some of you may remember this from last year.
you may also remember that we here in the northeast had such a rainy growing season that the growing hardly grew. my three little gooseberry bushes up and shed their leaves 'round about mid august - after first turning brown and shriveling unto themselves in soggy little masses.
:(
i wasn't sure if they would make it.
but much to my delight, this spring the branches beheld tiny specks of neon-green that soon spread into riotous flames of leaves. the berries tho, are a bit sparse. such that even reserva is much too abundant a term for this year's yield.
golden seemed a fitting term - and so i took the literal approach:
i picked 'em green -
and rounded out the color & flavor with a few mighty english lavender flowers.
generally speaking, i'm more of a platinum girl myself. but this jelly?
24K all the way baby.
golden jelly
2 lbs green gooseberries
sugar (organic if you can) see below for amount
10 lavender stems with flowers (organic is a must)
jelly bag and strainer or fine meshed cheese cloth & colander
1/2 pint or smaller mason jars
yield: approximately 1 t0 1 & 1/2 pint
day 1
1. top & tail the gooseberries - a scissor is the easiest way. place in a non-reactive pan with 2 & 1/3 cup water & add the lavender flowers. bring to the boil & simmer for 10 minutes on low. at which point they should be quite soft. if they still look intact, mash them a bit with a spoon or fork.
2. while gooseberries & lavender are simmering, boil the jelly bag or cheese cloth for 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water and place on stand or in colander.
3. once gooseberries & lavender flowers have simmered for 10 minutes place them in the jelly bag with stand positioned over a bowl or in the cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl. let drip overnight or 8 hours. note: no matter how tempting, do not press the bag or force through the colander or your golden jelly will be cloudy jelly.
day 2
1. prepare your canning pot and mason jars for hot water bath canning. boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. place 2 0r 3 small plates in the freezer for use to test set later.
sugar (organic if you can) see below for amount
10 lavender stems with flowers (organic is a must)
jelly bag and strainer or fine meshed cheese cloth & colander
1/2 pint or smaller mason jars
yield: approximately 1 t0 1 & 1/2 pint
day 1
1. top & tail the gooseberries - a scissor is the easiest way. place in a non-reactive pan with 2 & 1/3 cup water & add the lavender flowers. bring to the boil & simmer for 10 minutes on low. at which point they should be quite soft. if they still look intact, mash them a bit with a spoon or fork.
2. while gooseberries & lavender are simmering, boil the jelly bag or cheese cloth for 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water and place on stand or in colander.
3. once gooseberries & lavender flowers have simmered for 10 minutes place them in the jelly bag with stand positioned over a bowl or in the cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl. let drip overnight or 8 hours. note: no matter how tempting, do not press the bag or force through the colander or your golden jelly will be cloudy jelly.
day 2
1. prepare your canning pot and mason jars for hot water bath canning. boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. place 2 0r 3 small plates in the freezer for use to test set later.
2. measure out the gooseberry juice that has accumulated overnight. for every cupful of juice add 3/4 cup of sugar. place sugar & juice in preserving pan and heat on medium low until all the sugar melts. then turn up the heat and bring to the boil. boil for 5-10 minutes until set is reached.
3. when you think it is sufficiently set, take the pan off the heat and drop a small spoonful on a frozen plate, put plate back in freezer and wait about 30 seconds. run your finger through the jelly, when it is sufficiently set it will wrinkle underneath your finger. mine took 5 minutes to reach the setting point as the gooseberries were truly green and full of pectin.
4. fill jars and hot water bath process for 5 minutes.
tigress can jam june: berries success!
there is really something about gooseberries that are perfect for jamming; one can't ask for a berry with a better pectin content, and the sourness is the perfect counterpart for all the sweetness added in jams & jellies. i plan to explore jelly-making much more this summer. i'm a jammer & always feel that jellies are somehow 'harder' to make. the truth is they really aren't! ...i think i'm on a jelly roll!
wait!!
jelly roll?
omg! ...that would be delicious!
learning: basically, i need to plant more gooseberry bushes. i mean reservas, golden jellies, they're all kinda swanky & cool. but really, i just wanna get my eat-onz!
:)
A beautiful amber jelly. I know just what you mean about gooseberries being just the right tartness to offset being made into a sweet jam. You echo my thoughts about jellies v jams. I've tended to avoid making jellies as they seemed such an extra faff, but their beauty makes up for it and it is only a matter of being organised, so the jelly bag has somewhere to drip away to its heart content. Not what you'd call hard work!
ReplyDeletehi gloria! yes, i am in love with gooseberries! this is my fave so far this year of my jarred goodies. although last night i had a very fruitful date with a few pounds of strawberries. i will tell you about it soon! :)
ReplyDeletegloria - and yes, what were we thinking about jellies all this time? it's easy!
ReplyDeleteSounds delightful. Have a question.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean individual flowers picked off one stem (a minute amount),or do you mean 12 stems?
My lavendar was waiting for a great idea and I think this must be it.
hi patricia - i mean 10 full stems. i will correct that above because i see that it can be confusing. i sometimes use 'sprigs' of the leaves before they flower and wanted to be clear that it was the fully flowered lavender. thanks!
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful. I can't wait for my gooseberries to ripen - they are rock-hard yet! I love gooseberries in jam. Haven't tried a gooseberry jelly yet - maybe this year ;o).
ReplyDeleteOh, my, that is one gorgeously golden jelly. I think I may go gooseberry-less this year and you and Gloria have me totally despondent about that fact. What does that mean? I got to get me some plants!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful jelly is a truly lovely thing!
ReplyDeleteWow! That's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen gooseberries here.
Yummy! I miss gooseberries. Personally, I think nail clippers are the best tool for top-and-tailing them.
ReplyDeleteap269 - you can use them when they are very firm - that is when they have the best pectin.
ReplyDeletejulia - get some plants girl!
sarahbhood - it sure it!
mimi - they are not that easy to come by here either. ;)
anduin - nail clippers sound like a good choice!
Looks yummy, I only ended up with a handful of gooseberries so they made their way into my kirsch - along with some strawberries and blueberries. Can't wait till they are ready!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a process. The jelly is beautiful. I've managed to get my post up in time so onward with the challenge.
ReplyDeleteTigress so beautiful! When I opened google this morning this stunning picture caught my eye and I knew right away it was yours even though it was still busy shuffling the contents of all my brain feeders. I love your unique photo photography style, it really stands out!
ReplyDeleteOMG so many words out of place there - latte has not kicked in yet...but you get the gist.
ReplyDeleteUmmm,I want some. Like, seriously, beautiful and enticing. Can jelly call your name?
ReplyDeleteGooseberries - Be still my heart !
ReplyDeleteLovely jelly, tigress- it's innovative and yet somehow reminds me of an English tea party!
ReplyDeleteDo you know if I could use a cheesecloth to make jelly, or should I just break down and get the jelly-bag?
daisy driver - sounds like a perfect place for them!
ReplyDeleteduckandjunebug, sustainable eats, nikki - thanks!
elle ross - yes you can use cheesecloth - but it should be very fine if you want to avoid cloudy jelly. sometimes the fine-weaved cloth is called butter muslin.
That golden jelly looks so good! I've never had gooseberries before. Nor have I tried makig jelly yet. I may have to break down and try it myself after this. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing, I can't wait to see some gooseberries on my now bare plant, it's winter here. I love jellies and jams I'm really pleased to have discovered your blog :)
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the party here, but I just made this jelly and it's amazing. My first jelly ever, and what a treat! Soft and fragrant and beautiful. It makes me wish I had more gooseberry bushes! Thanks for having exactly the right recipe for me to try.
ReplyDeletelisa - welcome!
ReplyDeletemiriam - i am so glad that you tried the recipe and that it came out wonderfully!! :)