Gifts Wrapped in Glass: Day 24

I had dreams last night that I was drowning. Drowning in stuff that I have to do. In my dreams, I was doing everything wrong, panicking and ruining everything else in the process. 

Dreams have a way of paralleling reality don't they?

I have been wanting to try this recipe for LEMON JELLY for a long time.

I purchased a bag of lemons 3 weeks ago and they sat and rotted on my kitchen counter because I never had time to get to them.

Then, I purchased another bag. They too rotted.

Yesterday I went and bought lemons, came home and finally made jelly. 

Some GIFTS WRAPPED IN GLASS have been so easy. This one, just took a bit of dedication. Lemons into lemonade, you know?

The recipe is from William Sonoma's Cookbook "The Art of Preserving". You can purchase the book by clicking on the Amazon Bookshelf link at the bottom of this post. I highly recommend this book for anyone who cans.

You will need:

2 lbs. lemons

6 cups sugar

2 cups lemon juice

7 or 8 half pint jelly jars

Slice the lemons thinly and cover with 3 quarts water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain in a jelly bag or cheese cloth over a glass bowl overnight. For every 5 cups liquid add 6 cups sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cooking until thick, about 10 minutes.

Test for thickness by dabbing jelly on a cool plate. Fill jars, add lids and bands. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Note: I ended up cooking my jelly a bit longer than the directions recommended. It still seems like it's a bit thin in consistency. I think I probably should have used fresh juice in the process instead of bottled. I will experiment a bit more and let you know if I achieve better results. 

You may also add a bit of fresh herbs to the jelly such as rosemary, lemon verbena or lavender. I had been saving the bags that the lemons came in for a project because I thought they were too cute to throw away. I cut down the bag a bit to fit over the 1/2 pint size Mason Jar. Some springs of fresh rosemary and raffia finish the jar.

The back of the jar sports one of my homemade gift labels.

I can't wait to use these jars for Gifts. I recommend serving this jelly on biscuits, pound cake, corn cakes, sugar cookies and more! I may even try a spoonful in my afternoon tea!

Enjoy!