Have you ever had Muscadine jelly? Let me tell you, it is quite an experience! The unique taste of the muscadines is brought to life by the sugar and smooth texture of the jelly. Yum!
This stuff could make a piece of bark taste delicious, (although not recommended).
Why muscadine jelly? Well, last weekend I went down to Bamburg, South Carolina to visit my boyfriend Jesse’s family for the first time. This was no typical weekend. Of course, I had a hunch that it wouldn’t be. Jesse’s dad is a watermelon researcher for Clemson and his mom is a botany expert. Both graduated from Clemson.
When I arrived, I was welcomed by a beautiful house, garden, greenhouse, pond house, treehouse, pets, and open arms. The sandy pathways, cotton fields, Cyprus trees, and green flora all created an inviting atmosphere that is not forgotten easily.
On the other side of the house, there was a small vineyard with ripe muscadines.
The muscadines were delicious and were quite addicting. Even the dog "Athena" thought so!
That was not the only surprise I was in for. It wasn't long until I found out that we were going to be making muscadine jelly.
The first step in the process was to mash the muscadines and "pop" them in order to make sure they wouldn't burst when cooking. Eventually the juicy insides were separated from the muscadine skins.
After mixing and cooking 7 cups cups of sugar and pectin with the strained muscadine juice, we carefully ladled the jelly into mason jars.
You see, this is where I have to add a disclaimer. You see, Jesse's mom is a
wonderful cook. It just so happens that her son is a great cook as well. His girlfriend? Not so much. I watched and learned and jumped in to help *coughforpicturescough* every once in a while. It is not often that I am trusted in the kitchen.
The next step was to carefully lower the jars into a pot of hot water.
This picture speaks for itself of the end result!
YUM
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