Making Red Currant Jelly with Nina Leki

From GreenWiki

This is an environmental act: to pick berries from the community garden where we volunteer. To eat them.

No fuel is expended in transporting this food. We walk across the street.

We did have to boil the berries and juice. We'd like to know how much energy we are using. We might calculate it. Maybe we can make a solar oven to help us make zero emmission red currant jelly.

What a very beautiful day. What wonderful and sweet people.

Beyond Today is encouraging our community members to send invitations to learn about how to prepare local produce.

If we learn to eat local, that is good for many reasons. These events also serve to knit our community together. We could have been paying money for some kind of other entertainment. Instead we made friends near home and did something really fun and had the best scones we've ever tasted. Nina did so much work and told us everything to do. I've wanted to ask her to teach us how to make jelly for many years and am so happy to learn it from her. What a special day! -Julie.

American Currant (Ribes americana) Jelly

1. pick currants (including the small, green stems that the fruits are on, i.e. the racemes, is okay)

2. rinse berries, place in a large pot

3. fill pot to 1-2 inches below the level of the berries with water

4. heat water and berries to boil, then cool for 15-20 minutes

5. pour water and berries through cheesecloth, collect juice in the large pot, discard (compost) seeds and other berry waste

6. add sugar to juice in a 1:1 ratio (1C. sugar to 1 C. liquid)

7. heat liquid mixture to 220 F on stove, keep at a rolling boil

8. pour hot liquid into washed, clean, used jars, filling to the top or just below

9. wipe splled juice from rim, cap tightly with sterilized (boiled), used jar lids

10. let cool. Caps should "pop" down, indicating a good seal

11. Enjoy! Refrigerate after opening

We also had rasberries and scones while we cooked! Thank you Nina!!

• note: new invention: 1 tbsp red currant jelly + a little hot water to dissolve and then cold water and ice makes a great summer drink! Organic! Delicious!