Beet Jelly

Beet Jelly

This year I made Beet Jelly for the first time in many years. I was also extremely frugal. I cooked the beet leaves to get my beet juice for the jelly. Here is the recipe for that jelly along with how I did it. This should make around 4 pints of jelly but I like to have an extra jar or two at the ready just in case. Besides you never know when you will have a partial jar to put in the refrigerator and use right away. If you know you like Beet Jelly, this recipe can be doubled.

What you will need is:

5 cups of beet juice

½ cup of lemon juice

5 cups sugar

1 package of pectin (the no added sugar kind)

The first thing I do is measure everything out, once you get going with making the jelly it will go pretty fast.

Measure the beet juice right into the kettle I am using along with the lemon juice. You will want to use a heavy kettle that is deep enough that your juices only come halfway up the kettle. I like to use a Dutch oven, the heavy kind that you make pot roasts in. Next measure the sugar into containers and you are ready to begin.

Stir the pectin into the beet juice and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. This is a boil that cannot be stirred down. Add the sugar that you have measured out and bring back to a full rolling boil. Keep this boil going for a full minute stirring constantly.

Remove the kettle of jelly from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to let the foam come to the surface. Skim the foam from the top and pour the jelly into prepared jars. Seal the jars and process in a canning bath for 25 minutes.

Beet Jelly on the left and Tomato Jam on the right.