Best Cranberry Bee Balm Jelly Recipes

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.

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!

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.

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!

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine cranberry juice and sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly., Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot liquid into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

CRANBERRY JELLY FROM (FROZEN CONCENTRATE)

Steps:

• Measure juice into a 6-8 quart saucepot.
• Add 3 cups water and stir.
• Measure sugar and set aside.
• Stir Fruit Jell pectin into juice and stir.
• Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
• At once stir in sugar.
• Bring to a full rolling boil, one that cannot be stirred down.
• Stirring constantly, boil hard for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.
• Skim off foam
• Immediately ladle into hot glass jars, leaving ½-inch head space.
• Process for 5 minutes in a boiling bath water.
• Makes 7/8-ouince jars.