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Mint Jelly Recipe

Filed under Jams and Jellies, Lamb

Mint Jelly

Mmmmm. Mint jelly with lamb. Made the mint jelly; now all I need is the lamb. Did you know that mint jelly is not really green? It isn't. It's golden colored in its natural state. That green stuff you see in the stores is just food coloring. Here's a straightforward recipe for making your own, using the pectin from fresh tart apples as a jelling base.

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Mint Jelly Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs of tart apples (e.g. Granny Smith), unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores (including the cores is important as this is where most of the natural pectin is)
  • 1 1/2 cups of fresh mint, chopped, lightly packed
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 3 1/2 cups sugar (7/8 cups for each cup of juice)

Method

1 Combine apple pieces with water and mint in a large pan. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, until apples are soft.

2 Add vinegar, return to boil. Simmer covered, 5 more minutes.

3 Use a potato masher to mash up the apple pieces to the consistency of apple sauce.

4 Spoon the apple pulp into a muslin cloth (or a couple layers of cheesecloth) or a large, fine mesh sieve, suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours. Do not squeeze.

5 Measure the juice, then pour into a large pot. Add the sugar (7/8 a cup for each cup of juice). Heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar gets dissolved and doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

6 Bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, using a spoon to skim off the surface scum. Continue to boil until a candy thermometer shows that the temperature has reached 8°F above the boiling point at your altitude (boiling point is 212°F at sea level, so at sea level the temperature should read 220°F).

7 Pour into sterilized jars to within 1/4" from the top and seal.

Makes approx. 4 half-pint jars.

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Posted by Elise on Oct 11, 2005 and indexed Jelly, Mint, Preserves

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Comments

I am wondering about how long jelly can be stored. Also if it should be stored in refrigerator or if it can be at room temperature.
Sounds wonderful.

Posted by: Cathy on October 11, 2005 8:32 PM

Hi Cathy - if you follow good canning procedures you should be able to store the jelly unopened at room temperature for a year. Though once you open a jar, in to the fridge it must go. Both sugar and vinegar act as preservatives. The biggest risk is of mold.

Posted by: elise [TypeKey Profile Page] on October 12, 2005 8:07 AM

Elise:
Thank you for the helpful tips and the link. I think I may try this one. Thanks again.

Posted by: Cathy on October 12, 2005 8:50 AM

I knew that mint jelly probably shouldn't be that weird green color. Oooooh how I love mint jelly and lamb... now you've got me thinking I might have to try that recipe sometime soon!

Posted by: Christina on October 14, 2005 11:51 AM

Tonight, I had some really good lamb chops that were cooked just right, and I made a mint "sauce" just by steeping chopped mint in hot, sugary, vinegary water, per Darina Allen. It was good -- the lamb was good enough that it didn't need *anything* -- but this homemade mitn jelly is what I really wanted. Next time!

Posted by: ben on May 26, 2006 12:57 AM

OK, it's in the jar, and I've learned many things about preserve-making and canning (this was my first time). The jars took the seal and the lids turned concave; so I think I did it mostly right.

The jelly turned out a beautiful deep copper/gold colour. I added some fine-chopped mint in the boil at the end, because I think it should be flecked with bits of mint leaf.

Still a little bit soupier and sloppier than I'd like, but I think it'll be just right when refrigerated.

Posted by: ben on May 30, 2006 12:04 AM

Lamb chops, new potatoes, fresh leaf spinach, good butter and home-made mint jelly. From in the door to on the plate in twenty minutes, and you'd turn up your nose at ambrosia and lobster thermidor for it. The dog gets to crunch on a bone (just one!) afterwards. Nothing better.

Posted by: ben on July 10, 2006 10:52 PM

I want to find out who started the mint jelly with lamb thing. Personally I think if it's good lamb and cooked properly nothing else is needed but your side dishes.

Posted by: Arlene on August 8, 2006 9:12 AM

I tried this recipe and found that the jelly did not gel. It is fully cooled and still a syrup. Some things I may have done wrong: I used half Granny Smith, half McIntosh apples, I put in two cups of mint instead of one and one-half. Hmmm, evidently that was enough to throw off the geling properties. I guess there was not enough natural pectin in my apples? I don't know. I just mixed in some freezer jam pectin and I am waiting to see its impact. It is no longer the beautiful clear gold, but whatever. If this doesn't work, I guess I'll pour it over ice cream. It is a disappointment, though. I'd rather eat it with my leg of lamb.

Posted by: Julie on November 5, 2006 11:36 AM

Hi Julie - you can still use it as a syrup with lamb, can't you?

3 things affect the gelling - 1) the amount of pectin - tart apples like granny smith have more pectin than sweet apples, 2) the amount of sugar - sugar helps with gelling, and 3) getting the temperature of the syrup up to 220°F (at sea level) - this means enough water has evaporated from the jelly.

Posted by: Elise on November 5, 2006 11:44 AM

I know the original question about how long the jelly would last was asked last year, but wanted to answer, in case anyone else was wondering. My mom made mint jelly like this when I was a kid. (I'm 50 now.) The last batch she made before she died was when I was 14. We didn't have lamb often. Ten years later, my husband had some of the last jar, and it was just as delicious. It survived four moves, too, so once it's canned properly, it will last for years.

Also, as a child, my older brothers, who didn't necessarily like this chore, made my bag lunch for school. They kept trying to make lunches that they didn't think I would like. It sounds strange, but one of the best sandwiches they made was mint jelly and pretzels. Consider using the mint jelly as a dip for pretzels sometime. Good combinations of salt and sweet with the extra punch of mint for the sweet. LOL

Posted by: Lynn on November 5, 2006 6:26 PM

Hullo, I have a mint jelly question! (apologies if they seem a bit daft)

I've never had mint jelly as here in britain mint sauce (mint leaves in vinegar) dominates...do the apples really go? and how minty is it?...

I have two mint plants which have thrived in the awful weather we have had so far this summer and am looking for a way of preserving them (asides from packing them ino ice cube trays and freezing).

Also...to ensure it gels completely would it be a cheat to add a small amount of gelatin?

Posted by: Rachel on July 14, 2007 2:40 AM

Hi Rachel - because there is so much natural pectin in apples (in the cores, especially of slightly under-ripe tart apples), apples are used as a base for a lot of jelly making. They make a wonderful base for mint jelly. If you are following this recipe properly (e.g. using the apple cores, and using tart Granny Smith apples) you should not need to add any gelatin. I've never had a problem with an apple-based jelly not setting. Regarding the preserving of mint, I don't know what to tell you as our mint grows all year long. Perhaps you could dry some?

Posted by: Elise on July 14, 2007 9:06 AM

I don't make lamb much, but this looks intriguing. Apart from lamb and pretzels, is this good on anything else?

Posted by: Christy on August 31, 2007 1:48 PM

Instead of mint jelly, we use mint honey on our lamb, since we don't eat refined sugar. It's a lot less work, too. Wash your fresh mint leaves (I don't bother removing the stems), pat them dry, pack them into a clean pint or jam jar. Heat up about a cup of honey just so it's warm, pour it over the mint, stirring to get rid of any air bubbles. Allow to steep on the counter until it's cool. I keep this in the fridge for months, set it on the counter when I'm cooking the lamb so it's more fluid by the time dinner's ready.

Hi Chris, what an absolutely brilliant idea. Thank you! ~Elise

Posted by: Cris on April 13, 2008 2:35 PM

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