Jelly

I could write a long post about Grandma Sara’s jelly, but it wouldn’t include an actual recipe. I have never made jelly myself. When I was a kid, and into adulthood, Grandma Sara kept us well-supplied with her delicious homemade jelly. We rarely if ever purchased grocery-store jelly.

Grandma Sara always had jars of jelly lined up on her dining room buffet, ready to hand out to everyone at our annual family Christmas gathering, which for many years we held on the weekend before Christmas. (That could be a whole other post!) She’d label jelly jars, then wrap them in plastic wrap and tie the top with a bit of ribbon. We always looked forward to our annual jar of jelly, almost as much as we looked forward to her butter brickle.

Her sister, my great-aunt Vivi (pronounced “VY-vee”, short for Violet), had concord grape vines in her back yard. My mom used to go to her house to pick the grapes, bring them home, cook them down and strain them through one of these –

From Amazon, of course

– to press the juice out of the grape skins. She may have even added the sugar to the juice. Then she would take the juice to Grandma Sara who would turn it into grape jelly.

I know at least once, I asked mom, why don’t you just make jelly? She said, oh, I could never make it as good as Grandma Sara. But it was more that she really didn’t want to, and she knew Grandma Sara enjoyed making it AND was really good at it. So mom would always gush with many compliments whenever she’d eat the jelly in Grandma Sara’s presence: Oh, your jelly is just delicious! I know I could never make it as good as you do! And she made sure Grandma Sara always had plenty of juice, thereby ensuring our steady supply of homemade jelly.

I don’t remember my mom making juice from raspberries for jelly, but raspberry jelly was another of Grandma Sara’s specialties. It was the best! And while she was never one to brag, I know she knew it was good. So when I found this tag in her recipe box, I knew I had to share it:

Don’t think these are just any old raspberries – we grew them, then we turned them into this jelly! 

I love it.

I don’t know yet if there’s a “how to make jelly” recipe card in the box. But if there is I will be sure to share it.