To Spice Up Your Valentine's Day-Horseradish Jelly Recipe!

You all know one of my favorite hobbies is jelly making.  Because I do talks in the local area on herbs, I have to speak about the Herb of the Year each year.  This year if you don't already know, the 2011 Herb of the Year is horseradish.  The national Herb Society meeting will be meeting here in June and it is ironic that H. J. Heinz makes a lot of the horseradish here in Pittsburgh.   So in the photo above, I made a snack for The Herbal Husband and I of whole grain Ritz crackers, topped with Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese and a bit of horseradish jelly.  It is almost clear and it kept sliding off the cheese.  I think I will mix in the cheese next time I have it.  So here is the recipe for all of you who would like to make it.  This recipe is from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader and revised by Joanne Lamb Hayes.

Horseradish Jelly
Serve this aromatic sweet-and-tart jelly with your next roast of beef---or mix it with low-fat cream cheese and eat it with vegetable sticks or crackers.

2 cups white wine vinegar
1 bottle (6 oz.) prepared horseradish (not cream style)
6 cups sugar
2 cups water
6 ounces liquid pectin

1.  Heat the vinegar in a nonreactive saucepan and pour it into a clean 1-quart jar.

2.  Add the horseradish, cover the jar, and let stand for 24-48 hours at room temperature.

3.  Strain through a wire strainer into a 2-quart saucepan.  The mixture will measure 2 cups.

4.  Add the sugar and water, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Bring to a full boil that can't be stirred down.

5.  Remove briefly from heat and add the liquid pectin and boil the mixture for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.

6.  Skim the foam if necessary.  Pour the jelly into clean jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.  Cap and seal.

7.  Process in a boiling-water-bath canner for 10 minutes.

(Makes 7-8 oz. jars plus 4-4 oz. jars.)

You want to make sure to boil your jars for 10 minutes prior to starting the jelly making.  Place your lids and rings in hot water.  Do not boil your lids or rings.

There is a very nice article on 2011 Herb of the Year: Horseradish by Susan Belsinger on The Herb Companion website.  Hope you enjoy all of the recipes.  I have learned a lot about horseradish in a very short time.  One thing is for certain it is very invasive and you don't want to rototill it to get rid of it!

Hope you had a great day wherever you may be.  Went out for our Valentine's dinner this evening.  A quote from Don't Throw in the Trowel by Texas Bix Bender:

A garden grows more than just flowers and good things to eat; 

it also grows bouquets of kind thoughts and bushels of contentment.

Thanks for stopping by.  Talk to you later.