This was a fun project I decided to try out one day when I was at the store walking through the produce section and I spotted these huge pomegranates. There was an elderly lady nearby, and we struck up a conversation about making jelly with the pomegranates, and I thought it was a lovely idea.
{Fun Fact: In Spain, pomegranates are called granadas because of their grenade like shape.}
Why Make Your Own Jelly?
Besides feeling a huge sense of accomplishment when you stand back and gaze at your pretty jelly jars all lined in a row, making your own jelly is both healthier than eating most store bought jelly and it costs less than buying the so-called health food jellies.
I did a comparison of the ingredients from a typical SAD (Standard American Diet) item — grape jelly, and my own pomegranate jelly. Here is what I found:
Grape Jelly
Ingredients: grape juice, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, fruit pectin, citric acid, sodium citrate
Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Sugar: 12 grams
Calories: 50
Pomegranate Jelly
Ingredients: pomegranate juice, honey, lemon juice, citrus pectin, monocalcium phosphate
Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Sugar: 4 grams
Calories: 16
The pomegranate jelly also has the benefits of being fresh and being made with of raw honey.
Items Needed to Make Pomegranate Jelly
- 6-7 Large Pomegranates (If these aren’t available, 4 cups pomegranate juice will work.)
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 4 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin (I like this pectin because it sets well with little or no sugar.)
- 4 teaspoons calcium water (The calcium powder comes with the pectin. Simply mix 1/2 teaspoon powder with 1/2 cup water in a small jar. Refrigerate unused calcium water for later use.)
- 6 pint size canning jars with new lids and rims
How to Make Pomegranate Jelly
1. First, you will need to juice the pomegranate. I might have done it the hard way, but it worked fine. Ideally, a sieve and a wooden pestle work the best. I just placed a strainer onto a large glass measuring bowl. I rolled my pomegranates around a bit, putting firm pressure on them to “pre-juice” them. Once I cut them open, I poured this juice into the bowl and put the pomegranate pieces into the strainer. I then took a glass jar and pressed them until all the juice is pressed out.
2. Strain juice through a cheesecloth to remove any unwanted particles.
3. Measure out 4 cups of juice and pour into a sauce pan. Add in 4 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and 4 teaspoons of calcium water. Bring to a boil.
4. While waiting for the juice to boil, sterilize the jars, lids, and rims by placing them in hot water brought to a boil then left to stand until jelly is ready.
5. Thoroughly mix honey and pectin together in a small bowl. Once juice begins to boil, add honey/pectin mixture, stirring continuously (I have found a whisk works well) for 2 minutes. Mixture should return to a boil, then remove from heat.
6. Fill jars until they reach the bottom of the rim. Put on the seal and rim tightly and place in a pot of boiling water, making sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove and let cool.
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