Best Wild Cranberry Jelly Recipes

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.

HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY JAM

Steps:

• In a large covered kettle, simmer cranberries and water for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press berries through a strainer; discard skins. Strain mixture through a double layer of cheesecloth (juice will drip through; discard or set aside for another use). Measure 6 cups of the pulp that remains in the cheesecloth and place in the kettle. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour into freezer containers. Cool. Refrigerate or freeze.

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-ORANGE JELLY

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine Lillet, liqueur, sugar and juniper berries if using. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the cranberries burst and are very soft, at least 10 minutes total (or use a candy thermometer and cook mixture to 210 to 215 degrees). The mixture should be reduced and thickened, like a very loose jam.
• Strain the sauce into a bowl through a sieve, pushing on the solids with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Stir the liquid and transfer to a pretty serving bowl or a mold. (If using a mold, spray the insides first with nonstick cooking spray.) A funnel or liquid measuring cup with a spout can be useful for transferring without splashing the sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours, or up to several days. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
• If you chilled the jelly in a mold, turn it out by placing the mold in a large bowl. Carefully pour hot water into the bowl so it comes up the sides of the mold, melting the jelly just enough to release it from the mold. After 3 minutes, try unmolding the jelly onto a serving dish. If it doesn't come out, return to the bowl and try again 2 minutes later. Repeat until the jelly is released. If necessary, return it to the refrigerator to firm up before serving.

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.

CRANBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes (jam will continue to thicken as it cools).
• Force jam through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding skins and seeds. Cool, stirring occasionally.

SURE.JELL CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.
• Measure juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

WILD CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Note: 3 1/2 cups of wild cranberries equals 3 cups of prepared juice.
• ------Day1------.
• Pick cranberries.
• Remove stems and leaves.
• Wash and drain.
• Prepare a pan as a strainer.
• This is done by using 2-3 layers of good cheesecloth, (or you can use an old but clean linen dish towel).
• Drape over a large pan and secure with clothes pins.
• A large enamel basin works well.
• Using a stock pot or a large canning pot, add berries.
• Add water to barely cover the berries.
• Bring to a boil.
• Turn down heat to medium or medium low.
• Continue cooking until cranberries start popping and they look translucent.
• (about 1-2 hours) Pour the cranberries onto the prepared strainer.
• Do not handles the berries, even with a spoon, while draining.
• (Handling the berries will make a cloudy jelly.) Drain overnight.
• ----------Day2-----------.
• Measure out 3 and 1/2 cups of the wild cranberry juice into a stockpot or small canning pot.
• Add the 7 cups of sugar.
• Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.
• Add the 2 pouches of"Certo" or"Fruit Jel", still stirring, and bring back to full boil.
• Boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let sit 3 minutes.
• Skim the form off with a skimmer or metal spoon.
• Pour quickly into prepared jars.
• Process jars.
• (Note: Instead of processing the jars I pour melted parrafin over the top of jell. About 0.125 of an inch. Cover with lids and let cool on a towel.) Once jars are cool, test each one for a seal by pressing the center of the lid.
• The lid should not flex up and down.
• If it does fefrigerate or reprocess with a new lid.
• Note: Apple juice can be added to the wild cranberry juice if there isn't quite enough juice to equil the 3 1/2 cups.