarse sieve, pressing pulp to extract juice& discarding the solids.
• If you want, you can now pour the juice through a jelly bag (cheesecloth)- I'm lazy& don't do this!
• You should have 4 cups of juice - when I don't get that amount, I top up with cranberry cocktail - combine juice with sugar in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.
• Bring to a boil& boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, stir in pectin& ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Be sure to remove any air bubbles.
• Place jars into boiling water in canner, add enough water to cover lids by 2 inches& return to boil.
• Boil for 5 minutes.
• Remove from canner, cool, label& store in cool, dark place.