# honey jelly



## power napper

Never tried it but think that maybe Clearjel might work for you. I use clearjel for making blueberry pie filling etc. Bought the clear jel on internet.


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## beefarmer

power napper thank for the idea i'll check in to that i was actually just reading your recipe on honey soda pop, that sounds awesome i gotta try some!!


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## Wolftrainer

Beefarmer
My wife and I made and sold over 400 8oz jars of honey jelly last summer at farmers market. We have over 250 jars now for next summer that we made out of high moisture honey. Use 3 cups of honey and 1 cup water plus 1 bag of liquid pectin. The jelly will start to set up as soon as it cools. If you use more honey or water it will be runny.
Check your measuring cup, we have found that they are not all the same. We have found that some 4 cup measuring cups are off by a half cup.


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## Barry Tolson

Wolftrainer,
Do you find honey jelly to be a profitable endeavor at the farmers market? I've never had it, but after reading this thread I plan on making a batch to see if I like it or not. If so, I thought it might be a good addition to my regular honey sales.


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## Wolftrainer

Barry
Yes we a make profit. We buy jars in the spring on sale and the fall during close outs, some times we can get pectin on close out to. We looked in to buying jars at wholesale but the spring sales are cheaper. 
We try to use high mositure honey ( this year with the rain we had a lot ) or honey that has sugared, 2 years ago we had honey that sugared in 2 weeks.
Unless we run out we only make jelly when it is cold outside all the heat stays inside. We make 8 double batches ( 64 jars ) at a time. We do other jobs between batches .I fill honey straws or make labels for all our products.
At the markets the more products on display the more you sell of each. We sell honey in 2oz to 5lb, comb honey, chunk honey, creamed honey, honey jelly, honey straws, pollen and some wax.


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## HONEYDEW

Hello all, I've watched this post from the get-go, and quite honestly I cant sit quiet anymore. People blast others in this world for cutting their honey with corn syrup, yet its O.K. to thin it with water and pectin? Not trying to be confrontational , but it just doesn't make sense to me, does it taste different than honey? don't get me wrong I'm all for making a buck...Please enlighten me.....nicely


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## Barry Tolson

Wolftrainer,
Thanks for the info. I've found it interesting...the various things that folks make into jelly(i.e. hot peppers!) and I think my customers will enjoy honey jelly, once they give it a try. 
In years past, I've had some really interesting and dark flavorful honeys that I think would have made for very good jellies. Of course, though, I tend to prefer the darker honey's while most of my customers seem to prefer the light honeys. 
Barry


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## Barry Tolson

Update...made my first batch on Sunday. It was totally liquid when I went bed, so there was some concern. Got up this morning and it was all set up nice. It looks great! I can't bring myself to open up something right after canning it, so I'l wait a week or so, then pop one open for a taste test. I'm optimistic that it will be a good enjoyable product.


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## Omie

HONEYDEW said:


> Hello all, I've watched this post from the get-go, and quite honestly I cant sit quiet anymore. People blast others in this world for cutting their honey with corn syrup, yet its O.K. to thin it with water and pectin? Not trying to be confrontational , but it just doesn't make sense to me, does it taste different than honey? don't get me wrong I'm all for making a buck...Please enlighten me.....nicely


It's all about honesty in food labeling.
If you sell 'Pure honey' but cut it with corn syrup that's deception and it's illegal.
If you are selling honey JELLY then it is labeled as jelly. Any jelly is usually made from a base ingredient (fruit, herbs, or in this case honey), a sweetener if desired, water and/or vinegar, and pectin. All the ingredients are plainly listed.
Honey jelly is not being sold as honey. Honey candy would fall under the same rules.
I just made great some rosemary-garlic jelly last week, but I wouldn't sell it as 'garlic'.


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## Omie

Barry Tolson said:


> Wolftrainer,
> Thanks for the info. I've found it interesting...the various things that folks make into jelly(i.e. hot peppers!) and I think my customers will enjoy honey jelly, once they give it a try.


You're right about that.
I just made some of my favorite jelly- garlic/rosemary jelly. I love it with roast chicken and roast pork and pork or lamb chops. :thumbsup:

you know how people like honey mustard on their ham and such?- maybe you should try some honey mustard jelly made with a little vinegar instead of water.  Or... honey/red pepper jelly!


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## Barry Tolson

Oh Omie! You really have me thinking!!!! That really does sound good. I appreciate the suggestions! I'm sure such things could mean increased sales. (or at the very least...something enjoyable to use myself!)
On a related note...This honey jelly I made was the first time I've used liquid pectin. Does anyone have any insight on the using the powdered as a substitute? I do not know if they are interchangeable...or if they are fairly recipe specific.
Thanks


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## beefarmer

barry, the recipe i got was in the super formulas book, and it says only use liquid pectin, dry wiil not work, not sure why though.


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## DeeAnna

Liquid and dry pectin are not interchangeable in a recipe!

Liquid pectin has been heated when it is manufactured, so you do not need to bring it to a boil when you are making your jam or jelly recipe. Dry pectin must be boiled as part of the recipe so this type of pectin will jell up.

The order in which the pectin is added to the recipe and the type of heating required will depend on the pectin you are using. Interchanging one for the other is likely to mean your jam or jelly won't jell. 

In the honey jelly recipe, the point is to minimize the heating of the honey, so it seems to me that liquid pectin makes more sense for this recipe.

--DeeAnna


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## Grant

My local grocery store only has dry pectin. Is liquid pectin some specialty item that I need to find somewhere else?

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## DeeAnna

You should be able to find liquid pectin in pretty much the same places where you find dry pectin. It is a normal grocery store item, especially around canning time (late summer, early fall). Might not be on the shelves in the Midwest right now due to near zero demand. 

See http://www.amazon.com/Sure-Jell-Certo-Fruit-Pectin-6-Ounce/dp/B001E560U4
Be sure to use fresh pectin -- if the product is past its expiration date, don't bother with it.

--DeeAnna


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## Omie

Both my local hardware store and Agway/feed/seed/garden store all have canning sections too, with various pectins and canning supplies.


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## DeeAnna

I looked in our small-town grocery store today and found both kinds of pectin, side by side on the shelf. I like "Certo" liquid pectin the best, by the way. --DeeAnna


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## Barry Tolson

Perhaps the powdered pectin could be used, if the procedures were altered and the honey/water mixture heated to the required temperature for the required time? Not sure if it would damage the honey, or alter the flavor significantly, though. I'd be willing to do some experimenting sometime. If it fails, I could still pour the product over ice cream or something.


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## beefarmer

barry, i find liquid pectin at walmart


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## Barry Tolson

The honey jelly turned out great! I visited my mother this weekend and took a jar to her and tried it out on her first. It was very well received, so I gave it a try. Looks like it should be a good addition to my regular honey sales. I'll be making more!
Good recipe!


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## DeeAnna

For those who can't fathom why one would make/sell/eat honey jelly: I have a friend who doesn't "do messy" as she puts it. She won't eat anything runny or sticky, so honey on her toast isn't an option for her. Honey jelly is a way to enjoy eating honey with less chance of a mess. Also honey jelly is something different than regular or creamed honey -- and that difference can be fun. --DeeAnna


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## HONEYDEW

O.K. no names needed ,but now finally I kinda have a better appreciation for why one would want to make honey from honey  the no drip idea makes more sense thanks


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## Omie

Barry Tolson said:


> The honey jelly turned out great! I visited my mother this weekend and took a jar to her and tried it out on her first. It was very well received, so I gave it a try. Looks like it should be a good addition to my regular honey sales. I'll be making more!
> Good recipe!


I'm still trying to figure out where this recipe is.
Can someone post or point to a recipe that worked well and gelled up nicely please?


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## Barry Tolson

Omie,
I used Wolftrainers recipe from post#4 on this thread. Couldn't bee easier! 1 cup water, 3 cups honey, and pouch of liquid pectin. I brought the honey and water up to a boil...added the pectin...took it off the heat after 1 minute...into jars...then hot water processed for 5 minutes.
My previous canning experiences make me want to try it without the hot water bath at the end. Mine was set up by the next morning. I like easy recipes that are good.


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## Omie

wow that's such a simple recipe! And no sugar at all. Cool!

I recommend you do not skip the 5 min processing though- it will kill any bacteria that sneak their way onto the lids when you are handling, filling, and closing the jars. That way, once the jars are processed and do their own vacuum seal thing, they can be much more safely stored on a shelf with no refrigeration.

thanks!


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## DeeAnna

I agree that the boiling water bath is a good idea that shouldn't be skipped. With the water and pectin added to the honey, the jelly probably does not have a high enough sugar content to prevent growth of organisms, including botulism. 

I concede the "no hot water bath" approach will probably work at least 99% of the time. The small chance of causing a life threatening illness is a risk that I want to minimize, however, so I'll stick with the hot water bath.

A very good (and inexpensive) reference for canning is the "Ball Blue Book". It is updated frequently, so the latest edition will contain the most recent information on safe canning techniques. The blue book is often sold where canning supplies are sold -- walmart, kmart, hardware stores, sometimes grocery stores. See also http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/detail/TCL+14400214001

--DeeAnna


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## Barry Tolson

Thanks for the feedback! I have several Ball Blue Books and enjoy collecting the older canning guides, too, when I come across them.
5 minutes in the canner is certainly no hardship.  And a very good idea for the honey jelly to be sold.
Omie...let us know if you whip up a batch of jelly. I'd like to hear how it turns out. 
Anyone have a thoughts about the price one might get for say a 4oz jar o' honey jelly?


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## Omie

Barry Tolson said:


> Omie...let us know if you whip up a batch of jelly. I'd like to hear how it turns out.
> Anyone have a thoughts about the price one might get for say a 4oz jar o' honey jelly?



Guessing maybe $3.50-3.99 for a *4*oz jar?
When my favorite brand of rosemary-garlic jelly hit $8 for an *8 *oz jar, I started making my own!
Not going to be making any honey jelly til I get some honey, hopefully this my 2nd BK year!


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## BGhoney

I squeezed out blackberry juice from my blackberrys and used that instead of the water part. It is great, tastes to good to sell we just give it away to friends and family,,, Go figure...


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## jlopez

Besides bees i own a peach orchards last year we made peach honey jam could not make enough of it people would by it as fast as we could make it. Replaced all the sugar with honey made a unique tast.


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## Omie

Wow, such great ideas! Blackberry juice/honey jelly, peach/honey jelly....

(now where's the 'drooling emoticon/smiley' when you need it?)


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## Stacey

Just made some of the plain honey jelly over the weekend. What a super simple recipe! Turned out wonderful. I'm excited to get some fresh fruit and try the juice instead of water recipe! 

How does wild blackraspberry honey jelly sound? =o) 

Thanks for posting the recipe!


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## DeeAnna

I canned peach halves last year using a honey-sugar syrup. It was a happy accident -- I ran out of sugar when I was canning my last batch of peaches. In desperation, I substituted honey for about half the sugar. Since honey is sweeter than sugar, I added 2/3 to 3/4 cup of honey for each cup of sugar removed from the syrup. Wow -- these honeyed peaches taste wonderful, and I'm sorry I didn't run out of sugar sooner! I think a syrup with 100% honey might overwhelm the peach flavor, so I plan to stick with the part-sugar part-honey syrup. Yum!!!!!


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## rtoney

3 cups honey, 1 cup fresh blackberry juice, brought to a boil stirred in liquid pectin, water bath.
How long does it take to set up if it is going to?
Mines seems thinner than honey right now


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## DeeAnna

I haven't made honey jelly using the recipe in this thread, but I have made other jellies, jams, etc. Jellies have usually jelled fairly fast for me if they jell properly. Jams and preserves seem to take awhile to thicken, but they firm up eventually -- sometimes the process can take a week or two. Your jelly might not jell ... but I would wait 2-3 days before making that decision. If it's been a week or so since you made it, that's probably long enough and I would try re-doing the batch.

Jelling depends on proper balance of sugar and acid levels. Some issues that can affect this balance: the blackberries might have been over-ripe (lowers the acid content) or the honey was unripe (not enough sugar). Another thought is the pectin may have been too old.

There are "remake" recipes for redoing jelly that doesn't set, but they are specific to the brand and type of pectin you used. Do you still have the sheet that came with your pectin? Check there if you do. If not, might be on the manufacturer's website. 

Kraft makes Certo and SureJell products: http://www.kraftbrands.com/surejell/products.aspx
Remake recipe for Certo: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/remake-directions-for-certo-107820.aspx You'll notice the re-make recipe adds extra sugar and acid (lemon juice) to boost low levels of these ingredients, if that is the problem.


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## Stacey

Yup, the honey jelly that I made seemed to take awhile to set up. I was a little disappointed right after I made it...it was pretty runny. I gave it a while and it firmed right up. 

I can imagine the color of that blackberry honey jelly is simply beautiful. =o)


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## rtoney

The recipe calls for 1 bag of liquid pectin, how many ounces would that be?
I read a recipe that called for a 3oz bag with 1 3/4 honey and 1/2 cup water which is 1/2 of what is called for in thread 4.
For 3 cups honey and 1 cup water are you using 1 3oz bag or 1 6oz bag?


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## Stacey

The recipe I used was also the 3 cups honey, 1 cup water and 1 pouch of liquid pectin. 

I used Certo Sure Jell and it's single pouch weighed out to be 3 oz. I guess I didn't even know it came in a bigger pouch.


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## blue

What was the recipe you used? I am looking for a good peach honey jam recipe.


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## beefarmer

Blue, the recipe says 3 cups (2 1/4 )lbs honey, 1 cup water, 1 foil pouch liquid pectin. Hope it works for you, my first time didn't set up, did 2nd batch and it worked great.


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## blue

Thanks I'll try that!


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## Bee Hive

I can't wait to try this recipe out!


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## TWall

I have not had good success with my honey jelly setting up. My first batch of plain honey jelly set up after 2 weeks. I did a batch of cinnamon that was more firm than runny. My next two batches have not set up and I remade a few jars this morning adding a little more liquid pectin. The frustrating part is I used the same batch of honey for all. 

The cinnamon is preferred by people. when they try the plain honey jelly they just tell me it tastes like honey, go figure!

Tom


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## laketrout

Kind of seems a shame to ruin the good stuff in honey by heating it to a boil , I guess there is no way to make it without boiling it is there .It sounds so good though.


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## TWall

Laketrout,

The people who bought the honey jelly were not concerned with it no longer being raw. I haven't done a lot of it. It is more like a specialty product for me.

Tom


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## jewelee

I am new to canning and such but want to make the honey jelly for Christmas gifts can someone please fully explain the water bath step so that I know the jars are properly sealed? Thanks in advance!


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## dsegrest

We can figs and peaches with honey and use apple juice instead of pectin. It doesn't get "stand up a spoon" thick, but it does thicken up enough to not run off of a biscuit.


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## DeeAnna

jewelee said:


> ...explain the water bath step so that I know the jars are properly sealed?


If you've never canned before, the answer isn't a short 'n sweet one. These resources will give you the basics of preserving food safely:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started
http://foodinjars.com/canning-101-archive/


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## mgolden

jewelee said:


> I am new to canning and such but want to make the honey jelly for Christmas gifts can someone please fully explain the water bath step so that I know the jars are properly sealed? Thanks in advance!


Here's a kick at it. Anybody feel free to add. PM me, if you wish, if you want further clarification

1. Sterlize jars by inverting them in a pan and boil slow for 10 mins. Remove them and let dry.

2. Put jelly in jars, fill no more than 1/2 inch from top. Need an air gap.

3. Place lids with rubber ring in a pan and bring to a boil. My understanding is to soften the rubber somewhat. Use a magnet (looks like a screw driver with a flat magnet on the end)to remove the lids one at a time.

4. Put lid on jar and screw lid down so it is barely tight. Trick is you want hot air to be able to escape when you boil the jars of jelly with lids on.

5. Boil(slow boil) for 5 mins. Place lid on pot while boiling. Just fill pot up to bottoms of metal rings on jars.

6. Remove jars from water and tighten lids. You want rubber ring to now fit tightly to glass. When jars cool, air and jelly in jars will contract and pull center of metal lid down. They are now sealed. After 30 mins has passed, go around and tap the centers of the lids and if they pop up and down, they are not sealed and will likely ferment. If this happens, you can try the process again with a new lid or put it in the fridge and use it up.


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## Rader Sidetrack

3.5 Be certain that the rims of the jars have _no _spills on them before applying the rubber ring lid. Any spilled material on the jar rim is likely to result in a poor/no seal. An inexpensive funnel designed for this purpose is useful in that regard.


6. My experience with tightening the screw rings after removing from heat is that it just makes the rings very difficult to remove when you later want to use the contents. If the lid didn't seal properly while it was hot, tightening it later isn't going to fix that.


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## mgolden

Rader Sidetrack said:


> 3.5 Be certain that the rims of the jars have _no _spills on them before applying the rubber ring lid. Any spilled material on the jar rim is likely to result in a poor/no seal. An inexpensive funnel designed for this purpose is useful in that regard.
> 
> 
> 6. My experience with tightening the screw rings after removing from heat is that it just makes the rings very difficult to remove when you later want to use the contents. If the lid didn't seal properly while it was hot, tightening it later isn't going to fix that.


Also discard any jars with a chips on the rim.

If you do leave the rim somewhat loose, heat the jar in a water bath to remove the air and then remove the heated jars and tighten, the success ratio for sealing is near 100%. Just saying tighten them down but don't tighten till you can you can't turn no more!

Lids that are hard to remove are usually rusted or contain sugar. Invert the jar and run hot water on/around the rim. This loosens the sugar and expands the rim. Get a jar gripper and a helper and they'll come off.


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## WBVC

How much liquid pectin, by weight or volume measure, is in a packet. Here liquid pectin often is in a bottle.


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## jewelee

Can you tell me what the process is for remaking if the jelly doesn't set up? Mine is still real thin. All I can find for remaking jelly calls for sugar, lemon juice, and pectin but want to make sure this is how to do honey jelly.


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## jewelee

WBVC there is 3 ounces in the liquid pectin pouch


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## Cabin

Barry Tolson said:


> Perhaps the powdered pectin could be used, if the procedures were altered and the honey/water mixture heated to the required temperature for the required time? Not sure if it would damage the honey, or alter the flavor significantly, though. I'd be willing to do some experimenting sometime. If it fails, I could still pour the product over ice cream or something.


Haven't tried it yet but you may want to boil the water with the pectin before you add the honey. Or use what they call for. ;-)


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