Lavender Jelly with Orange-pith Pectin #tigresscanjam

So the theme of the April installment of Tigress' Can Jam is herbs. I've done a number of herb jellies before, including lemon balm and rosemary. I've also made jelly from rose petals, which is wonderful. Problem is, you have to add pectin when you make jelly, and I don't like the syrupy, slightly grainy texture you get with powdered commercial pectin.

I haven't tried liquid pectin yet, but after reading up on marmalade and citrus fruits in the winter, I had already been wondering about the possibility of making pectin from orange peel when I read this great post about strawberry and orange pectin jelly by Julia of What Julia Ate. Inspired by the knowledge that it could be done, I decided to apply my experience with marmalade to an experimental recipe. Even though we're about three weeks ahead of the normal growing season this year, my chives and lemon balm just aren't up above the ground enough to use for jelly, so I decided to try a lavender jelly with some lavender I already had one hand.

I guessed at the quantities – an informed guess, from having made so many batches of marmalade in my life. As the pith was boiling, I measured the amount of pectin in the liquid every 15 minutes by dropping 1 teaspoon of liquid into a small jelly jar containing 1 taplespoon of rubbing alcohol, sealing the jar and gently agitating it. At first this only created a slight cloudiness in the jar, but approaching the 90-minute mark the liquid transformed almost immediately into a clear, thick, jellylike suspension, something like dropping egg-white into hot water.

I really wished I had a microscope, because I had the impression that the pectin was forming some kind of solid strings or threads in the alcohol and it would have been interesting to see it up close. (I really felt like a scientist by this point.) I was a bit stressed, however, with making sure I didn't get any alcohol back into the cooking batch by reusing the wrong spoon or absentmindedly flinging the tester back into the pot. This of course would be poisonous.

My experiment gave me just under two cups of liquid, which ended up yielding four 125 mL / ½-pint jars. (I think I will try the same experiment with more water, to see whether I can get more liquid without taking much more time.) The jelly was quite cloudy, so next time I may try straining through a finer-mesh jelly bag (maybe an old t-shirt). However, it was also the most aromatic herb jelly I've ever made; I'm guessing that some residual citrus oils helped as an agent to bind the volatile lavender essential oils. It has a smooth, solid consistency rather like those Asian jelly dessserts made with agar. It is thick enough to turn it out of the jar and slice it, so it would make a very interesting garnish for a fancy dessert or meat presentation.

Lavender Jelly with Orange-pith Pectin

• 4 navel oranges
• 2 lemons
• ½ cup of dried lavender
• 4 cups of water
• 2 cups of sugar

Instructions

1. Sterilize at least four 125 mL / ½-pint snap-lid canning jars.
2. Meanwhile, trim the oil-bearing outer skin off the oranges and lemons. Cut them in half. Juice the oranges and reserve the juice for drinking later.
3. In a non-reactive pot, combine the water, the lavender and the juice of the two lemons.
4. Finely chop all the remaining pith and pulp from the citrus fruits, along with the peel of half of one of the oranges.
5. Rinse the pith gently and briefly under cold water to remove any leftover juice or oils, and add it to the pot, along with any seeds.
6. Bring to a boil and hold at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for 90 minutes.
7. Hang in a moistened jelly bag over a bowl and allow the liquid to drain off. (Do not squeeze it, or you'll get cloudier jelly.)
8. When it has drained completely, measure the liquid and combine it with an equal amount of sugar in a non-reactive pot.
9. Bring to a boil and hold at the boiling point, stirring regularly and skimming off the scum that forms on the surface, until it reaches the setting point.
10. Ladle into sterilized jars, cover and process for at least 5 minutes at a rolling boil.

Incidentally, notice that this jelly sets so firmly that you can actually slice it and cut it into stable shapes with a very small cookie cutter. I sliced it with a bread knife, and it even retained the tiny striations from the knife's teeth. A possible ingredient in a very fussy hors d'oeuvre, like duck confit with lavender-orange jelly garnish???