Saturday, July 2, 2016

Basil Jelly; Summer 2016

In the hot Temecula sun, I grow basil in the shade of a white paper umbrella.  Hubby's not big basil fan but still, I make pesto when basil grows. Having a bountiful harvest of healthy basil leaves, I wanted to do more. Herbal jellies came to mind, so I looked for a Basil Jelly recipe, gourmet stuff. This one comes from www.food.com, posted by Maryland Jim. The basil flavor in this jelly is delicate, with just a hint of lemon. Success; this one is a keeper. Yummy!

BASIL JELLY
1 cup fresh basil leaf, lightly packed
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups water
6-1/2 cups sugar
2 (3 ounce) envelopes Certo liquid pectin

DIRECTIONS
1. Place basil leaves, lemon juice and vinegar in an 8-10 quart sauce pot
2. Let basil, lemon juice and vinegar stand while you are measuring the water and sugar
3. Add the water and heat almost to a boil, stirring to blend, then add sugar all at once
4. Stir to dissolve sugar
5. Bring to a hard boil
6. Add both pouches of Certo, stir to mix and return to a hard boil
7. Boil for 1 minute or until jelly point is reached
8. Remove from heat
9. Remove basil leaves with a slotted spoon
10. Pour immediately into hot sterilized 1/2 pint jars
11. Seal and process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath