Almost Lavender Jelly

So if you will indulge me, I would like to veer away from quilts for just a post in time.

I have been on a canning bender. Okay, well three times is a bender when you've never done any canning before.

I started out on a whim after taking the kids to the strawberry farm.

My good friend and I with the help of our six children learned the hard way what we were lacking in tools and skills.

So just a few days later, and a several dollars lighter in the pocketbook, I had all the canning tools we had lacked.

Fortunately I also had an abundance of cherrys and some fresh lavender I had no idea what to do with. So in one day I made several jars of cherry jam and three jars of lavender jelly... well, almost. The lavender jelly turned out to be a little more like a thick syrup.

Here is the recipe I used:

2 cups dry white wine (I used sherry)

1 tbsp lavender flowers (I used fresh)

2 cups granulated sugar (I used raw organic sugar)

1 3oz pouch liquid pectin (I didn't think to check if the pouch was 3oz or not)

1. In a large stainless steel saucpan, combine wine and herbs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 20 minutes.

2. Transfer to a dampened jelly bag and set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. Measure 1 3/4 cups infused wine. If you don't have the required amount, squeeze the bag. (ok, let me just say that even when I squeezed the bag I was shy of the required amount so I poured a little extra sherry in at this point ~ I may not have meaured that extra pour so closely. You know how it goes, a little for the jelly, a little for me.)

3. Meanwhile prepare canner, jars and lids. (after my full day of strawberry preserves, I had this step DOWN!)

4. Transfer infused wine to a clean large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in sugar. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.

5. Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.

6. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Okay, that is my recipe. It never jelled completely, so its more like lavender syrup. I tastes really, really good. I was surprised about how lovely it tastes, but very sad it didn't turn out as jelly. I guess almost jelly is pretty good.

If you try this recipe let me know how it turns out. Or if you have a better lavender recipe, I'm all ears!

Cheers,

Dionne

PS - Just two more days to leave a comment for my 'Plume' giveaway. Leave your comment on the post HERE.