Making Jelly From Juice

 

Recently when my wife and I were shopping at our local Walmart we came across two different types of juices that were going to expire in May of 2016 (six months from they day we bought it). They were apple/mixed berry 96oz marked down to $1.00 each, and plain apple juice 64oz marked down to $1.00 each. Ounce for ounce the mixed berry juice was cheaper (33% more juice) than the apple, but for $1.00 each we bought 4 of each bottle for a total of $8.00. So with Christmas coming up, it was time to make some Christmas jelly to share with our friends and family.

Making your own jelly can not only be a great way to save money, but it is pretty satisfying knowing that you created something with your own hands. To make your own jelly you do not have to have access to an orchard or berry plants, you simply have to have a grocery store in your neighborhood in which you can purchase the juice to make the jelly. To be honest, it is as simple as that. If you have never canned before then making your own jelly is a great way to get started in the wonderful world of canning and preserving food.

After using this recipe to make 16 half pints (8oz jars) of jelly for Christmas presents we still had plenty of juice left over. So a couple days after Christmas we had our friends Steve Coyne (author of the 'I Grow Vegetables Blog') and his wife Sue as well as Rhonda and Andrew Jones over to talk all things homesteading and share ideas and information regarding food preservation. Steve brought two cases of half-pint jars (8oz) and I supplied the lids, bands and other ingredients and we made 24 half-pints of jelly using this recipe. As we were visiting with friends, I did not take a lot of pictures, so this article will only be semi-illustrated...sorry.

Before you get started making your own jelly, you will need to get your water bath canner, jars and canning supplies ready. I am not going to go into detail on how to sterilize your jars before canning your jelly in this article as I have covered this in another article on the blog. You can find detailed instructions regarding water bath canning at 'Canning Basics: A Step-By-Step Guide'.

Basic Jelly Recipe From Juice

Now there are quite a few jelly recipes out on the wide world web, and I guess I am going to add mine into the mix, but I cannot really take credit for this recipe. In fact, I use the standard Kraft brand Sure-Jell recipe that you can find on their website for making Jelly from juice. While the instructions that come with the Sure-Jell pectin are through, even I find them somewhat confusing and contradictory, however, the recipe listed below is an old one that Kraft still has on it's website. I have been using this recipe to make jelly from fruit juice for years and it has worked for me every time.

1 box of Sure-Jell powdered pectin

4 cups of juice (any type)

5 cups sugar

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Gather you jars and all necessary equipment and clean and sterilize them. For step-by-step instructions on how to clean and sterilize your jars and equipment, see my article 'Canning Basics: A Step-By-Step Guide' on our blog.

Measure out 4 cups of juice into a 6 to 8 quart saucepan. Add the pectin and optional butter to juice and heat the mixture to rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) stirring constantly. Then add the sugar and stir until it is fully incorporated into the juice. Then bring the juice mixture back to a rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the juice mixture from the heat and skim off any foam that may have occurred on top of the juice with a spoon.

Chef's Note: Do not try and double this batch. Making batches larger than this recipe is one of the more common reasons for set failures. If you have to, make a batch and take a break in between, but again I would not double the recipe.

Ladle into your cleaned and sterilized jars leaving ¼ inch of head space. Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel and cover with two-piece band and lids. Screw the bands until they are hand tight. Place jars in water bath canner. If using a canning rack, add the jars to to rack, then lower the rack into canner. Making sure the water covers the jars by 3 to 4 inches.

Place a lid on your water bath canner and bring the water to gentle boil. Once the water is boiling, process the jelly for 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a wire rack or towel to cool. After jars are cool, make sure to check the seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Chef's Note: Some juice takes longer to set than others. Even if the jar is cool to touch, the jelly will need 24 hours for the pectin to fully set. Juices made from fruits that are higher in pectin will typically gel faster then low pectin fruits.

Choosing Your Pectin

When it comes to making jelly, jams, and preserves, it's all about the pectin. Pectin is a natural enzyme found in fruits and vegetables. Fruits such as apples, pears, plums, oranges, guavas, and other citrus fruits have large amounts of natural pectin, while cherries, strawberries, blackberries, and grapes contain small amounts of pectin. While most fruits contain pectin (primarily in the skin of the fruit), additional pectin is required to make sure that your jelly, jams, and preserves 'set' or 'gel' correctly. In addition to pectin, sugar is one of the primary ingredients in jams and jellies that not only makes the final product sweet, the sugar actually enhances the gelling power of the pectin. This is why some canners have difficulty with their jelly, jams, and preserves setting properly when using sugar substitutes and regular pectin. If you want to use a sugar substitute like Splenda or Stevia, then you need to use a product like 'Sure-Jell for Lower Sugar Recipes pectin'. 

Powdered Pectins

The only type of pectin I have ever used to make jelly and jams is 'Sure Jell' powdered pectin. A 1.75oz box of Kraft 'Sure Jell' is $2.97 (at Walmart). Ball also makes a powdered pectin that comes in 4.7oz container for $9.47 (at Walmart). To use the Ball pectin, you can log onto their website and choose the individual type of fruit for the required amount of pectin (about 1 tablespoon for each ¾ cup of juice). Both work well, but for me I prefer to just open the powdered pouch and pour it into my juice. If you are using smaller amounts of juice, the Ball pectin may be a better choice for you. One major advantage of using Ball powdered pectin is that comes loose in the jar which can be helpful if you wish to try and fix a jam or jelly that will not set, but it is a lot more expensive than Sure-Jell.

Liquid Pectins

Both Kraft and Ball make liquid pectins. The Kraft brand 'Certo' is $3.97 for a 6fl oz box with two 3oz pouches (at Walmart) and Ball's 'Real Fruit' liquid pectin is $6.38 for 6fl oz box with two 3oz pouches. As I mentioned previously, I have never used liquid pectin, but I know people who have used it with good results. In my experience the liquid pectin is slightly more expensive, especially the Ball brand. Like most of us, I am a creature of habit, so when it isn't broke, I don't try and fix it, so I always use powdered pectin.

Cost Analysis

My original goal of this was not to do a cost savings analysis, we simply bought the juice to make jelly to share with our friends and family, but old habits die hard, and I wanted to see how much it really costs me to make this jelly from clearance juice. I opted not to perform any price comparisons so if you want to see the actual savings you can achieve from making jelly from store bought, then you will have to look at the supermarket next time you visit, or compare prices here on the internet.

So how much did It actually cost to make this jelly using bottled or canned juice? And can you really save any money making your own jelly at home from bottled juice? Obviously your choice of juice and the type of pectin you will use will affect the final price of your jelly. For our recipe we were able to purchase the a 96oz of Apple/Mixed Berry juice for $1.00 ($0.01 per ounce), the 64oz jar of Apple juice was $1.00 ($0.015 per ounce). The Sure Jell was $2.94 for one box, and 5 cups of sugar $1.09 ($0.031 per ounce).

Mixed Berry Jelly (2.94 + 1.09 + 0.32 = $4.35 for 8 half pint (8oz jars), that's $0.54 per jar ($0.07 per ounce).

Apple Jelly (2.94 + 1.09 + 0.48 = $4.51 for 8 half pint (8oz jars), that's $0.56 per jar ($0.075 per ounce).


When Your Jelly Dosen't Set?

So what happens when your jelly does not set or gel after 24 hours? There are many causes that I will not go into in this article, but if your jelly does not set it is not the end of the world. As I mentioned earlier, if you follow these directions, you should not have any problems, but alas we are all human. The few times I have had a jelly not set properly I simply used it as a syrup. Syrup's like this are great on pancakes, waffles or biscuits fresh from the oven. Like Jellies, fruit syrups make great gifts, and unless you tell everyone your jelly failed to set, they will never know unless you tell them.

I have never attempted to fix a jelly that would not set, as I mentioned I use them for syrup. However, if you are constantly having set problems, there are a few different options or ways that you may be able to get your jelly to set. On their website, Ball lists some major problems you may encounter during your jelly adventures including ways to fix jellies that will not set. For more information check out their web page 'Ball Problem Solvers: Jams and Jellies'.

Conclusion

We had a great time socializing and making jelly with our friends, and with 24 half-pints, there was plenty of jelly for everyone to take home. If you have never tried your hand at canning, making your own jelly is a great way to get started. After all, who doesn't love opening a jar of homemade jelly and spreading it on your buttered toast, or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with your own jelly?

You can make jelly from just about any type of juice, even the frozen concentrates as long as you follow the directions for re-constituting them correctly. I recommend that you use only 100% juice when making jelly for best results, stay away from 'fruit flavored' juices. I hope that you and your family will enjoy making and eating your own jelly for years to come. I know our family loves it when we make jelly and share it with them and I am sure yours will too. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Related Articles on Our Blog:

Yes You Can!: Preserving Your Bounty.

To Pressure Or Not To Pressure: That Is the Question.

Canning Basic: A Step-By-Step Guide.