Looking for a way to use all of that mint that has probably over-taken your herb beds? Ever tried real mint jelly? It used to be a very chic thing to serve with roasted lamb, but all you can find in the stores these days is usually loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Real mint jelly is so easy to make, and is so pretty in the canning jars.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2-1/4 cups water
1 drop green food color {optional}
3-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 container liquid pectin
Directions
Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
Place washed mint leaves in a saucepan. Crush with a potato masher. Add water and bring mixture to a boil for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and strain out water. Measure out 1-2/3 cups of the mint {I know it doesn’t seem like this will add up, given that you started with only 1-1/2 cups mint, but it does.} and place it back in the saucepan. Add lemon juice and food coloring. Stir well.
Add sugar and turn on heat to high. Stir constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, add pectin. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and strain foam off of the top of the mixture with a spoon.
Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on. Place jars on elevated rack in a canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process for 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After the jars have cooled, check the seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
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Margery says
Hi,
I would like to ask what type of mint should be used. I have peppermint and spearmint as well as grapefruit mint. We decided that we don’t much care for the grapefruit mint, however, because it is too bitter. What ki d did you use?
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Margery, great question, I used spearmint. 🙂
Beth Spaziani says
Could the water you used to boil the mint in be used as tea?
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t know, I’ve never tried it before.
Gracie says
I have spearmint galore and am thinking about making this – what all do you serve it on/with?
susan says
I always have loads of mint available, but I just don’t know what I really would use the mint jelly for. What do you do with it?
So, I mostly dry the mint and use that for tea…. but am very interested in making jelly, if I could think of how to use the finished product.
Thanks!
diana says
after i took the jars out of the canner the jelly was still liquid? is that ok?
Amy says
I hope you don’t mind that I added a link to this post on my blog. I am doing a post about the many uses of spearmint and this recipe looks amazing. Check it out at reclaimingmyexistance.com.