Recipes

[kittyloo]

so dh has been making elderberry jelly.  followed the directions on the back of the pectin box exactly.  first batch turned out just fine.  2nd batch didn't jell.  

this was the second batch in a week. so it's not like he forgot how to do it or something.  followed the directions to the letter. any clues as to what happened?

[dex]

I was reading fixes after googling.You should read what they say.One thing is give it another day to see if it firms.You could also use as sauce.There are instructions to reboil and tips for what went wrong.

[deepwaterdotter]

I have never made my own jelly, but a lady I used to work would bring in homemade strawberry jam that was delicious.  She said her secret was using Pomona's Universal Pectin.  She bought it at the local 'health food' store.  

[kittyloo]

@dex   yes, thank you. i read some of those tips.  i think if it doesn't jell by tomorrow, we will be having some fabulous pancake syrup. 

dh, who can be a perfectionist at times, is just in a tizzy about what he may have done incorrectly.

[Carmie]

Was the pectin fresh? Check the date.

If so, he might not have boiled the jelly long enough.

You can refrigerate it and it can be used for pancakes or on pound cake. it  will make a yummy sauce.

or

All  the jars of the runny jelly can be recooked to boiling then add about 1 tablespoon of fresh pectin per quart and stir constantly until it reaches a rolling boil and thickens.  You then can put it in clean jars with new lids or seals and process the jars in a water bath for at least 10 minutes. 

Sometimes it just happens for reasons unknown. Often, I just ignored the runny jars and over time, it thickened.

[dex]

@kittyloo@Tell him to just relax and enjoy the syrup on whatever you choose.I think it will be fantastic.

[Honeybit]

@kittyloo 

Was the weather different?  Certainly humidity has an effect on candy making, so it might affect jelly as well.

[nbct]

I make strawberry jam every 2-3 years. I use the directions in the Sure Gel box for COOKED JAMS.  It sets up every time.  I’ve tried not using the cooked method a couple of times, and it doesn’t gel.  After it has cooled, I then freeze mine. I have fresh jam all year long. 

Using this method will work for jelly as well.