Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Pomegranates Galore!

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I love pomegranates.  Their sweet, tart taste is fabulous.  I like them on salads, plain, and especially as jelly.  This year, I was able to pick up just over a dozen at a decent price from a local source.  Making them into jelly was a long, involved process, but it was worth it!

The first thing I did was quarter them and soak them in water.  I have been told that this helps to pop out the seeds easily.

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The next step was setting up my work area.  I clipped some cheesecloth (doubled over once), to a large bowl and put my food mill on top.

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As I got the seeds out of the bitter pith, I just dropped them into the food mill.  When I had a decent amount in the mill, I just cranked it for a while until all of the juice had drained down through the cheesecloth and into the bowl (the boys liked helping with this part).

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The resulting juice, while not completely clear, was perfectly good for making jelly.

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I set up my jelly making area just like normal.  Water bath canner on one burner, jelly pot on another; and the lids steaming in the back.  I had a cloth spread over the counter to make cleanup a breeze and put all my utensils on that.

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The jelly didn't set as hard as most of my other jams and jellies this year, but it is still firm enough and it tastes great!

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2 comments:

Shanster said...

great pix and that jelly looks AMAZING!

Jen said...

Pomegranates are so good. Never thought of makin jelly with them, bet is good!