I have a confession – I was savagely attacked by the canning bug this summer. Several years ago I was nipped by the cooking bug, which led straight to the gardening bug (I mean, why NOT go outside and just pick your dinner off the vine?), which has inevitably led… to canning.

Question: What is the best sound ever to a canner?

Answer: POP!

The sudden song of a successful seal is so rewarding after you’re done playing with food science. Then there is only your bounty left to enjoy – and to share. With you, I shall share these glowing little gems:

What is that fine concoction that radiates the mad light of day? It’s TEA JELLY. Did you know you could make jelly out of tea?! I just figured it out and find it totally fascinating. Why?

1. It’s beautiful – I mean, just look at that. I’ve seen uglier jewelry…

2. It captures a tea’s flavor very well, like taking a photo of its essence and framing it in a jar.

3. It’s MADE to be played with! You can use it in a variety of ways – I’m considering: in thumbprint cookies, linzer tarts, cakes or jelly rolls. On meats as a glaze (chicken or pork). On a cheese plate with sharp cheese (that’s pepper jack in the photograph above). Or perhaps heated gently and used as a syrup on ice cream? (*drool*)

4. It’s a canning recipe that can be done year-round, since it relies on tea instead of produce! Imagine the warmth of the canning process in chilly February!

It requires a decent amount of leaves to steep the Super-Tea that flavors the batch, but in my opinion…it was worth it! Give it a try and tell us what YOUR favorite use was!

Tea Jelly

• 1 ¾ cups of water
• ½ cup loose leaf tea
• ¼ cup of juice
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 (3 oz) package of pectin

I used masala chai tea and lemon juice for the jelly shown above! Any tea choice will work, though!

1. Bring water to boil, add tea bags (or tea) and steep for 30 minutes.
2. Discard tea bags (or strain out tea). Add sugar and juice to brewed tea and bring to a boil. I used a high acid juice for this recipe to add safety to the finished canned product – the more acid an environment, the less friendly it is to bacterial growth.
3. Boil for 2 minutes while stirring.
4. Remove from heat and add pectin, return to boil and allow to do so for 1 minute. This part is important! Make sure it boils for at least a minute, or the pectin won’t activate and gel properly. You’ll get liquid rather than jelly!
5. Skim off any foam.
6. Pour hot jelly into jars and process for 20 minutes.

Pro-tip: This pairs extremely well with orange food – pumpkin, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots. Try it on pumpkin bread, as a glaze on carrots, melted into mashed sweet potatoes along with the butter, dropped into the cavity of a delicata squash before roasting.

Oh yes…it’s exactly as good as you think it is, and as with many foods, easier to make than you think. Try it! Go forth and be awesome!

– Heather