CHINESE HERBAL JELLY RECIPES

Steps:

• Gently wash herb sprigs and/or flower petals in water. Drain; place herbs or petals on paper towels and gently blot. Chop herbs with stems attached. Place 1 to 1 1/2 cups firmly packed chopped leaves and stems or flower petals in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot. Add apple juice.
• Bring juice mixture to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand for 10 minutes.
• Line a strainer or colander with a double layer of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth; set over a large bowl. Strain herb and/or flower mixture through cheesecloth, pressing to extract all of the juice. Measure 3 cups juice mixture, adding additional apple juice, if necessary. Discard stems, leaves, and petals.
• In the same pot, combine juice mixture, lemon juice, and, if desired, food coloring. Stir pectin into mixture in pot. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.
• Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.
• Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Roughly chop the apples, leaving the skins on. Put them in a preserving pan along with their pips and stalks and add 568ml water and the sprigs of your chosen herb(s). Cook gently for 20-30 minutes until mushy. Add the vinegar, increase the heat and cook briskly for about 5 minutes.
• Pour the mix (you should have about 2 litres at this stage) into a jelly bag suspended over a deep pan and strain for at least 12 hours – don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag or the jelly will go cloudy.
• Take the strained juice and measure it; you should have about 568ml. Add 455g sugar for every 568ml and warm the mixture gently until the sugar has dissolved.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and allow to bubble briskly for at least 10-12 minutes, or until it starts to set (it should begin to coat the back of a wooden spoon).
• Once it has reached setting point, remove from the heat, skim off any scum from the surface with a spoon and stir through the chopped herbs. Leave to settle for 5 minutes. Spoon into your warm sterilised jars, seal with a wax disc and lid and store for up to 6 months.