Making Oregon Grape Jelly for the first time
There are many Leatherleaf Mahonia plants growing in the region of where I live. I collected ripe fruit from them and steamed and crushed the berries through a screen and then boiling off the water. Special thanks to @goat-girlz for the tip on making jelly. And to @crimsonclad for the great show on the Minnow Support Projects discord doing a live stream keeping me entertained while I mashed and stirred for an hour.
I started off by soaking them in water and washed them with a strainer. Cleaning off any mildew or stuff on the surface.
By steaming the berries they got soft and burst open easily when crushing them against the metal screen.
By crushing the berries the juices flow down into the water that is making the steam.
Love the color of the water mixed with the Mahonia berries. It's a dark red color a little light while mixed with water.
You can see some of the red on the strainer as well.. the berries would burst and spray parts of the cooking space.. very annoying.
Boiling it down to jelly.. took about 30 minutes of stirring and cooking off the watee.
I poured the remaining liquid to cool in a small Mason jar. Did not get very much but I did only pick from two bushes so maybe I need more berries next time.
It passed the spoon test and the jelly stuck to the spoon. I tasted some as it was cooling and had a very nice flavour. A tart cranberry like taste to it. I added some maple syrup and honey for sweetness, a few tablespoons of each.
Over night it formed in to a jelly, and I sampled some. Had a little teaspoon of it and really enjoyed. I dont have anything to put it on at the moment and its such a small amount I'll probably just eat it over time.
This plant is alot like a holly, with its sharp leaves and evergreen appearence. Unlike most hollies the fruits are edible for humans, which makes this plant special.
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looks like a red wine lol
@cityofstars yeah it does interestingly, a very dark red/purple color to it.
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really enjoy the process, seeing all as "how it's made!"
Found this from PYPT
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@solominer great job making jelly. I have never made it by steaming, I put berries in the water, enough water to just cover them. when cooked till soft, I have an old cotton white pillowcase that I put the cooked fruit in, I tie it to a cabinet handle and let drain when it is cool enough I squeeze and twist it to get all the juice out, it is more work this way but it is the way my Dad taught me.
@myjob oh that's another way to do it for sure. I use cheesecloth when straining like that but I'm sure any sack, including a pillow case could work.
I think I may strain it with cheesecloth next time so thanks for reminding me.
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Thank you so much for participating in the Partiko Delegation Plan Round 1! We really appreciate your support! As part of the delegation benefits, we just gave you a 3.00% upvote! Together, let’s change the world!
@partiko nice, thanks much.. glad I delegated.
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You did it! Dang it, now I have to try it too! It will be a while before the berries are ripe in our area. Congratulations on your jelly. Did you add pectin or did it just set up on its own?
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@goat-girlz thanks alot for telling me about it. It was the perfect time to pick them. I did not add any pectin, just a tablespoon of maple syrup and a tablespoon of honey.
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Hello!
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@helpiecake oh sweet, as tasty as my jelly. Thanks alot @eonwarped
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That is impressive! Thanks for sharing on #pypt
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