Can Jam: Honey Lemon Jelly
I think I will label this jelly Honey Lemon Goodness.
Or maybe Honey Lemon Jelly of Joy.
Or perhaps Damn! I Made Some Good Jelly!
Last evening I tackled my first challenge in the Tigress Can Jam: citrus. I considered making marmalade, but I don’t really like marmalade all that much. But I do like honey. And lemon. Especially when stirred together in Earl Grey tea. So I chose to make the Honey Lemon Jam from Mary Anne Dragan’s most excellent book Well Preserved: Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook, which my friend Mari gave me at Christmas.
To date my only foray into canning has been with fruit jams and chili sauce. Jelly made me nervous. What if my jelly didn’t gel? To get over my jelly phobia I read up on getting a “good gel” and it seems that all the experts, including Ms. Dragan, agree that cooking jelly until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer is the foolproof way to test for gel.
I am happy to report this method works like a charm! My jelly tastes fantastic and it has a very satisfying wiggle when heaped on a spoon. This morning I spread it over a scone, but I think it would taste even better sandwiched between two shortbread cookies. Does anyone have a good shortbread recipe? Perhaps one that is flavored with Early Grey tea? If so, do tell!
Honey Lemon Jam
Adapted from Well Preserved (3rd Edition): Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook by Mary Anne Dragan
I really love lemon, so I upped the amount of zest called for in the original recipe and I also used a local blackberry honey because I prefer a stronger honey taste (Ms. Dragan recommends using a lighter colored honey).
You’ll Need:
3 or 4 eight-ounce canning jars, lids, and rings
2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup water
1 3-ounce package liquid pectin
Instructions:
Stir the honey, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and water together in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring the honey mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the pectin. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil that cannot be stirred down. At this point, place a candy thermometer into the liquid (make sure it does not touch the bottom).
Continue to stir until the jelly reaches 220 degrees F. Then, remove the pan from the heat, give the jelly a good stir, and skim off any foam. Fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rims, seal, and process in boiling water for 5 minutes.
I highly recommend Well Preserved (3rd Edition): Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook. Mary Anne Dragan’s easy-to-follow directions demystify the canning process and she clearly explains the differences between jams, jellies, preserves, fruit conserves, and butters (as well as pickles, relishes, and chutneys). The book is available from Amazon for $24.95.
I love the idea of making jelly in small batches. I’ve been wanting to try kumquat jelly or marmalade (the skin is sweet, the pulp tart). This looks like the perfect recipe to play with.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:03 pmOnce you start making jelly you never stop! Or, maybe that’s just me…It looks great. Good work.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:15 pm.-= Julia´s last blog ..Tangelo Lemongrass Jelly =-.
I think you should call it “Damn! I made some good jelly!” I made apricot jam last summer that was so good I named it Sweet Baby Jesus Apricot Jam because every time I ate some I said “SWEET BABY JESUS THIS IS GOOD.”
Honey lemon jelly is a brilliant idea, though. Classic combination, and you can eat it even when your throat isn’t sore.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:15 pm.-= melissa´s last blog ..It’s the most wonderful time of the year (Kung Fu Lemon Marmalade) =-.
Wowsa, that sounds awesome! Now I am wishing I did a jelly instead of a marmalade as I prefer jelly also. My folks just brought me a big box of organic lemons from CA today so maybe I’ll make a batch of this. Yum! Nice work!
January 21st, 2010 at 4:07 pmMaybe you could infuse butter with the tea…or infuse cream for scones-works with green tea for desserts. Yum.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:43 pmSince you are a fan of Earl Grey, I might suggest throwing two or three good quality Earl Grey tea bags into the jam mix for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking when you remake this… we did this with fresh peaches this summer and made the best jam *ever*.
January 22nd, 2010 at 5:52 pmI think you could add a bit of finely ground tealeaves to your favorite scone or cookie recipe to make it tea flavored. What about tea-flavored thumbprint cookies with a dollop of this jelly!? Sounds delightful.
January 23rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm.-= Libby´s last blog ..Oranges and fennel and vinegar, oh my! =-.
I used a shortbread receipe over christmas from Sunset magazine’s December 2009 issue. Yummy and easy. give it a whirl.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1940826
BTW, i am having fun looking through your site (listen to you on KUOW). thanks for the ideas.
January 23rd, 2010 at 6:33 pm[...] Diggin’ Food Honey Lemon Jelly. Rich honey. Taste of lemon without all that rind and chewiness. Divine. And, hey, she is local to me. [...]
January 24th, 2010 at 11:26 amthis looks lovely! and earl gray tea sounds like the perfect match!
January 24th, 2010 at 11:56 ami agree with julia, once you start making jelly, watch out!
Funny how it takes someone’s blog to remind me of a book I already own! I haven’t made this jelly however and I was looking for something to do with some extra lemons. This sounds like a convenient way for me to get honey and lemon in my tea at work without having to worry about the lemon going bad
Thanks.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:52 pmMmmm yum yum! Your jelly looks and sounds fantastic!
February 13th, 2010 at 9:30 pm.-= Catalina´s last blog ..A Little Bit Then A Whole LOT Now! =-.
[...] a specific vegetable or fruit. Last month the challenge was citrus. I made a really fabulous Honey Lemon Jelly and I can’t wait to find out what is in store for March! Share and [...]
February 19th, 2010 at 8:36 pmI made kumquat marmalde some years ago. It had the most delicious twist of flavors(just like a real kumquat – duh!.Unfortunately, I cooked it a bit too long overcook trying to get it to set(I did not use pectin).In those days I had the most basic candy thermometer that was not the most accurate. It ended up too thick,but still delicious!
July 27th, 2010 at 7:34 pmI love making jams/jellies w/ out of the ordinary combinations…can’t wait to try this honey lemon jelly!
[...] Diggin’ Food Honey Lemon Jelly. Rich honey. Taste of lemon without all that rind and chewiness. Divine. And, hey, she is local to me. [...]
January 6th, 2011 at 7:16 pm[...] manage to take advantage of a bounty of homegrown citrus brought up from South Louisiana and made Honey Lemon Jelly and Spiced Orange Jelly. The Spiced Orange Jelly wasn’t as “spiced” as I would [...]
January 16th, 2011 at 2:02 pm[...] Finally the Honey & Lemon Jelly. This recipe is pretty close to what I did, but don’t watch temperatures, when it drips off the spoon (or barely as the case may be) I declare it done. I added vanilla extract to mine. http://www.digginfood.com/2010/01/can-jam-honey-lemon-jelly/ [...]
July 3rd, 2011 at 7:24 pm