Christmas Pomegranate Jelly

Artful Maven

If you have lots of gifts to give out for Christmas, try making a large batch of jelly to ladle out to friends and family. It's a gift sure to please!

Supplies:

Blender
Medium Bowl
Strainer
10 - 12 8 Ounce Canning Jars with Lids
Large Pot
Large Basin for Canning
Lots of Hot Water
Towel
Whisk

Ingredients:

5 1/2 Cups of Fresh Pomegranate Juice (5 to 6 Pomegranates) (Can you jarred unsweetened juice as well.)
1 and 1/2 Packages of Sure Jell (1.75 oz.)
6 Cups of Sugar
1 Tsp. Butter
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1 Tbsp. Orange Rind
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Salt

-Place all the jars in the dishwasher and run it with hot water. Leave them until you are ready to use. Pour boiling water over the lids, and leave them as well.

Cut pomegranates in half, and submerge in water. Break off the white membrane, and separate the seeds. The membrane will float in the water, and the seeds will sink, making this much easier. Add seeds to a blender, and blend for 1 minute. Place a strainer over and bowl, and pour the puree in. The juice will collect in the bowl, while the solids remain. Discard the solids. Add jarred juice to make up any difference to have a total of 5 1/2 cups of juice.

Cut oranges in half, and squeezed juice out to get 1/4 cup.

Fill a large basin with hot water, add the jars and bring to a boil, while you start the cooking of the fruit. Add the fruit, butter (prevents foaming), pectin, cinnamon, salt, juice, and rind into the large pot. Cook while stirring constantly until boiling. Once it reaches a full rolling boil, add the sugar, and boil another two minutes. Remove the jars from the water, and fill with jelly, but leave about a 1/2 inch from the top. Clean the tops of the jars well to make sure no jelly is on the rim. Add the lids, and place back into the water, and make sure they are covered with one to two inches of water.

Try to make sure the jars do not touch, and boil them in the water for five minutes. You can have a rack underneath them as well, but it's not necessary.

Place the jars on a towel to start cooling. You will hear the lids popping and they will suck down some. This is necessary. Once they reach room temperature, put them in the refrigerator to complete the jellying.