Blackberry Port Wine Jelly

Here's a recipe for jelly made from blackberries and port wine. You can
use any kind of port that you like, but I recommend one that's not too 
sweet. Look for notes of chocolate and 'barrel' since those flavors will
go with the berries nicely. We used a bottle of Graham's that cost about
$20.  I know the cloves may sound out of place in this recipe, but trust 
me, they add a lovely finish.


Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups of blackberry juice
1/2 cup port wine
1/4 tsp. of ground cloves
1 box of Sure-Jell (1.75 oz.)
5-1/2 cups of sugar


Basically, you're just going to follow the Sure-Jell instructions for 
"cooked jelly" using the blackberry juice, port, and clove mixture as 
the 'prepared fruit' that their recipe calls for. Here it is: 

1. Measure out the sugar into its own bowl. You're going to dump it all
in at once, so have it handy. 

2. In a large saucepan, mix berry juice, port, and cloves together.

3. Add the packet of Sure-Jell and whisk to break up any clumps. Over 
high heat, bring this to a hard boil - that's a boil that you cannot stir 
down. 

4. Boil hard for one minute, then dump in all the sugar at once. Bring it 
back to a boil, stirring constantly to break up any sugar clumps.

5. Boil for exactly one minute and remove from heat. Continue stirring for
five minutes, then ladle into jars. Leave 1/4 inch head space.

6. Water bathe the jars to seal, then let them dry on the countertop for
several hours. Listen for the 'pop' as each one seals itself. I boiled my
jars for ten minutes in Portland, but we did them for 20 in Reno due to
the elevation difference. 

After their bath, try to leave the jars on the countertop for 12 hours 
before storing. You can put them in the refrigerator if you want to, but 
since they're sealed, they can also go in the cupboard. Freezing is not 
necessary, but go ahead if you want. It won't hurt anything. 

This makes about six cups of jelly. If you want more, make another batch 
from scratch; do not try to double the recipe and do it all at once. For
some reason, Sure-Jell just doesn't work that way. 


Recipe concocted by Ronna & Cheryl in Reno, August 2016.