Green tea jelly

Disclosure: Teavivre provided me with the tea; however, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first time canning jelly! I know that seems weird since I can a lot of food each year, but it's true. I was a little nervous about making this jelly because not only did I decide to try making jelly for the first time, but I also wanted to use the homemade green apple pectin recipe from Liana Krissoff's wonderful book Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry. I'm loving this book and one of the recipes I wanted to try right away was the tea jelly. Lucky for me, I was recently provided with a sampler of different types of loose leaf green teas from Teavivre, a Chinese tea company. You can see two of the teas in the photo above/below and these are the two that I used to make the jelly. We have also used them to make tea for drinking and have enjoyed all the flavors. I especially love the whole leaf tea because it is so pretty and green. As you all know, I love tea so I was super excited to be able to try these teas and also use them in a fun recipe!

The tea jelly recipe is also from Krissoff's book (slightly modified). The recipe says you can use any tea you like, so I used two different loose leaf green teas. The aroma of the jelly is quite wonderful and the taste is very unique. It would be perfect for a tea party! While it is of course terrific on biscuits, scones, and toast, you can also use this jelly as a glaze for salmon or chicken - mix in some ginger, garlic, and chiles when you spread it on and it would be perfect for a savory dish! 

My batch made eight 4-oz jelly jars. I'll be giving these little jars out for holiday gifts this year.

Green tea jelly

6 tablespoons loose leaf green tea of your choice

2-1/4 cups boiling water

3 cups green apple pectin stock

1/4 cup lemon juice (I used bottled)

3-1/4 cups sugar (I used unbleached organic cane sugar)

Sterilize your canning jars and keep them hot in your canning pot. Place lids in a small pot with just enough water to cover them and keep on a low simmer. See Ball website for instructions on preparing jars and water bath canning, if needed. 

Put the tea leaves in a heat proof bowl and pour in the boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes and then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pot. Stir in the pectin stock, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. 

Ladle the hot jelly into your prepared hot jars leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel. Place a lid on each jar followed by a ring secured to fingertip tightness. Place in the canning pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Process at boiling for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars to a towel and let sit overnight. If any jars are not sealed after about 1 hour, place them in the refrigerator and use first. Store jelly in a cool, dark place.

What was I cooking one year ago?: salsa verde

Two years ago?: German sweet & sour red cabbage

Three?: brown sugar & cinnamon baked acorn squash

4?: butternut squash, cauliflower, & potato curry