Love in a Jar

For those overflowing baskets of pears, berries or apples!

Blackberry Jelly Makes a Wonderful Gift

Blackberry Jelly

Nana made jars and jars of this in the summer.

First go out and pick your berries, then wash and take out any leaves and stems. If some are not quite ripe, this is even better (more pectin). Put in a kettle, pour boiling water over to cover and cook until done. Pour into thick cloth bag (Nana used a well-washed muslin pillowcase) let drip for several hours until all the juice has dripped out.

Start heating and sterilizing your jelly glasses. [You will need a sterilizing kettle]

Boil until juice is reduced to half. Then add one cup sugar for one cup juice. (Heat the sugar first) Boil for about 5 minutes until it jells when tested with a spoon, or drop a bit in saucer to see if it jells.

Remove scum from top while cooking.

Pour jelly into hot glasses and let cool. When cold and firm, pour melted paraffin over top to cover jelly and up on sides of glass.

Apple Marmalade

This recipe came from the Whole Earth Catalog from the 70’s, and they found it in an old Department of Agriculture pamphlet. Mama Nell and I made many jars of this from the trees in the front yard in the mountains. It's yummy on toast!

8 cups thinly sliced apples

1 sliced or chopped orange, peel and all

1-1/2 cup water

5 cups sugar

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice.

Heat water and sugar, add other ingredients, then boil rapidly. Stir constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, skim, and pack in hot jars. Makes about 7 and one-half jars. Use paraffin or new canning tops.

Pear Preserves

We made these in Dublin from the hard fruit of the old pear tree in the back yard.

6 quarts cut-up pears

8 cups sugar

Add 1 cup water to sugar , heat, and dissolve sugar. Add fruit and try to keep syrup boiling as you add fruit. Cook in a heavy boiler if possible to keep from burning. Cook fast for 1 and a half to 2 hours until syrup is consistency desired. Add 1T. Cloves and/or slices of lemon about 30 minutes before the fruit is done. The faster you can cook pears without burning the better. Use wooden spoon to stir.

Pack in hot jars as above.