Red Wine Jelly
Ahem, ahem. Hello out there. Anyone still listening? It’s been MONTHS since my last post. And even longer since my last recipe was posted… (almost a year, in fact!) But I’m here now. Not sure how long I’ll be around or where this blog is going to end up, but I’ve got some free time so I decided to dust off the cobwebs and give you guys a recipe.
This recipe is fitting since I’m writing to you from Italy. Hubby and I are here for 5 weeks while he tackles a special project for work. While he’s off saving the day, baby M and I get to explore our new city and just hang out again. In all of those months since my last post, I’ve been busy. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve seen the pics of my daughter Mikayla and some of the adventures we’ve had. Here’s one for you, in case you missed it. She just started eating food and has really enjoyed it so far!
Life is good and I’m not going to lie, there are weeks and even months that have passed and I haven’t missed writing a blog. I have transitioned to telling people that I used to write a blog, instead of saying I write a blog as a hobby. I’ve come to terms with it. But recently, I’ve been having an itch to come back. To share some of these draft posts that have been sitting in the queue forever. So we’ll see where the wind takes us and what happens next with this little blog.
In addition to taking on the new role of working mom, I also picked up sewing during maternity leave. I find it easier to sew at home with a newborn than to bake. If I’m sewing and she needs my attention, I can stop what I’m doing. Baking doesn’t always afford that luxury. So you might see some sewing posts on here. Who knows!
This jelly is tasty. Be sure to use a bold red wine so the flavor shines through. And don’t be afraid to skimp on the honey a bit. I found that if I used the full amount listed in the recipe, the jelly tasted mostly like honey. I like honey, but making jelly that tastes like honey is just silly. Who has time for that… If you make this jelly, I highly recommend eating it over some crusty bread with a smooth creamy cheese.
And if you’re reading, leave a comment. I’m grossly behind on responding to comments, but I’d love to hear from you!
Red Wine Jelly
Yield: 6 half pints
Ingredients:
2 cups dry red wine (I used Merlot)
1 pkg (= 1.75 oz = 6 Tbsp) regular powdered fruit pectin
3 1/2 cups honey
Directions:
In a dutch oven combine wine and pectin. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Add honey all at once. Return to boiling. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.
Ladle hot jelly at once into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, add lid and screw caps. Process jars in a boiling water-canner for 5 minutes, starting when the water returns to boiling. Remove jars; cool on wire racks.
Recipe from Better Recipes
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
ooh, i am drooling thinking about this over melty brie!! fabulous 🙂
beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
It’s definitely as good as it sounds.
what a lovely jam! there are still some peaches at the market and i need to make this asap.
Sounds wonderful! When do you add the liquid pectin and how long do you let it boil after you add it?
beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:14 pm
Sorry about the mistake in the recipe, I have updated the recipe to reflect when to add the pectin.
That sounds delicious, but when do we add the pectin, and can we use powdered pectin instead of the liquid one? Thank you so much…
beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
Sorry about the mistake in the recipe, I have updated the recipe to reflect when to add the pectin.
I’m still new to canning, but I read in the Ball book that you can’t swap different kinds of pectin and should only use what the recipe calls for…
when do you add the pectin ??????
beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
Sorry about the mistake in the recipe, I have updated the recipe to reflect when to add the pectin.
How long does this keep?
beantownbaker — September 28th, 2013 @ 8:36 pm
If you process the jars in a water bath, they will be fine on a shelf for up to a year. Once opened, you want to refrigerate it and it will keep for about a month in the fridge.
The number of cups of chopped peaches would be very helpful. Also, are the pectin pouches 3 or 6 oz?
The flavor was outstanding! However, it never fully set-up into a jelly. It was more of a jam/thick sauce – even after re-processing with a 2nd pack of pectin (I gave in and used the powder) On my other batches, I used 2 dry packs – and I’m not sure if those will even set correctly. 🙁
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:22 pm
Sorry to hear this didn’t set up for you…
With sealed jars what is the shelf life of something like this?
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:22 pm
In general, I would try to open them within 6 months. I have kept jars of jam for up to a year without any problems.
This is my second year making this and i just wanted to tell you that it is outstanding. i’m sure others are wondering about yield — I got 9 half-pints from one batch. How long do you process this? I did 15 mins to err on the side of caution. Thanks!!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:26 pm
I always process for 10 minutes.
Does this make the five half-pint jars shown or does it make more? Since everything sort of comes together at the end in canning (hot jam, sterilized jars, etc., and boiling water) I like to know ahead of time how many jars to prepare. Thanks.
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:28 pm
It made 6 jars for me. It will depend how big your peaches are too.
With my jams, I usually use real lemon juice, but not in such large quantity,Did you use fresh or “jarred” lemon juice?
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:29 pm
Yes, I use jarred lemon juice here.
According to “foodinjars.com” you can substitute 2 TBSP powdered pectin for 1 pouch of liquid pectin. 🙂 just thought I’d share that little tidbit! This recipe is FANTASTIC! Thanks Jen!
http://foodinjars.com/2013/07/canning-101-how-to-substitute-pectin/
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
Thanks for sharing this!
I am looking forward to making this jam this evening!! I was seaching for a recipe for peach and jalapeno jam and this one caught my eye! Because you posted it my the day I was married, then reading your story and that you live in Cincy! I was born and raised north of that area!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:31 pm
Small world! I hope you enjoyed this jam.
This recipe should come with a warning label. I feel like I just made crack. I changed it up a bit and used cherries instead of peaches. I was having a hard time finding a cherry pepper recipe and had cherries in my freezer needing evicted and this one looked so good I used it as my baseline. THANK YOU for sharing it! If you are interested, it was a mix of sweet and tart cherries, and I added an extra jalapeno to a double batch. I just got done putting up nearly 11 pints of the stuff and am sitting here like a child licking the residue off my ladle it is that freaking good. Definitely recommend you try it with cherries some day if you like them. I am picking peaches this weekend and will definitely be making this as posted because I am sure it is divine. Ive been making jams and jellies since i was a child and this is the best one yet. Thank you again, can’t wait to try it properly with peaches!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:32 pm
Cherries! What a great change. I’m goign to have to try that out.
It would have been nice to know how many jars I would need to make this recipe!!!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:33 pm
I got 6 jars. I’ll update the recipe to reflect the yield.
Oooooh. I am making this this weekend – thanks for a fantastic-looking recipe!
First time jam maker. Went to the farmer’s market this weekend and bought peaches and jalapenos (along with a bunch of other stuff). Thought I’d try my hand at making a jam/jelly because we love it on pork chops. This recipe was perfect. Thanks for sharing… and thank you to Google for popping it towards the top of the search list. Thank you Beantown Baker!
How long do you need to water bath can it??
Made this today – delicious but decidedly soupy. I thought maybe once it cooled it would set up more, but no.