I spent the better part of Labor Day in the kitchen, only an hour of which was spent, start to finish, making this scrumptious Basil Jelly...the rest of the time was spent looking for things to try it out on - toast, chicken, pork, crackers and cheese, chips - everything was improved with this jelly!  The mister spent the day on the deck in his chaise reading yet another book about the Vietnam war.  He has always felt that President Johnson was the one who escalated the war, a true villain to say the least.  And we pitied the poor person who ever mentioned Johnson's name in front of the mister!  However, in the previous book he read, Embers of War by Fredrick Logevall, a very different picture was painted of Johnson and the mister came to the conclusion that Johnson was not really the bad guy he had supposed him to be for the past 50 years.   The mister even said he was WRONG about Johnson, and the Earth might have moved slightly off it's axis that day.  Alas, it was all too good to be true...the mister has picked up yet another book on Vietnam, this one, Dereliction of Duty by H.R. McMaster, has Johnson stripped of his shining armour and is portrayed as the lying, conniving, evil war-mongering-villain the mister always believed him to be... suffice it to say things are back to normal, the mister happily hates Johnson once again.  This matters to me only because the mister will read a page in his book, then he will get up and come find me so he can REREAD some paragraph about Johnson, so I can nod my head in approval (nodding my head right after the mister finishes reading will get me a few moments of silence...if I don't nod then the mister feels compelled to explain things to me!)  After the head nod, the mister skulks back to his chaise and I know I have about another 15 or 20 minutes before my head nodding services are needed again.  Oy vey, such is my life!

 

Basil Jelly is probably the best thing I've made this summer...and that's saying a lot because I have cooked and baked my way into an extra 10 pounds on my backside with all of the amazing food we've enjoyed over the last three months!  Being in the kitchen is really hard on my diet!  Diet!  As if!   You know how they say if you were stuck on a desert island and could only have one food what would it be?  Well, for me, it would be Basil Jelly...it would make even sand taste good!  This is super easy and quick to make and I would suggest doubling the recipe because you are not going to want to share any of this with friends, even if they are Basil-Jelly-worthy - it's just toooooo good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basil Jelly is made with basil and a lot of it - a packed two cups worth, which is the equivalent of about 1 1/2 four ounce packages of fresh basil.  The other ingredients are lemon juice, water, sugar and pectin.  If you sterilize your jars in the dishwasher first, and set your big pot of water on to boil before you begin the recipe, things will go pretty quickly.  And believe me, the sooner you get this made and into your mouth, the happier you will be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basil Jelly - Adapted From Preppy Pink Crocodile

4 half-pint jars, with lids and bands, sterilized

large pot for canning/processing

2 cups tightly packed basil

3 cups boiling water

3 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

4 1/2 tablespoons powdered pectin

2 drops green food coloring, optional, but it makes for a much prettier jelly if you add it

Rough chop basil and add to a glass bowl.   Pour boiling water over the top of basil, cover bowl with a clean cloth and let steep for 15 minutes.  While basil is steeping, make sure jars are ready to go, and get water bath ready for processing - water must be one-inch over the top of the jars when in the canner.  After 15 minutes, strain the basil from the liquid into a non-reactive pot, (an enamel pot works great) by using a large slotted spoon.  Add 2 cups of the basil water to the pot and add the sugar, lemon and food coloring, if using.  Stir to combine and then bring to a hard boil and boil for 1 full minute.  Sprinkle the pectin over the top and stir well to combine, then bring back to a hard boil for 1 minute. 

Fill sterilized jars, put on lids and rims and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Remove jars from water bath and let sit on counter overnight.  Jelly will look very runny but will set in a few hours.  If any of the jars do not seal, refrigerate them.  Keep jars in pantry for up to 18 months.  Makes 4 half-pint jars.