Herbal Blessing: HERB JELLY and JAM

Herb jellies and jams can be made by two different methods and are a wonderful way to capture the flavors of herbs and fruits or juices. The first requires traditional pectin, sterilized jars and water-processing baths. To sterilize jars, wash canning jars and lids, rinse and boil covered with water for at least 15 minutes. As a rule, hot preserves go into hot jars.

BASIC HERB JELLY
2c juice or water
1c fresh herbs or 1/3c dried
4c sugar
1/4c vinegar
3oz liquid pectin
Bring juice to a boil, pour over herbs and steep 30 mins. Strain and return to pan, add sugar and vinegar. Boil until sugar dissolves, stir in pectin and boil 1 minute. Cool slightly, skim off foam, and pour into sterilized jars and water-process for 10 mins.

Here are some of my favorite combinations:

GRAPE THYME JELLY
2c grape juice
1/3c thyme/lemon thyme
3 1/2c sugar
1tsp lemon juice
3oz liquid pectin

ORANGE MINT JELLY
2c fresh squeezed orange juice
1Tbs orange zest
1c fresh orange mint
4c sugar
1/4c cider vinegar
3oz liquid pectin

ROSE GERANIUM JELLY
2c apple juice
1/2c rose geranium leaves
1/2c fragrant rose petals
4c sugar
1/4c cider vinegar
3oz liquid pectin

LEMON VERBENA JELLY
2 1/2c water
2 1/2c lemon verbena leaves
4 c sugar
zest & juice of 1 lemon
3oz liquid pectin

PINEAPPLE SAGE JELLY
2c pineapple juice
1 1/2c pineapple sage leaves
3 1/2c sugar
1Tbs lemon juice
3oz liquid pectin

ORANGE TARRAGON JELLY
1 1/2c orange juice
1/2c white grape juice
1Tbs dried tarragon or 6 sprigs fresh
3 1/4c sugar
1tsp lemon juice
3oz liquid pectin

Additional favorite herb jelly recipes can be found on this earlier post on the Herbal Harvest.

A second method is referred to as quick jams which rely on the natural pectin in fruit to thicken the mixture and take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. They do not require sterilized jars, but should be refrigerated and used within two weeks.

BASIC HERB JAM
2c fresh or frozen fruit
1/2c water, apple or white grape juice
2Tbs fresh or 2tsp dried herbs
3c sugar
1/4c fresh lemon juice
Bring water or juice to a boil, pour over herbs/spices and steep 30 mins. Strain herbs and return to pan, add fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer, stirring constantly and mashing fruit for 5-15 mins or until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches the consistency of jam. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled.

Here are some fruit and herb combination to try:

BERRY MINT JAM
2c fresh or frozen raspberries, blackberries or blueberries
1/2c apple or white grape juice
2Tbs fresh or 2tsp dried spearmint
3c sugar
1/4c fresh lemon juice

PEACH LAVENDER JAM
2c fresh or frozen peaches
1/2c apple or white grape juice
2Tbs fresh or 2tsp dried lavender buds
3c sugar
1/4c fresh lemon juice
1/2tsp vanilla extract

BLUEBERRY LEMON VERBENA JAM
2c fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2c water
2Tbs fresh lemon verbena
3c sugar
1/4c fresh lemon juice

APRICOT ROSEMARY JAM
2c fresh or 2c fresh or frozen apricots
1/2c water
2Tbs fresh or 2tsp dried rosemary
3c sugar
1/4c fresh lemon juice

RASPBERRY ROSE JAM
2c fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2c water
1c fresh rose petals
3c sugar
1/4c fresh lemon juice

Herb jellies and jams can be used as a glaze for poultry and pork, as a quick appetizer with soft cheeses and crackers, as a filling for thumbprint cookies or simply to enhance scones, muffins or fresh baked bread.