I made Jelly for the first time!!!

**rsbs** · 05-29-2009, 03:55 PM

And I've already eaten 1/2 of a jar! It just seems to taste so much better than store bought!
A friend gave me two 5gal buckets of sour plums last saturday. These plums don't get sweet, they always stay a little tart, even when fully ripe - & the jelly even has a little pucker to it!

Anyway, I didn't want them to go to waste, so I tried my hand at jelly & am in love!
Next in line, blueberry - when DH's Aunt's bushes ripen. We always walk away with just as many blueberries as we got plums this year!!

**marjorie** · 05-29-2009, 05:26 PM

Very nicely done! I love my own jams better than anyone elses.

**vickilynn** · 05-29-2009, 06:17 PM

Good job.....don't you love the way the house smells when making jelly? It's so hot during the summer, I prepare the fruit and put it in the freezer and make the jam when it's cooler.

Congrats on your first jelly!

**Jayne** · 05-29-2009, 06:36 PM

WTG!!!!...Sounds yummo!!..I had to laugh when I read that you ate half a jar already..I would too

**Debbie-cat** · 05-29-2009, 10:26 PM

Good for you! I love homemade jams and jellies. They are so much better tasting compared to store bought.

**CrazyCat** · 05-29-2009, 10:48 PM

Yeah~!!!!

Peaches make GREAT jelly..or I should say jam because I leave in the small pieces. I bet your tart plums though rocked...because of the sweet/tart taste. Sometimes jelly gets too sweet for me.

My specialty is hot pepper jelly~Awesome stuff.

**ArmyOfFive4God** · 05-29-2009, 11:08 PM

Oh yum, you're going to become an addict!!!

HM jellies & jams are YUM!

**mauimagic** · 05-30-2009, 12:45 AM

Rachel congrats on your jelly making and your contagious enthusiasm!! The only jelly that I ever made was jalapeno jelly - think I''ll make some - you've got me going!! Mahalo!!

**MaryCarney** · 05-30-2009, 05:11 AM

For all of you newbie jelly/jam makers - mixed berry jellies are the bomb! We have Concord grapes, blueberries, raspberries, currants and apples on our 1/3 acre lot. If you don't have enough of one, mix them up - you'll be pleasantly surprised. You can also add in bottled apple or grape juice to get enough to make a batch.
I always prefer jam, it's a LOT less work than all that straining tp get clear juice to make jelly . I just run my fruit through the pulper and go from there. Seems like the resulting jam spreads more easily than jelly, too.
Dang it - now I'm craving some of my own jam on a hot slice of homemade bread - and I'm at WORK (don't worry, I'm a homecare nurse and my patient is sleeping!) It'll just have to wait, won't it?

**Michelle** · 05-30-2009, 08:19 AM

Delicious...I need to try my hand at jelly/jam making some day. Maybe this year (I say this every year

)

**rsbs** · 06-02-2009, 10:55 AM

Ooooh! Peach! I bought some just yesterday at a stand down the road from me... the ripe ones were 6 for $1.00! I plan on making "GA Peach 'honey'" from them - kind of like a jam. Yummm!

And we have jalapenos & habanero peppers growing in the garden this year - maybe I'll make some jelly from those as well!

Thanks for all the ideas!!

**pinetree** · 06-02-2009, 01:18 PM

Plum is one of the best, now your going to be making all different kinds. Its sooo good to open a jar when its snowing outside, the smell & taste,, well.. theres nothing like it!

**lmbaker520** · 06-02-2009, 01:22 PM

Way to go! I love making and eating homemade jams and jellies! I typically make a batch of strawberry and a batch of peach jam. I like the pieces of fruit in it.

I also make hot pepper jelly too. I love that on crackers with a smear of cream cheese. Sooo yummy!