I admit it. The only reason I made Grapefruit-Rosemary Jelly is because after spending a day chopping and supreming and canning a batch of Orange-Grapefruit-Ginger Marmalade, I’d had enough of citrus preserving for a while. I just wanted something simple and quick to go through my last basket of grapefruits from the garden, and this jelly was it.
In my kitchen, grapefruit and rosemary go hand in hand. (You might remember this complementary combo from my Grapefruit-Rosemary Bread recipe.) I find that rosemary tames the tartness of grapefruit without being too floral. You get all that wonderful grapefruit flavor with none of its bitterness or sourness… just yummy goodness.
If you tend to shy away from making jelly because it usually calls for an obscene amount of sugar, this is your type of jelly. None of this 5-cups-sugar-to-5-cups-juice business (I feel myself bouncing off the walls just writing that!). By using low-sugar pectin, you can cut out half the sugar and still have a perfectly preserved jiggly jelly.
Grapefruit-Rosemary Jelly
Makes 2 pints
Ingredients
4 to 5 cups of grapefruit juice
2 large sprigs of rosemary
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons (or 1 packet) low-sugar powdered pectin (I use Ball RealFruit Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin)
Making Your Grapefruit-Rosemary Jelly
You can cheat and use bottled juice, but this is a good way to use up grapefruits that might be a little past their prime.
Extract 4 to 5 cups of fresh juice from your grapefruits. I love love LOVE my juicer for this!
In a medium saucepan, stir together the grapefruit juice, rosemary sprigs, and powdered pectin, and bring the ingredients to a boil. Keep the mixture at a full rolling boil until the rosemary is well infused and the syrup is slightly reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and boil hard for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a jelly bag. (In a pinch, a couple layers of cheesecloth also works well.)
Ladle the jelly into hot, clean jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust the time as needed for your altitude).
Spoon the jelly over pork chops as a tasty tart glaze, or spread it over some good old-fashioned peanut butter, my favorite! It’s like having a grown-up PB&J sandwich.
Grapefruit-Rosemary Jelly
A yummy jelly with the flavor of rosemary that tames the tartness of grapefruit without being too floral.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 cups grapefruit juice
- 2 large sprigs rosemary
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons (or 1 packet) low-sugar powdered pectin (I use Ball RealFruit Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin)
Instructions
- Extract 4 to 5 cups of fresh juice from your grapefruits. I love love LOVE my juicer for this!
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the grapefruit juice, rosemary sprigs, and powdered pectin, and bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Keep the mixture at a full rolling boil until the rosemary is well infused and the syrup is slightly reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the sugar and boil hard for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a jelly bag.
- Ladle the jelly into hot, clean jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust the time as needed for your altitude).
Notes
You can cheat and use bottled juice, but this is a good way to use up grapefruits that might be a little past their prime.
Recommended Products
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Cuisinart CCJ-500P1 Pulp Control Citrus Juicer, 1, Black/Stainless -
Epicurean Cutting Surfaces Gourmet Series Kitchen Utensil, OS, Black Nylon Head with Natural Handle
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ZWILLING Pro 5.5" Ultimate Prep Knife, inch, Black/Stainless Steel
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OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk,Black
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OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Double Rod Strainer, Black
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 76gFiber: 0gSugar: 34gProtein: 2g
I’ve been looking for a low-sugar canning recipe for grapefruit that uses pectin, because my grapefruit jam doesn’t always gel right. I was so happy to see your recipe! I omitted the rosemary this time (will definitely use it next time) and didn’t bother to strain everything because I actually wanted pulp. So, I don’t know if I technically made jelly or jam, but it’s absolutely delicious! I think I’m going to check out your grapefruit-rosemary bread recipe next!
I was thinking of making this for a fete, how long does it last (without refrigeration)?
It’s shelf stable up to a year. Once opened, it should be refrigerated and will last a few weeks that way.
I love all of your gorgeous canning recipes and recently tried the grapefruit, rosemary jelly. After 8 days it still hasn’t set so should I assume it was unsuccessful?
Yes, it definitely should’ve set by now. I suggest sticking the jar in the fridge and seeing if the jelly will set that way, especially if you’ve had hot weather. Otherwise, you can re-heat the jelly with more pectin, and re-process the jar.
This looks amazing! What a great flavor combo!