After obsessing about it while at work, reading whatever google would produce under "grape jelly" I jumped in. I went ahead and purchased a water bath canner and some jars, printed out visual instructions and made my own grape jelly. Unfortunately, the grapes from the farm didn't produce enough juice to match my recipe. I decided that I am not experienced enough (ha!) to fiddle with the recipe so I went ahead and bought 100% grape juice with no additives from the store to take care of the short fall. Before researching I had no idea you could make your own jelly from store bought grape juice. So half the grapes in my jelly are local and the other half have traveled the world.
Canning is time intensive but I didn't realize how much time went by until I was finished. It took me about 2 hours to make 11 half pint jars. I tasted it before canning and it is yummy. It was not hard and most of my time was waiting for things to boil. Thanks to my blog friends who have been showing off your canning skills. It was what I needed to jump in. I thought crept into my head, "These would be so nice to give as gifts." Then I cringed from the thought. I want to hoard the grape jelly all for myself. It may take me a few more canning sessions before I stop being selfish and am able to give away my own hard work.
Oh and here is a picture of breakfast. Using my new fab cookbook, I made pancakes British style. They are like a thick crepe, dusted with powder sugar and a blob of whipping cream on top. Traditionally, they are served with a squeeze of lemon and powder sugar. My version was sooo good. I loved the cream on top. It melted and was heavenly.
4 comments:
YUMM! Grape jelly is my favourite! I had no idea you could use store bought grape juice!
Maybe next year I'll try some canning, this year most of my cucumbers were left too long (procrastination) and my tomatoes went into a sauce that I just froze.
Yum! You are making me very hungry!
All right! Another member of the canning club! It's so cool to open a jar of jelly that you made with your very own hands. The possibilities of putting food by are endless. Have fun with your new adventure.
Canning does take a lot of time, but it's usually worth the effort. You'll forget about all the work after a few weeks and might even be willing to share a jar or two. Enjoy!
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