Recipe: Zee Basil Jelly

Zee Basil Jelly
rec.food.recipes/Carrie McKinley (1997)

I'm ADDICTED to this stuff. Got the recipe last year from rec.food.preserving newsgroup

2 cups water
1 cup vinegar (white is best)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
a good sized handful of basil. As far as I'm concerned, the more the merrier. The fresher the better. Since I grow my own basil, there's no problem with freshness.
6 1/2 cups sugar
2 envelopes (1 package) liquid Certo.

Put the water, vinegar and lemon in pan with whole basil. No need to pull leaves off or chop. It works itself down. (and, after its drained, the boiled basil sure tastes good...teehee!) Bring almost to a boil. Add sugar and bring to a hard boil (one that won't stir down).

Add Certo and bring to a hard boil again. Hard boil for 1 minute.

Strain leaves out as you jar the jelly (in sterilized jars). Process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Now, the original recipe calls for food coloring, but I don't use it. It makes up into the most wonderful pale yellow color.

We use it so quickly that I never process the stuff. I use it to cook chicken or pork in (makes a marvelous glaze when added to a little Cajun seasoning). I've also nuked a jar in the microwave to make it more liquid, shake in a little Cajun seasoning and baste pork roast or ham on the grill. Yummm. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Oh, BTW, I've used the exact same recipe and substituted rosemary or mint. Only thing there is the mint makes up into the same yellow color, so I add some green to the mint to distinguish it on the shelf. Marvelous stuff.