Did you know you can make delicious homemade jelly with juice and just a few simple ingredients? It's true! Making homemade jelly doesn't need to be complicated or require a ton of expensive ingredients. Plus no high fructose corn syrup!
Making homemade jelly with juice can be a fun and creative way to get kids in the kitchen and experience the tasty rewards of their efforts with close adult supervision.
Ingredients you will need:
100% Fruit Juice - you can prepare this jelly using any of your favorite 100% juice from apple, grape, or even a combination from a fruit punch or mixed fruit variety.
Sugar - you will need 4 cups of sugar. Organic, raw sugar is preferable but you can use regular white sugar.
Powdered pectin - 1 (1.76oz) box of Sure-Jell natural fruit regular pectin, or 6 Tbsp. of classic powdered fruit pectin.
Optional: Use just a little bit of butter, approximately 1 teaspoon, to add to your saucepot when cooking down your juice to help minimize foam that forms at the top during the cooking process.
You will also need 6 half-pint jars. These do not have to be canning jars; you can use whatever jars you have. Before you begin, you will need to wash and sanitize your jars (unless you will be doing a water bath canning method afterwards to seal them) and lids by boiling them in a pot of water for 10 minutes.
Making Your Jelly
Pour the fruit juice into a 6-8 quart sauce pot on the stove. Add in pectin and a little bit of butter to the juice and stir. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly to avoid burning. (Tip: Let little helpers use a whisk to carefully stir the mixture along the bottom and sides of the pan). Gradually add in your sugar and bring back to a rolling boil.
Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. (Be sure to supervise children carefully around boiling hot liquids)
Remove from heat and quickly skim off any foam using a metal spoon.
Carefully ladle the jelly into sanitized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. (Tip: Use a funnel to help minimize messes) Wipe the rims with a clean cloth.
If you will not be processing in a water bath for canning: allow the jelly to cool down completely before putting on the lids on. Tighten to fingertip tight and allow to set for a couple of hours. Refrigerate jars and use within a couple of months
