March Food In Jars Mastery Challenge ~ Jellies and Shrubs

A group of us are participating in the Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa at Food in Jars. The March challenge was Jelly or Shrubs.

While just about everyone gets the concept of jams and jellies, Shrubs were a mystery to me even though I did bartend for a while. They were not popular back then, or the places I worked were not "upscale" enough to know about them. They are a very old concept from the days before refrigeration, but shrubs are making a comeback! 

So, what does the word, shrub, mean, exactly? Michael Dietsch explains in rich detail the history of shrub-making, which dates way beyond Colonial times, in the pages of his recent book, Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times. A shrub is basically fruit, or even vegetables, combined with two other components: sugar and vinegar. After the correct ratio of those ingredients integrate over a little time, the result is a perfect balance of tartness, sugar, acidity, and texture. Shrubs are mouth-watering and concentrated, and they taste amazing when combined with soda, water or integrated into a cocktail.

I stuck with jelly since none of my gang would even begin to try the shrubs. It would be a waste and a shame to make a product to take a picture of and throw it away. I'll wait until our Adult Easter Egg Hunt ~ Spring Fling Party to make some Shrubs and get the big kids to try them! I'll keep you posted!

Check out our results!
Click the links below the pictures for the recipes:

Satsuma Mandarin Orange Pepper Jelly  - Mary Marshall -
Cooking with Mary and Friends
Recipe

Balsamic Vinegar Jelly with Onions Seeds - Sue Harris -
Jams 'n' Pans
Recipe

Cantaloupe, Orange and Coriander Shrub - Pamela Gram -
The Pitt Stop BBQ, LLC
Recipe

Pepper Jelly - Anne Marshall-Candeloro
Recipe

Pomegranate Molasses Shrub - Nikki Carriere
Recipe

Porter Beer Jelly - Sue Burns -
It's Ok to Eat the Cupcake
Recipe 

Mango, Szechuan Peppercorn, Kaffir Lime Leaf Shrub -
Tami Young -
Recipe

Cherry Jelly - Lynn Vining -
Southern with a Twist
Recipe

Cherry Jelly ~ March Food in Jars Mastery Challenge

I am participating in a year long Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa from Food in Jars, and the March challenge was Jellies and Shrubs! Since my family and I really aren't into the Shrubs, vinegary concentrated drinks, I decided to stick with jelly, but I used my cherries from last years crop to make jelly. I've never made Cherry Jelly before. It is sweet, tart and delicious!

My cherries were frozen. I rinsed them off and set the colander on the base after they drained well. I let them thaw. I removed the pits over the colander, yielding about 4 - 4 1/2 cups of cherries. 

The base caught 3/4 cup of cherry juice! I cooked the cherries after adding Sure-Jell (I didn't need to add water since the base of my colander caught the juice. I boiled them and then added the sugar. I boiled them for a few minutes to yield the most juice. I used the colander and base again to separate the cherries from the jelly juice. I filled the jelly jars and processed them.

Jelly juice...
I skimmed off the foam.

Jelly done! Recipe below...
I reserved the cherries for chutney.

6 cups cherries, stemmed and pitted
  (Note that you are only using the juice for jelly which will yeild about 3 1/2 cups of juice)
1/2 cup water*
Sure-Jell
4 1/2 - 5 1/2 cups granulated sugar**

Stem and pit the cherries. Place cherries water and sure-jell into a large stock pot. Stir until the sure-jell is dissolved and cook over medium to medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Add all the sugar at once and return to a boil. I let mine cook down for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully strain the cherries and reserve them for some chutney or jam. Spoon the juice or pour into jars. I yielded 3 half pints and a 4 ounce jar from this batch. You can either process the jars of preserves in a water bath for 10 minutes, or store in the refrigerator. 
* I used frozen cherries from last year's batch, so I didn't need to add water. If you use fresh cherries, add a little water to dissolve the sure-jell and start the process of breaking down the cherries.

** Depending on how ripe the cherries are, you may use more or less sugar. These cherries are a little tart, so I used about 4 1/2 cups. Taste and adjust the sugar.

Cherry Jelly and Chutney using the Easy~Greasy System!

I received an email from Michelle at Easy~Greasy about her product. It is a colander with a base and lid. I was thrilled at her offer to send me one FREE to try out and review! Not only that, but she offered to give one to the lucky winner so I could do a giveaway! So, I set out to test her system and see if it would really be beneficial to me in the kitchen!

To start with, my cherries were left over from last year and were frozen. I rinsed them off and set the colander on the base after they drained well. I let them thaw. I then removed the pits over the colander. I usually do this in the sink with my regular metal colander.

I continued pitting cherries until I was done, leaving me about 4 - 4 1/2 cups of cherries. I was totally shocked when I picked up the colander and looked in the base!

The base caught 3/4 cup of cherry juice! That is the equivalent of an 8 ounce jar of jelly! I had no idea I was wasting that much juice! I cooked the cherries after adding sugar and Sure-Jell. I used the colander and base again to separate the cherries from the jelly juice. I filled the jelly jars and processed them.

Jelly juice...

Jelly done...

I used the cherries in a Chutney made of

cherries, granny smith apples and jalapenos. 

Well, I can tell you that the Easy~Greasy System made the entire process so much easier! Not only easier, but it added a jar to the yield from my jelly recipe! Thanks Michelle! Enter below for your chance to win an Easy~Greasy Strain and Save Kitchen Colander!

Cherry~Apple Jalapeno Chutney

1lb cherries, pitted, coarsely chopped

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith), finely chopped

2 or 3 chopped jalapenos, or to taste

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3/4 teaspoon mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon allspice
1(4-inch) cinnamon stick

In 3-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low; boil gently 50 to 60 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Cool at least 1 hour before serving. Store in refrigerator.

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