Sudden Bursts of Eccentricity: Pomegranate Frenzy: How to Make Pomegranate Jelly, Syrup, and Molasses.

All right! Remember that post I just did on peeling and juicing pomegranates? (I certainly hope you do, it was yesterday!) Well, today we're going to use that juice to make some Jelly, Syrup, and Molasses! Woohooo!

Now, Pomegranate Jelly is one of my favorites, I will say, but the flavor reminds me a lot of Cherry Jelly, with just a hint of a different taste. That's the best way I can think of to describe it. It also tends to be runnier than other jellies because pomegranates are high in acidity and low in natural pectin, so it doesn't quite come out that same.

That being said, let's get into my Pomegranate Jelly recipe! (This recipe makes 6 half pint jars with some extra)

You will need:

Juice from 2 medium lemons (about 4 to 6 tablespoons of juice)

4 Cups Pomegranate Juice (How to juice pomegranates here: Click!)

5 Cups White Sugar

7 Tablespoons Pectin

½ Cup Apple Juice or Grape Juice (or other neutral juice)

6 to 7 Half Pint Jars (and rims & lids)

Large pot

Oven mit

Straining/slotted spoon

Spoon (I prefer wooden)

Damp cloth

Tongs/Jar Tongs or a plastic bag and oven mit (Yep)

Optional (but recommended if available):

Large stock pot or very large pot

Ladle

Step one:

Clean and dry your jars, rims, and lids. (I usually wash mine in soap and water and then submerge them in a boiling water bath for a few minutes.)

Step two:

Over a medium heat, pour your pomegranate juice, lemon juice, apple juice, and pectin into your pot. Stir until all clumps of pectin are gone and pectin is fully dissolved. Bring the juice mixture to a full rolling boil.

Boiling!

Step three:

Once your juice mixture has reached a full rolling boil, allow for it to boil for 1 to 2 minutes. (I like to let mine boil for 2 minutes, but I've been told 1 is enough).

Step four:

After your 1 to 2 minutes is up, begin adding your sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved completely. (I add mine ½ cup at a time and would not recommend adding more than 1 cup at a time.) Allow for mixture to return to a full boil for 1 minute.

Step five:

After your minute is up, skim off any foam and then take your warmed jars (you can warm the jars by placing them in a hot water bath either on the stove or fill your sink with hot water) and begin pouring into your jars. Fill jars, leaving about 1/4^th an inch of space at the top.

With your damp cloth, wipe any excess jelly off the top and rim so you don't have a glued shut-sticky mess later and put the lid and rims on tightly and evenly.

Checking Jelly

Tip: If you want to check to see if your jelly is ready, put a plate in the freezer for a few minutes (I do this before step four). When the plate has cooled, remove it and drop a spoonful of jelly onto the plate. It will cool rapidly and show you what it'll be like when it's set. If you're happy with it, then you're good to go!

Tip: Wear an oven mit on the hand that will be holding the jars. The jelly is very HOT and will heat the jars quickly.

Step six:

Two options here. If you have a large stock pot/canner/large pot, place your can inside and cover them with at least an inch of boiling water. Do not let the cans touch and allow them to boil for 10 minutes (15 if you live about 6000 feet).

If you do not have a large stock pot/large pot/canner, place your jars upside down onto a towel and let them sit there for 24 hours. They should seal just fine. This will mean that extra space will be on the bottom of the jar when it's set, but you can take a cupcake wrapper and some twine and cover the bottom so no one will know! :)

Left - Jars in stock pot. Right - half full jar doing flipped method of sealing.

Step seven:

If you used the large stock pot route, after 10 (or 15) minutes, remove the jars from the water and let rest on the counter. You should start hearing the jars' lids popping as they seal within 10 minutes, but some can take as long as 2 hours. Let them rest on the counter for at least 24 hours without being disturbed. Be aware that the jelly can take up to 48 hours to set.

Tip: I'm fancy like that.

Tip: If you don't have jar tongs or tongs that can grip your jars, you can totally stick an oven mit in a 1 gallon plastic bag to remove your jars from the water. That's how I do it, ha!

If you turned your jars upside down, well, you're already done. Give them at least 48 hours for the jelly to set up and you should be fine! :)

Remember: Pomegranate jelly tends to be runnier than other jellies, so keep that in mind if the consistency isn't 100% perfect, but it should not be like preserves!

Okay! Jelly is done, let's move on to making some Pomegranate Syrup and Molasses.

These two things use the exact same recipe, the only difference between them is actually just a length of time. (This recipe makes about 3 half pint jars of syrup with some extra and about 2 half pint jars of molasses)

You will need:

4 Cups of Pomegranate Juice (How to juice pomegranates here: Click!)

½ to 1 Cup White Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

Juice from 1 small lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)

Large pot

2 to 4 half pint jars with rims and lids or other container with lid.

Spoon

Straining/slotted spoon.

Oven Mit

Jar tongs/tongs or an oven mit and plastic bag

Optional (but recommended if available):

Large Stock pot or very large pot

Ladle

Step one:

If canning, wash and dry your jars, rims, and lids.

Over a medium heat, mix together pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil.

Reducing

Step two:

Once the mixture has reached a boil, reduce heat to a low or medium-low. (I prefer low).

To make syrup: Allow mixture to reduce for 50 to 70 minutes. Stir occasionally. At 40 minutes, begin checking regularly for a heated syrup like appearance. Once the mixture behaves like heated syrup, it's done.

To make molasses: Allow mixture to reduce for 70 to 90 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure to supervise it so you do not end up with pomegranate hard candy instead. Mixture is done when it feels thicker and stickier while stirring than syrup.

A note if it's not thickening up properly: Sometimes the syrup/molasses does not thicken properly because of the juice used. If it is not starting to feel like syrup around 45 minutes, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar more and stir until dissolved completely. That should fix it.

Step three:

If not canning, skim the foam, pour your syrup or molasses into your container with lid, and store in the fridge.

If canning, follow steps five to seven from my Pomegranate Jelly recipe above. (Summary of those steps: Skim foam, pour into warm jars, leaving 1/4^th inch of space at the top. Wipe tops and rims off with a damp cloth to remove spills and put on lid & rims securely. If using a stock pot, place jars, not touching, into the stock pot and cover with at least 1 inch of boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from pot and let rest for at least 24 hours. Alternatively, fill jars, clean with cloth, put on lids, and then flip jars upside on a towel and do not touch them for 24 hours. They should seal fine).

Syrup and molasses, when properly sealed, should last for up to 8 months (maybe a year, I haven't had it last that long!). After opening, store in the fridge.