Category: Gluten Free

Wild Grape Jelly

I am so excited to share my wild grape jelly with all of you! It’s just three simple ingredients that you likely have and didn’t even know! But before I get there, I want to share a habit I have that led to this fun recipe! 

About five years ago, the Mr. and I started a routine of grabbing a cup of coffee and walking around our orchard on top of the hill on our land. We did it right before I left for work, saying good morning to our trees and plants. That little walkabout gradually turned into a ½ mile walk, which grew to 2 miles, and is now generally a 2.5-4 mile walk every morning. It’s so special and a pivotal part of our marriage; we make big plans, fight, discuss our children, our dreams, everything. 

Our walks have added a lot of value to our lives beyond helping our marriage be the best it can be. I have learned a crazy amount about the plants and animals we see along the way. I can identify at least ten different plants that can be foraged from the side of the road, including the wild grape. (You should hear our conversations…here’s just a bit of it: 

Me: What’s that plant? 

Mr: It’s ‘fill in the blank.’ 

Me: I think you can eat that! 

Mr: Just because you can eat it doesn’t mean you need to. Or sometimes, “I love you honey.” 

Anywho, the Mr. doesn’t discourage the wild grapes. He just reminds me that if I want to make wild grape jelly, I need to get to them before the birds do. Many of the wild grape vines don’t seem to produce fruit, but you know I am always on the lookout. The moment I find some, I go in for the harvest. The grapes that grow here are perfectly tart; think blueberries that have been harvested just a hair too early. And that makes them delicious and the perfect candidate for wild grape jelly. 

And great news! This recipe is VERY flexible in terms of quantity. Whatever you harvest is what you can work with. (Be sure you are finding wild grapes and not a poisonous look alike. Wild grapes will have heart shaped leaves with serrated edges. While I am not from Missouri, there Department of Conservation has a great website on identifying animals and plants in the field.)

Your Ingredients For Wild Grape Jelly

  • wild grapes, rinsed and removed from the stem 
  • sugar (½ cup for every cup of juice after straining)
  • lemon juice (½ tablespoon for every cup of juice after straining)

Begin Boiling 

Place the rinsed and stemmed grapes in a kettle. You can add a few tablespoons of water here to help prevent sticking. Heat over medium-high heat, using a potato masher or wooden fermentation tapper to break them down. A large spoon would also work, but I love my tapper and I don’t even ferment food yet. 

Once the grapes have come to a boil and sufficiently broken down, remove from heat. From here, you have a few options: 

  • Strain through a few layers of cheese cloth, collecting the liquid in a liquid measuring cup. 
  • Rest a small holed strainer over a bowl and use the tapper once more to force as much liquid and pulp through the strainer, being mindful to have holes smaller than the seeds of the grape. (This is the option I go with)

If you haven’t already, pour the grape juice into a liquid measuring cup to determine the amount of sugar and lemon juice you should add. 

Place the juice in a large kettle. For every cup of liquid, stir in ½ cup sugar and a ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Your end goal is to reach the gelling point. There are lots of tests for this, but I prefer the temperature test. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees. For me, the gelling point is 218 degrees. Don’t have a decent food thermometer? Check out the National Center for Home Preservation website for other ways of testing for the gelling point. 

It takes longer to reach the gelling point than I think it should. It also goes from needing 3 degrees to reaching the gelling point fast. You can get complacent while you are waiting and suddenly hit the temperature, so I am trying to warn you 🙂 

While the jelly is boiling, begin to prepare your water bath canner and jars if you plan on processing them. (If you want to simply place the jelly in the fridge after it hits the gelling point, that’s 100% okay. You don’t need to process it. However, if you want it self-stable, you should process in a waterbath canner.)

Canning Time!

Wash and sanitize jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water. 

Once the wild grape jelly has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ¼  inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner, placing on the counter. Listen for the ping of the lids over the next 12 hours. Sealed jars are self stable. If any jar doesn’t seal, simply place it right in the refrigerator. 

PS…To be especially awesome, have some fresh baked bread on hand to spread the left over wild grape jelly in the kettle on a slice. Enjoy while the rest of the jelly is in the water bath. I promise, you’ll thank me.

  • First, harvest from the field.
  • Then smash them up!
  • Get that beautiful juice and pulp.
  • Check that color!
  • Boil, boil away to get to the boiling point.
  • I just love a cutting board picture!
  • Finally, perfection!

Tools of the Trade

A simple water bath canner is great!

I use so many of these little tools every time I can, especially the funnel and the jar tongs.

I don’t even ferment, but this tapper works great for all sorts of kitchen needs!

Wild Grape Jelly

Foraged wild grapes from the woods come together with some sugar and lemon juice to create a tart and delicious wild grape jelly!
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Canning
Servings 12 per jar

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup grape juice per 1/2 pint jar
  • 1/2 cup sugar per 1/2 pint jar
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon juice per 1/2 pint jar

Instructions
 

  • Place the rinsed and stemmed grapes in a kettle. You can add a few tablespoons of water here to help prevent sticking. Heat over medium-high heat, using a potato masher or wooden fermentation tapper to break them down.
  • Once the grapes have come to a boil and have sufficiently broken down, either strain through a cheese cloth into a liquid measuring cup or run through a mesh strainer using the tapper or a spoon to force as much liquid and pulp through.
  • Pour grape juice into a liquid measuring cup to determine the amount of sugar and lemon juice you should add.
  • Wash and sanitize jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water.
  • Place the juice in a large kettle. For every cup of liquid, stir in ½ cup sugar and a ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often.
  • Heat to 8 degrees above the boiling point of water. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees.
  • Once the jelly has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to rest for 12 hours before storing.

Notes

You can skip the processing step all together if you feel more comfortable. If you do so, the jam will need to be stored in the refrigerator. The process of water bath canning creates a self-stable jam. That is, a jam that can be stored on the shelf.
Keyword Foraging, Grape Jelly, Jellies and Jams, Waterbath Canning, Wild Grapes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Jess16 Comments

Roasted and Preserved Tomatoes

Every year, I get so excited to plant tomato plants. Even in our first years with a garden, we couldn’t keep up with our tomato love. I vividly remember my darling son as a toddler eating every single cherry or grape tomato we grew. They didn’t even make it out of the garden! Now, I get all those beautiful drops of red, orange, and yellow and turn them into roasted and preserved tomatoes. 

Now, it’s a joke between my husband and I that I will always plant too many cherry and grape tomato plants. Why buy one if you can buy four? And you have to have a few varieties, right? And so, we have an abundance of bit size tomatoes. One year, an acquaintance suggested roasting them, and I have never looked back! 

This is such a simple and flavorful way to preserve tomatoes. All you need is an oven, a baking sheet, some parchment paper, and your favorite tomato spices. Let’s get to creating some roasted and preserved tomatoes. 

Per pound of tomatoes, you will need: 

½ tablespoon olive oil 

¼ teaspoon each of: salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, or any other spice you love with tomatoes

Your Steps to Roasted and Preserved Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice each tomato in half. Lay cut side UP on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, etc on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until just beginning to caramelize. Allow to cool. 

From here, you can totally just snack on them. If you want to preserve for later, stick the tray in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Transfer to a freezer safe container and use within a year. So quick, easy, and a great way to preserve your harvest!

Slice them up!
Drizzle with oil and season it up!
Roast them!
Freeze them!

Roasted and Preserved Tomatoes

Too many grape and cherry tomatoes? Like to preserve the flavor of summer for the winter months? Create these roasted and preserved tomatoes!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes any variety
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Wash and dry the tomatoes.
  • Slice each tomato in half. Lay cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, etc on top.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes, until just beginning to caramelize. Allow to cool.
  • To preserve, place the tray in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
  • Transfer to a freezer safe container and use within a year.
Keyword cherry tomatoes, freezing, preserving, side dish, tomatoes, Vegan, vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other preserving recipes?

Check out my canning and preserving page! Or maybe one of the recipes below will speak to you!

JessLeave a comment

Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Fries

Isn’t it funny how us humans like to ruin a good for you food by adding all the extras? You know, dipping vegetables in ranch, making broccoli and cauliflower in a heavily processed cheese sauce, or frying up the potato. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s 100% great to indulge in all the extras from time to time, but I have always felt like it negates the benefits of the “good for you” food. Sometimes though, you find a way to indulge without the extras. Case in point: These delicious oven roasted Yukon Gold fries. 

Potatoes get such a bad rap because we like to add all the extras. But seriously, they are packed full of nutrients, contain antioxidants, are filling, and super versatile. Check out more information on the potato here if you don’t believe me 😉 

These oven roasted Yukon Gold fries come together in 5 minutes (big win!), use simple ingredients are are sure to have on hand at home, and they rival any favorite restaurant fry out there. Better yet, they are baked with olive oil rather than fried. Huge win, am I right? Now let’s get baking! You have a dinner to make!

Your ingredients:

  • 3 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Your steps to the perfect oven baked Yukon Gold potato

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice your potatoes such that you end up with 1/2 inch slices. Put into a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil and toss. Sprinkle in salt and parsley, tossing half way through and then adding the rest. Lay with a cut side down onto a greased baking sheet. (Don’t skip the cooking spray on the sheet. The potatoes will stick if you do). Sprinkle cheese on top. I like to check my salt and parsley amounts here as well. Sprinkle a little more if you missed a few spots when tossing. Bake in the bottom half of your oven at 425 for 20-30 minutes. They will come out creamy and delicious without frying. 

That’s it! Easy peasy right? Now pair them with a great grill food (chicken breasts, burgers, you name it!) and as my father would say, “You have something going :)”

  • sliced potatoes
    Cut them up just like so!
  • toss with olive oil
    Toss with a little olive oil.
  • season with salt and parsley
    Season them up!
  • spread cut side down
    Spread them out!
  • bake it up
    Bake…
  • french fries served!
    and serve! So creamy and delicious!

Looking for other great side dish ideas? Check out my cooking page by clicking below!

cooking
french fries served!

Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

These oven roasted fries come together in about 5 minutes and definitely rival any favorite restaurant fry out there with just a few simple on hand ingredients.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Yukon Gold potatoes about 1 pound
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or more, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Slice potatoes such that you end up with 1/2 in slices.
  • Put into a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil and toss. Sprinkle in salt and parsley, tossing half way through and then adding the rest.
  • Lay with a cut side down onto a greased baking sheet.
  • Sprinkle cheese on top. Check salt and parsley and sprinkle a little more if you missed a few spots when tossing.
  • Bake in the bottom half of your oven at 425 for 20-30 minutes.

Notes

Don’t skip the cooking spray on the sheet. The potatoes will stick if you do.
Keyword baked fries, oven fries, Yukon Gold
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Jess2 Comments

For the Holidays Cranberry Apple Preserves

“Tis the season for cranberries, right? Now if you ask me, any season is cranberry season. But right now, fresh, whole cranberries are fully stocked at all the grocery stores, just yearning to create something delicious in your kitchen. I know Thanksgiving is over, but that doesn’t mean your time with cranberries needs to be. Give these cranberry apple preserves a try! 

One of my favorite things about living in Wisconsin is that all things cranberry are readily available. I thought that was standard in all states. I was telling a friend in Texas how much I adore cranberry wine (I am not a fancy wine girl, clearly). Her response was, “THEY MAKE CRANBERRY WINE?!” Yup, they do. And it’s delish. If you’re interested, check out Door Peninsula Winery (I love their Cranbernet) or Three Lakes Winery (I love…all their wine. All of it.) They even ship to lots of states! 

I will buy anything cranberry related. Add some citrus, and I am in heaven. So this cranberry apple preserve recipe is a great one. It has all the deliciousness of a well prepared cranberry sauce while being the consistency of jam. Can you go wrong?! Even if you aren’t a typical canner, you can do this recipe. 

Before we Start, The supplies

This cranberry apple preserves recipe will result in approximately seven 8 ounce jelly jars. You can use wide mouth or narrow mouth jars. Just be sure you have rings and lids for them and that they will all fit in your canner at once. 

You will need a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid. The jars need to be off the bottom of the pot. A water bath canner will have a rack to use if you go that route. If you use a stock pot, I would invest in canning racks. You can also put a towel down in a pinch, but it is MESSY in terms of getting water everywhere.  

It is also helpful to have the tools in a canning kit like this, but it isn’t necessary. Canning would be crazy challenging without the jar funnel and jar tongs. The lid lifter is also very handy. 

New to canning? Check out the Ball’s Book of Canning or The National Center for Home Food Preservation for more detailed information. I will give you the low down, but it will be short and sweet. You will want to read up more, I promise  

Your Ingredients

  • 24 ounces whole cranberries, rinsed and picked through 
  • 3 apples, cored, peeled and diced
  • 1 clementine orange, chopped finely with peels
  • 2 ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 cups water 
  • ⅓ cup honey 

Your Steps to Cranberry Apple Preserves 

To begin, prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Too much water is better than not enough, but remember that some water will be displaced by the jars. Cover and begin to heat over a medium heat. 

You will also need to wash and prepare 8 ounce canning jars (approximately 7 jars will be produced with this recipe). I typically do this while my preserves are just starting to cook down. Wash rings, lids, and jars. Place jars in the rack in the canner, elevated above the water. This will keep them warm. Follow directions for your specific lids. I typically wash and place in simmering water on the stove. 

Now, begin to prepare the jam. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over a high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook and stir over the high heat until the mixture reaches 219 degrees (However, for every 1000 feet of altitude you have, subtract 2 degrees). Once temperature is reached, remove from heat. (Note: It takes some time to reach this temperature. But it will go from 214 degrees to done quicker than you expect. Just watch the temperature closely)

Time to Can!

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims with a damp cloth, add lids and adjust band to fingertip tight. Place jars into water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Allow jars to cool 5 minutes in the canner, then remove and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Do not retighten bands. Check seal after cool to be sure they are self-stable. Label and store. Any jars that did not seal can be stored in the refrigerator. 

  • cranberries
    Ruby red cranberries. So fun!
  • apples and oranges
    Apples and oranges…that’s it!
  • sugar and cranberries
    Sugar and cranberries is simply beautiful, isn’t it?
  • cooking down
    Cooking down!
  • supplies
    Be prepared to ladle. I call it “go time!”
  • sourdough and jam
    Check the color. Isn’t it gorgeous?!

Tools of the Trade

Not a Canner (…yet)? 

You can 100% complete this recipe and store it in the refrigerator. Fill the jars with hot jam, wipe, adjust lid and ring. Allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator. Since you will likely get about 7 jars of jam, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half. 

Ready to can and preserve more?

Check out my pages for canning and preserving for other inspiration below:

Canning and Preserving
sourdough and jam

Cranberry Apple Preserves

As the weather gets cooler, cranberries become a tasty, tart treat. These preserves are sure to make your taste buds dance with the combination of cranberry, apple, and orange.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Waterbath 15 minutes
Servings 12

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 24 ounces whole cranberries rinsed and picked through
  • 3 apples cored, peeled and diced
  • 1 mandrin orange chopped finely with peels
  • 2 ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • ⅓ cup honey

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Cover and begin to heat over a medium heat.
  • Wash and prepare 8 ounce canning jars (approximately 7 jars will be produced with this recipe).
  • Now, begin to prepare the jam. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil over a high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  • Continue to cook and stir over the high heat until the mixture reaches 219 degrees (However, for every 1000 feet of altitude you have, subtract 2 degrees).
  • Once temperature is reached, remove from heat.
  • Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
  • Wipe rims with a damp cloth, add lids and adjust band to fingertip tight.
  • Place jars into water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover.
  • Allow jars to cool 5 minutes in the canner, then remove and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Do not retighten bands. Check seal after cool to be sure they are self-stable. Label and store.

Notes

Any jars that did not seal can be stored in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Don’t Throw That Away Apple Scrap Jelly

Apple season brings everyone visiting the orchard, making fresh applesauce and maybe even a pie or two. With all the peeling and coring happening, you’ll be happy to know there is something to do with all those scraps that will result in a delicious outcome: Apple Scrap Jelly!

We bought our house about 11 years ago and promptly began to dig up the ground to put in gardens, bushes, and trees. Since then, we have planted a total of 16 fruit trees on our little slice of happiness. Developing trees takes time, and we are finally at the point where we are picking a few bushels of apples. Oh the joy! This means I am preserving the apples into apple pie filling, applesauce, and the like. A few years ago, I saw the piles of peels and cores knew there had to be something I could do with the “waste.” Enter Apple Scrap Jelly. With only four ingredients, you will likely have everything on hand to make it. It doesn’t even need commercial pectin! What a win! 

Do you have some apples you’re hoping to peel and core to make fall treats? Get another bowl, save the scraps, and be prepared to create another treat! 

Your Ingredients

  • a kettle full of apple peels and cores
  • water
  • sugar (½ cup for every cup of liquid after boiling down)
  • lemon juice (½ tablespoon for every cup of liquid after boiling down)

Begin The Boiling

After peeling and coring apples for another recipe, place all scraps into a large kettle. It doesn’t matter how much you have, although the more the better simply because it will result in more jelly. I generally keep two vessels going at the same time: one for my apples for sauce/pie/etc and one for the scraps. 

Cover the apple scraps with water, filling until the scraps begin to float. Heat over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil. Boil water and apple scraps until half of the liquid is remaining (this is an estimate, it doesn’t need to be perfect by any means). This will likely take an hour or so.

Now, if I’m being real, I generally let water/apple mixture cool overnight in the refrigerator. Not because you have to, but because I don’t want to finish that day. 

Time for Jelly!

Either way, your next step is to separate the water from the scraps. I generally place a finer colander over a bowl with a pour spout. Press into the apple to extract all the apple-goodness. From here, pour the water into a liquid measuring cup to determine the amount of sugar and lemon juice you should add. 

Place the liquid in a large kettle. For every cup of liquid, stir in ½ cup sugar and a ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Your end goal is to reach the gelling point. There are lots of tests for this, but I prefer the temperature test. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees. For me, the gelling point is 218 degrees. Don’t have a decent food thermometer? Check out the National Center for Home Preservation website for other ways of testing for the gelling point. 

It takes longer to reach the gelling point than I think it should. It also goes from needing 3 degrees to reaching the gelling point fast. You can get complacent while you are waiting and suddenly hit the temperature, so I am trying to warn you 🙂 

While the jelly is boiling, begin to prepare your water bath canner and jars if you plan on processing them. (If you want to simply place the jelly in the fridge after it hits the gelling point, that’s 100% okay. You don’t need to process it. However, if you want it self-stable, you should process in a waterbath canner.)

Canning Time!

Wash and sanitize jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water. 

Once the apple jelly has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner, placing on the counter. Listen for the ping of the lids over the next 12 hours. Sealed jars are self stable. If any jar doesn’t seal, simply place it right in the refrigerator. 

PS…To be especially awesome, have some fresh baked bread on hand to spread the left over warm apple scrap jelly in the kettle on a slice. Enjoy while the rest of the jelly is in the water bath. I promise, you’ll thank me.

  • Apples for sauce.
  • Scraps for jelly!
  • Boil away!
  • Strain the liquid from the scraps.
  • Press out the apple goodness!
  • Almost complete!
  • The color of that jelly is divine. Yum.

Tools of the Trade

A nice strainer is a must in a stocked kitchen!

I love my waterbath canner.

The shallowness of this kettle makes boiling down go so much quicker. My go to kettle for jelly.

Apple Scrap Jelly

Don't throw away the apple peels and cores. Create a delicious apple scrap jelly with just a handful of pantry ingredients!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Canning
Servings 12 per jar

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • a kettle full of apple peels and cores
  • water
  • sugar ½ cup for every cup of liquid after boiling down
  • lemon juice ½ tablespoon for every cup of liquid after boiling down

Instructions
 

  • After peeling and coring apples for another recipe, place all scraps into a large kettle. It doesn’t matter how much you have, although the more the better simply because it will result in more jelly.
  • Cover the apple scraps with water, filling until the scraps begin to float. Heat over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil. Boil water and apple scraps until half of the liquid is remaining.
  • Separate the water from the scraps. I generally place a finer colander over a bowl with a pour spout. Press into the apple to extract all the apple-goodness. From here, pour the water into a liquid measuring cup to determine the amount of sugar and lemon juice you should add.
  • Place the liquid in a large kettle. For every cup of liquid, stir in ½ cup sugar and a ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Heat to 8 degrees above the boiling point of water. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees.
  • While the jelly is boiling, begin to prepare your water bath canner and jars if you plan on processing them rather than storing in the refrigerator.
  • Wash and sanitize jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water.
  • Once the apple jelly has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to rest for 12 hours before storing.
Keyword apple jelly, apple recipe, apples, Canning, Jelly, Waterbath Canning
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other canning recipes? Check out my canning and preserving page below!

Canning and Preserving

Jess17 Comments

Easy Italian Zucchini Pizza Bake

Some years, my zucchini plants hardly produce. Other years, they can’t stop. This year, it’s an “other” year and I keep harvesting away! Fortunately, zucchinis have a great staying power and they can hang out on my counter until I am ready to cook with them. This week, I whipped up this Italian Zucchini Pizza Bake for dinner and everyone devoured it! 

In terms of prep, it takes a little bit of time so you will need to start about an hour before you want to eat. It does include a fair amount of wait and bake time, so don’t despair. You too can whip this up quickly. 

I love it because it is full of vegetables. If you’ve followed me for any time, you know I try to sneak extra servings of vegetables into most everything I cook for my family. If I am honest, my kids have been veggie lovers from day one, but truly, no one complains about the extra servings of vegetables. I mean, they do make fun of me, but that’s with love…I think. 

Now, if you are still harvesting zucchini, you must give this a try. In our household, we were in agreement that you couldn’t even tell that there wasn’t a carb in the dish, which is big win for my kids. (We definitely are not afraid of all the bread and pasta in our home). 

Enough talk. Let’s get cooking that Italian Zucchini Pizza Bake!

Your Ingredients

  • 4 cups shredded zucchini 
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs 
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • 3 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar make a good combination), divided
  • ½ teaspoon each of: dried basil, dried oregano, and garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper 
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage (we use Italian seasoned ground venison that we grind at home)
  • Olive oil 
  • ½ cup diced onion 
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic 
  •  15 ounces Italian seasoned tomato sauce (or 1 ¾ cup) 
  • ½ cup diced green pepper 

Your steps 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. Place shredded zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Allow the zucchini to sit for 10 minutes. Press out all extra moisture, the more the better. (I tend to quit early. It’s fine, but will leave you with a more watery bake when you’re done). 

Before I continue, a comment on the cheese. We have a great dairy nearby that does a 3 cheese blend of mozzarella, provolone, and yellow cheddar (80/10/10). That’s the cheese I use for this bake if I have it on hand. Feel free to play with this though. A true Wisconsinite knows that the cheese possibilities are endless. And if you aren’t a Wisconsinite, you may just be a Wisconsinite at heart 😉

Back to cooking…

Combine zucchini, eggs, basil, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, parmesean cheese, and 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese. Mix well. Press into the prepared 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat 1- 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic. Cook for 3 minutes. Add ground sausage (and if you can’t find ground Italian sausage, any ground meat will do. Again, play with it!). Cook until no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Stir in tomato sauce. 

Spread meat mixture over the zucchini crust. Cover with remaining cheese and sprinkle diced green pepper on top. Feel free to sprinkle a little more oregano, basil, or even some parsley on top. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. 

Now, you can 100% serve it here. However, I LOVE browned cheese. I always quickly heat up the broiler in the top of my oven to 450-500 degrees, toss my finished bake under it, and watch it carefully. Let it cook 2-3 minutes and your cheese will be PERFECT. Serve it up with, of course, some additional vegetables for a side and maybe some garlic toast if you need that carb. I know I do 😉 

Sprinkle with salt. Drip, drip, drip out the moisture.
Combine cheese, zucchini, eggs, and all the spices.
Pre-bake time.
…while the crust bakes.
Post-bake time. Yum.
Layer with sauce.
Cheese and peppers. Oh man..so close!
Just bake time, no broiler.
I’m telling you, broiler is the way to finish this guy up!

Looking for other ideas for dinner? Check out my cooking page below!

Cooking

Easy Italian Zucchini Pizza Bake

Zucchini is the star but you'd never know it's there in this gluten free Italian Zucchini Pizza Bake. Adults and kids alike will devour it!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups shredded zucchini
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup grated parmesan
  • 3 cups shredded cheese mozzarella and cheddar make a good combination, divided
  • ½ teaspoon each of: dried basil dried oregano, and garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage
  • Olive oil
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
  • 15 ounces Italian seasoned tomato sauce or 1 ¾ cup
  • ½ cup diced green pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Place shredded zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Allow the zucchini to sit for 10 minutes.
  • Press out all extra moisture, the more the better.
  • Combine zucchini, eggs, basil, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese. Mix well. Press into the prepared 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat 1- 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic. Cook for 3 minutes.
  • Add ground sausage. Cook until no longer pink. Drain if necessary.
  • Stir in tomato sauce.
  • Spread meat mixture over the zucchini crust.
  • Cover with remaining cheese and sprinkle diced green pepper on top. Feel free to sprinkle a little more oregano, basil, or even some parsley on top.
  • Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Keyword Gluten Free, Italian, Italian bake, zucchini, zucchini pizza
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Other zucchini Inspiration!

Check out any of the recipes below to help use up the rest of that zucchini!

Jess2 Comments

Strawberry and Peach Sorbet

The Scenario…

Over picking at the strawberry patch because you don’t realize just how many berries fit in your bucket until you weigh it.

Looking at the fruits at the farmer’s market and buying it all because the color is beyond appealing.

Planting countless raspberry plants and then not being able to keep up with the bounty they produce in July.

The delicious solution!

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? Let me tell you, I have experienced them all. One would think that I would learn from my mistakes, but I still continue to get sucked into ALLLLL the fruits and then need to find something to do with them. This week, it was strawberries and peaches. And thus, a homemade strawberry and peach sorbet was born. 

Strawberries and peaches

Last year, I had a crazy red raspberry crop. Crazy, as in it took me over an hour to harvest during its peak time. This meant I needed to find new and fun ways to preserve them. I made all the jam. I froze bags of them. Then I stumbled across a fruit sorbet recipe while flipping through my Ball’s Guide to Preserving Book. It sounded amazing, but had SO much added sugar. I modified it some last year, and now have improved it again to not use raspberries but the strawberries from our garden and peaches from the store. 

If you’ve been following me for a little time, you know that I like to use my son as my ultimate taste tester. He isn’t afraid to tell me something is too healthy tasting, too salty, lacking vegetables, etc. He’s a good egg, that kid. Anywho…I took a scoop of what couldn’t fit in the jars and had him try it. He closed his eyes, smiled, and kind of whispered, “What IS that?!” I don’t know about you, but that screams approval if you ask me 😉

Don’t have strawberries and/or peaches? I have such good news! This recipe is totally moldable to your favorite flavor combination. Ultimately, you will need 4 cups of chopped soft fruit. Think berries, peaches, nectarines, etc. (Ball says you can use melon, but I haven’t tested it). 

Your Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • 2 cups diced peaches, peeled first then cut up
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
  • 2 tablespoons honey 

Your steps

Combine fruit. Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down. I use an immersion blender and blend right in the kettle I will be heating them in. Add remaining ingredients. From here, use the immersion blender to mix everything together once more. Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often. Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid. 

Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the sorbet. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet. There are lots of options for this. You can use a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender. For me, I dig the immersion blender because clean up is so easy. Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like to use 4 ounce jelly jars for ½ cup servings ready to go! Finally, be sure to label and return to the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them! 

  • Chopping makes me happy.
  • Colors. All the colors!
  • Blend the fruit.
  • And blend again with the other ingredients.
  • Pre freezing.
  • Post freezing.
  • Scoop. If it’s too frozen, wait a little longer.
  • Seriously, I adore my immersion blender.
  • Oh my goodness, the fluffiness!
  • Freezer bound!

A few notes

When I initially found this recipe, I wanted to cut the second blending of the sorbet. It is critical to complete if you want fluffy sorbet that you remember from childhood. It’s worth the extra step. Don’t skip it! 

Initially, I tried this recipe freshly picked raspberries so feel free to mix it up in terms of fruit. Ultimately, you need 4 cups of chopped/crushed fruit so let your taste buds to the work here. 

Looking for an adult version? I found that adding ½ cup of lime twisted gin was a delight to the raspberry sorbet! Be mindful of how much alcohol you add as it will effect the ability of the sorbet to freeze. 

Have a sweeter tooth? The recipe originally calls for 2 cups of sugar. If you’d like, add more to suit your own tastes.

Tools I use

Hoping to use some of the tools I love for creating these? Here’s the link for the 4 ounce jelly jars I used as well an immersion blender. Seriously, the immersion blender is an underrated tool in the kitchen and it hardly takes up any storage space! If you don’t have one yet, I highly recommend investing. You’ll thank me! 

As for the jelly jars, I am usually a Ball or Kerr jar lover, but a friend gifted me these Verone jars and I loved that they came with two piece lids for canning as well as one piece lids for storage. Double duty in one pack of jars. Super cool 🙂

Looking for other ways to preserve your summer bounty? Check out my canning and preserving page!

Strawberry and Peach Sorbet

A fruit sorbet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Freeze Time 4 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Canning
Servings 7 1/2 cup servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • 2 cups diced peaches peeled first then cut up
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey more to taste

Instructions
 

  • Combine fruit.
  • Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down into a puree.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Blend once more to fully break down the fruit and incorporate added ingredients.
  • Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often.
  • Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid.
  • Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to remove from pan. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet using food processor, blender or immersion blender.
  • Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. Label and return to freezer if not enjoying immediately.

Notes

Don’t have strawberries or peaches? No problem. Any soft fruit will do. Think, berries of any kind, nectarines, even melon perhaps? 
You may be tempted to skip the second blend step. Don’t! It’s critical for the sorbet to be fluffy, just the way you remember it. 
Keyword clean, peach, sorbet, strawberry, sweets
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

I have this awesome friend. We will call her Britt, which makes sense since that’s her name 🙂 She and I tend to bring out the best in each other and challenge one another at all the appropriate times, namely when it comes to taking chances and embracing the space outside our comfort zone. We also seek each other out when we need to hear, “It’s okay to rest…slow down and enjoy the ride.” If you don’t have a Britt in your life, I hope you find one soon. She’s a real keeper. And she’s the reason for these Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.

How you ask?

Recently, Britt said, “I want you to develop a 4 ingredient baked good for me that’s good and I can make because I suck at baking.” Well, she’s generally healthy, avoiding extra sugar and wheat. Gluten free with less sugar? Challenge accepted. Well, sort of. I definitely missed the mark on 4 ingredients and I think this guy is still a work in progress, but aren’t we all?

And because I LOVE to embrace the work in progress life, I thought I would share this out to the world. Give me all the feedback. I am not gluten free, so there is a definite learning curve there. I wanted this to be a recipe you could make without purchasing a whole bunch of crazy ingredients, and I had all of these in my pantry. Give them a try. I personally think they go great with a late morning coffee, but that’s just me!

Your ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Your Steps to Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place oats in a food processor and blend them until an oat flour is formed. (I am obsessed with creating my own oat flour. It adds such awesome texture to baked goods. If you haven’t done it yet, you’re welcome 🙂 ). Add coconut flour, salt, and baking soda. pulse until well mixed. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, cream butter, coconut oil, and sugars until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in flour mixture until just moistened. Then add coconut, pecans, and chocolate. Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 7-8 minutes. They will not spread anymore than you flattened them. They should just become browned underneath. I think they are the best the next day, but any cookie right out of the oven is a good cookie, right?

NOTE: I toasted my coconut and pecans (and I just slightly salted the pecans). My favorite way to do this is by heating a small frying pan that is sprayed with some olive oil cooking spray. Add coconut (or pecans) and heat over medium heat for 4-7 minutes. You have to watch it carefully, but it is a snap to do. Make some extra. You’ll tastebuds will thank me later.

Butter and sugar make the world go ’round.
Toasted coconut flakes. Watch them carefully!
All mixed together…
Almost forgot the pecans!
All photogenic and the like. Ready to pop into my mouth!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

A gluten free cookie full of flavor: pecans, chocolate chips, and coconut!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Course Cookies
Cuisine American
Servings 2.5 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place oats in a food processor and blend them until an oat flour is formed. Add coconut flour, salt, and baking soda. pulse until well mixed. Set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl, cream butter, coconut oil, and sugars until well blended.
  • Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  • Stir in flour mixture until just moistened.
  • Add coconut, pecans, and chocolate.
  • Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and roll into a ball.
  • Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand. They will not spread anymore than you flattened them.
  • Bake for 7-8 minutes. They should just become browned underneath.

Notes

NOTE: I toasted my coconut and pecans (and I just slightly salted the pecans). My favorite way to do this is by heating a small frying pan that is sprayed with some olive oil cooking spray. Add coconut (or pecans) and heat over medium heat for 4-7 minutes.
Keyword chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookies, coconut, Gluten Free, gluten free cookies, pecans
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Pork Burrito Bowl

Our family is entering the life of crazy evenings due to kiddo commitments. I am not ready for that season of life, but it’s coming whether I like it or not. Sitting down to a family dinner that is healthy and wholesome is important to my family and me. We plan on holding tight onto those meals around the table as long as we possibly can and is just the reason I put together this Mexican Pork Burrito Bowl.

So enter this week where we have engagement after engagement after school. We have some go to “quick” meals, but I wanted to switch it up. After an early morning wake up, I starting researching pork loin Mexican-inspired recipes, and couldn’t find anything I loved so I developed this little guy that has tons of flexibility! Love a stew? Maybe add a little more broth and top with some fun tortilla chips. Need more substance? Make a few cups of rice or couscous, put a 1/2 cup in a bowl and top with the pork. And what makes it even better? It all goes in a slow cooker so you’ll walk into a house that just smells marvelous and dinner will be totally ready in 10 minutes flat! Doesn’t get much better than that!

Your ingredients

1 pound pork loin
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, pepper, dried minced garlic, and cumin to season pork
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used unsalted)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce (this had added salt)
16 oz (2 cups) chicken stock, low sodium
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced onion, diced (about 1 small)
1 jalapeño, diced (I am not a lover of spicy food, and this was perfect. Don’t let the whole jalapeño scare you)
1 cup diced pepper (I used yellow)
1 cup frozen corn
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic (feel free to do fresh!)

Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tortilla strips, it’s endless!

Optional sides: brown rice or couscous. Awesome to serve under or mix in as a stew.

Your Steps to Pork Burrito Bowl

Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Then mix the 1/2 teaspoons of salt, pepper, cumin, and dried minced garlic in a small bowl. Massage seasoning into the pork loin and place into the slow cooker.

Stir in the remaining ingredients into the crockpot. Set on low and cook for 8-10 hours (I did 10, and the pork just fell apart). Remove the pork loin from the slow cooker and shred. Stir back into crockpot. You’re ready to serve!

I made some quick brown rice to serve underneath the pork burrito stew and we topped it with cheese, but I wished for some cilantro and tortilla strips. A few days later, I found some left over couscous in the fridge and it needed to get used up. I put some pork burrito stew on top of it and brought it for lunch. I actually think the couscous was better than the rice. Either way, they make it hearty enough to be a solid meal while still being healthy and wholesome.

  • Massage that pork loin.
  • Chopping makes me happy.
  • Almost set to turn it on.
  • It’s falling apart after 10 hours.
  • Shredding is a snap!
  • Mix it all back in.
  • Mmmmmm. Serve alone or over rice!

Pork Burrito Bowl

Craving some Mexican-inspired food? This Pork Burrito Bowl comes preps together quickly and goes right in the crockpot for an easy meal!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound pork loin
  • 1/2 teaspoon each: salt pepper, dried minced garlic, and cumin to season pork
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes unsalted
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 16 oz 2 cups chicken stock, low sodium
  • 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup diced onion diced (about 1 small)
  • 1 jalapeño diced
  • 1 cup diced pepper yellow or orange
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic

Instructions
 

  • Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Then mix the 1/2 teaspoons of salt, pepper, cumin, and dried minced garlic in a small bowl. Massage seasoning into the pork loin and place into the slow cooker.
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients into the crockpot. Set on low and cook for 8-10 hours (I did 10, and the pork just fell apart). Remove the pork loin from the slow cooker and shred. Stir back into crockpot. You’re ready to serve!

Notes

Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tortilla strips
Optional sides: brown rice or couscous. Awesome to serve under or mix in as a stew.
Keyword crockpot, pork, slow cooker
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Dandelion Jelly

Yup. You read that right. Dandelion jelly. I know it sounds crazy, but it is so tasty! Light and sweet, like honey. And you know what, it’s the time of year where I get the itch to can and work in my garden. Yes, I know there is still loads of winter left, but a girl can start dreaming, right?

I began having a fascination with foraging nature around me to make food in my kitchen about a year ago. Last year, my sister bought me the book Midwest Foraging by Lisa M. Rose, and my interest got stronger. I flipped through that book like a coffee table book and took mental notes on things I would like to try.

Fast forward to May last year. The dandelions were all over my yard, and I decided I had to try it. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? I would be out a few hours of work, some sugar, and pectin. My daughter, mother in law, and I walked the yard, harvested dandelions, and I set to work. As I was pouring the last of the jelly into jars to go in the water bath canner, I said, “Well, here’s goes nothing…let’s try it,” and we stuck a spoon in the remains on the kettle. My daughter immediately asked for a second try and declared, “I want that on toast in the morning!” So give it a try. You will be pleasantly surprised with how good it actually is. You may even begin to be like me, looking over fields of dandelions, seeing all sorts of potential 🙂

Your ingredients:

  • 4 cups yellow dandelion blossoms (see my notes about harvesting these)
  • 1 box of powder pectin
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4.5 cups of sugar
  • two quarts of water
  • jelly canning jars, lids, and rings, prepped for canning. I got 6 jelly (half pint) jars worth of jelly.

Your steps to dANDELION JELLY:

First, harvesting the dandelion greens. I did this over a few days and I learned a lot. Begin by just taking the heads of the dandelions. Plan on trimming them soon after you take the heads from the plant. I found it easiest to hold the flower end in one hand and cut the green end off. Then I would peel the remaining green off. I would put the yellow/white part into my measuring cup and compost the green portion. Find a friend or two, it takes a little time to complete this, but it makes for great time for conversation.

Back to the recipe! Bring a few quarts of water to boil and pour it over the blossoms in a bowl that can be covered. Allow this to come to room temperature and then stick it in the fridge overnight. You are essentially creating a dandelion tea. (Mine is always this weird dingy greenish-yellow when I when I am done. Initially, I was worried about the color the jam would have, but it turned out just perfect!)

Jelly time!

The following day, start heating your water bath canner with enough water to cover your jelly jars with at least 2 inches of water. Measure 3 cups of the dandelion tea, straining out the blossoms and keeping only the liquid. Pour this into a larger kettle. Add powdered pectin and the 2 T of lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Once you have achieved a rolling boil, add sugar. Return to a rolling boil, stirring quite often, if not always. Once you have reached a rolling boil, time for 1 minute, stirring the whole time.

Ladle jelly into prepared jelly jars, wiping the edges, adding lids, and putting rings on to finger tip tight. Put into water bath canner and process for 10-15 minutes. I did 15 minutes because my altitude is greater than 1000 feet. Remove from canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving. My kids love this dandelion jelly. We eat it on toast, on PBJ, you name it! My daughter even requests it on her waffles from time to time!

  • The tedious process of getting the flower separated
  • Sunshine in a bowl.
  • Let that tea steep.
  • Let’s get our jelly on!
  • And you must stir like crazy!
  • Golden jars of sweet goodness!

Dandelion Jelly

Sweet and simple jelly created from the balls of sunshine found in any yard in the spring!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rest Time 1 day
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Canning
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups yellow dandelion blossoms see my notes about harvesting these
  • 1 box of powder pectin
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4.5 cups of sugar
  • two quarts of water
  • jelly canning jars lids, and rings, prepped for canning. I got 6 jelly (half pint) jars worth of jelly.

Instructions
 

  • First, harvesting the dandelion greens. Begin by just taking the heads of the dandelions. Plan on trimming them soon after you take the heads from the plant. I find it easiest to hold the flower end in one hand and cut the green end off. Then peel the remaining green off. Measure 4 cups worth of blossoms.
  • Bring a few quarts of water to boil and pour it over the blossoms in a bowl that can be covered. Allow this to come to room temperature and then stick it in the fridge overnight.
  • The following day, start heating your water bath canner with enough water to cover your jelly jars with at least 2 inches of water.
  • Measure 3 cups of the dandelion tea, straining out the blossoms and keeping only the liquid. Pour this into a larger kettle. Add powdered pectin and the 2 T of lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
  • Once you have achieved a rolling boil, add sugar. Return to a rolling boil, stirring quite often, if not always. Once you have reached a rolling boil, time for 1 minute, stirring the whole time.
  • Ladle jelly into prepared jelly jars, wiping the edges, adding lids, and putting rings on to finger tip tight. Put into water bath canner and process for 10-15 minutes. I did 15 minutes because my altitude is greater than 1000 feet. Remove from canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Jess1 Comment