Mint Jelly is, of course, the traditional accompaniment for lamb—and oh, so good! Using the fresh mint leaves makes a real difference. The store-bought version can’t compete with fresh jelly.
While mint jelly is great with roasted leg of lamb, it’s also a delicious garnish with other meats such as pork. Or, just use your mint jelly in homemade thumbprint cookies. Alternating mint jelly and raspberry jelly makes for a festive touch!
Wash the mint thoroughly under cool running water. Shake off excess moisture and chop finely.
Combine mint and water in a stainless-steel saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Pour liquid into a damp jelly bag or a cheesecloth-lined sieve or colander over a bowl. Let drip until you collect 1 ¾ cups of mint-flavored liquid.
In a clean stainless-steel saucepan, combine mint-flavored liquid, lemon juice and sugar and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat stirring constantly. Stir in liquid pectin squeezing the entire contents out of the pouch. Boil hard, stirring for one-minute. Add a few drops of food coloring. Remove from heat and skim off foam working quickly because jelly may set.
Quickly ladle jelly into hot, sterilized jelly jars leaving ¼-inch of headspace. Wipe rims of jars and add a lid that has been washed and dried. Place screw band on jars and tighten finger-tip tight.
Place jars on rack in boiling water bath canner and make sure they are completely covered with water (1-2 inches above the jars). Cover with lid and bring to a boil.
Process ½ pints and 8 oz jelly jars for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid waiting 5 minutes, then remove the jars to a towel on the counter, and cool for 12 to 24 hours. Test sealing of jars by pressing lightly in center of lid and store jars that have sealed. Any jars that don’t seal may be refrigerated and used.
