Homemade Red Raspberry Jelly

I don't think you can beat homemade red raspberry jelly.  I've tried.  I have purchased every red raspberry jelly on the market, I think.  They aren't even close to this good.  The burst of raspberry sweetness in my mouth makes me happy.  Yep, I'm shallow like that.  Simple things make me happy, like soft, fresh donuts, my kids giving me hugs, bacon and homemade red raspberry jelly on soft, white bread.  Heaven!

So what does one do when they can't buy the perfect jelly?  Well, they make it, of course.  And for me, it has to be jelly.  I hate, hate, hate all those seeds! 

I try to make enough jelly each summer to last the entire year.  Which means no one's getting this stuff for Christmas.  Are you kidding?!?!  It's like liquid gold!

I lucked out this year.  I used raspberries from my Dad's garden so I didn't have the berry cost to add to these.  That makes a huge difference.  Because really, when you add up the cost of the berries, jars and the rest of the ingredients, these jars end up costing about $10 a piece!  See, that's why I don't give them away! 

I just followed the directions on the pectin box.  Super easy.  So I'm not going to bore you with all the ingredients and stuff like that.  Buy a box of pectin and it's right there.  Does that make me lazy???

I heat up the washed berries in a large pan.

Then I strain them and mashed them through a metal strainer.  You could use cheese cloth and all that, but that's confusing to me.  Old dog, new trick kind of thing going on there.

But after the berries are all strained, look at this pure red raspberry juice!  YUM!!!  Side note here - the box says not to squish the berries through a strainer because it may make the jelly cloudy.  What the heck!  I smash mine all to heck because I want every bit of juice out of those bad boys.  I don't care if my jelly is cloudy.  I'm not entering it in the County Fair so I'm think I'm good with that decision.

Add your sugar and pectin according to the package directions and bring to a boil (again, read the direction for how long.)

Spoon into jars.

Doesn't it look wonderful?

Yum.  Pure heavne!

 

I'm linking to the parties on my sidebar.

Bread and Butter Pickles

This is one of those recipes that you will look at and think "nah, I'll just buy them."  But let me tell you - you are missing out!  These are truly the BEST PICKLES OF ALL TIME!!!  I made a batch and loved them so much I asked my Mom to buy me some more pickling cukes at the Farmer's Market so I could make some more.  Well, she bought my 15 pounds more!  Holy heck!  But I'm not complaining.  We now have pickles to last the winter and my kids and I are super excited!
  
Bread and Butter Pickles 
Source: Slightly adapted from A Feast for the Eyes

* 5 pounds pickling cucumbers
* 1 large sweet onion, sliced really thin
* 1/3 cup Kosher salt
* 3 cups cider vinegar
* 2 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 tsp. ground tumeric
* 1 1/4 tsp. celery seeds
* 4 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
* 2 Tbsp. coriander seeds

Oh how I love cucumbers!

Wash cucumbers and cut off the ends.  Slice crosswise into 1/4 inch slices.

Toss in a large bowl with the salt and onion slices.

Cover with about 4 to 6 cups of ice cubes and let sit for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the bowling water bath.  Add water to a large canner with rack and heat to about 180 degrees.  The water should be high enough to be about 1 inch higher than the filled jars.

Wash jars thoroughly and heat water in a small saucepan; put the lids in the saucepan and bring to an almost boil.  Lower heat to very low to keep the lids hot.

Drain the cucumber mixture.  I was afraid they would be too salty but the salty taste goes away by the next day. 

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the other ingredients and bring to a boil. 

With a slotted spoon gently fill jars with the cucumbers.

Ladle the liquid into jars, dividing equally among the jars.

With a clean cloth, wipe any liquid off around the mouth of the jars and put lids on.  Adjust the screw on lids firmly but don't over tighten.

Place filled jars in the boiling water bath, filling with more boiling water if needed to cover the jars.

Bring the water to a boil.  Cover and boil for 10 minutes.

Lift the jars out of the water and place on a rack to cool.

Makes about 6 pints.

They are so good you will eat an entire jar before you realize they are gone.



 

I'm linking to the parties on my sidebar.