Herb Jelly (Savory or Sweet)
Herbal jelly is a tasty way to capture the flavor of fresh herbs in an easy-to-use homemade jelly. Choose savory or sweet, it's up to you!
Servings: 16 Servings (4 half pint (8 oz) Jars)
Ingredients
Sweet Herbal Jelly
- 2 cups fresh herbs or 1 cup dried herbs
- 4 cups water or 2 cups water & 2 cups white wine
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 to 4 cups sugar see note
- 1 Box Low Sugar Pectin 1.75 ounces (such as Sure-Jell)
Savory Herbal Jelly
- 2 cups fresh herbs or 1 cup dried herbs
- 4 cups water or 2 cups water and 2 cups white wine
- 1 to 2 cups sugar see notes
- 1 cup vinegar wine vinegar, white, cider, or rice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 box Low Sugar Pectin 1.75 ounces (such as Sure-Jell)
Instructions
- Choose your recipe above, for either a sweet or savory herb jelly.
- Make a herbal tea using 4 cups water and 2 cups fresh herbs (or 1 cup dried herbs). You can also substitute 2 cups of white wine in for 2 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil, then remove from heat and pour over the herbs. Allow the mixture to strain for 10-15 minutes and then strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer.
- Return the herbal tea to a clean saucepan and add in the other ingredients (except sugar). For the sweet jelly, that'd be lemon juice and pectin. For the savory, add in lemon juice, vinegar, and pectin.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the pectin. Boil 1 minute.
- Add in the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a boil and boil 1 additional minute.
- Remove the jelly from the heat and ladle into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- For refrigerator jelly, just cap the jars and allow them to cool on the counter before storing them in the refrigerator. They'll keep several weeks that way, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
- To can herbal jelly, process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Once properly canned and sealed, the jars will keep right on the pantry shelf at room temperature for 12-18 months. Refrigerate after opening.
Notes
The total amount of sugar used is up to your tastes, provided you use low-sugar pectin. I recommend sure jel low sugar, and the instructions have been given using that pectin. If you use another low sugar pectin (like Pomona's), the preparation instructions for that pectin are a bit different and you'll need to follow the order of operations on the box.
If using "regular" full sugar pectin, it requires a minimum of a 1:1 ratio of sugar to liquid by volume. For 4 cups of liquid, you need at least 4 cups sugar. This is a very sweet jelly, but that's fine if that's your preference.
Regardless of the type of pectin used, be sure that you don't add the sugar until the pectin has boiled in the mixture for 1 minute. If you add the sugar with all the other ingredients then the jelly will not set.
For a savory jelly, it still helps to have some sugar to balance out the tart vinegar and lemon juice, and it'll give it a zesty flavor when used together. You can use as much or as little sugar as you want (provided you're using low-sugar pectin). I'd recommend 1 to 2 cups, depending on your tastes. Less means the flavor won't be as well-rounded and it'll be quite tart, and if you add more, it's no longer really a "savory" herbal jelly.
Nutrition
Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 632IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.5mg