Today I’m posting a secret family recipe so get ready! This Hawthorne Jelly is the BEST jelly EVER! Now, I know that you are probably thinking “Come on Lisa! Really?” but I promise you that I am not lying. It really is the best and of course, my wonderful Aunt Paul is the author of this recipe.

I had one taste of this jelly and no other jam or jelly would do after that. That was a long time ago and to this day, I would still choose Hawthorne jelly over all other choices. In fact, I have created an ice cream recipe that I will be posting soon BUT to test out the recipe I used grape jelly. Now don’t get me wrong, grape jelly is great, in fact I would say that it is my second favourite! Here’s the thing. In case the recipe was a fail, I did not want to waste my precious Hawthorne jelly! It is that important! The recipe was a huge success, thanks Aunt Paul, and I will be posting it soon.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• 1 package of Crystal Certo
• 6 cups of sugar
• 5 1/2 cups of juice from Hawthorne berries (that is about 4 quarts or 16 cups of Hawthorne berries)

Instructions 

1. Place berries in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to medium high and cook berries until soft. If you look at my recipe card above, you would think that my mom never wanted me to actually make the jelly! lol She doesn’t list how long or how many berries you need. My Aunt Paul says the rule of thumb for how long you cook the Haws will depend on the berries but once the berries can be bruised by the back of a wooden spoon, then they are done.
2. Once soft, crush the berries with a potato masher. You want to get all of the juice out of the Haws – waste nothing. Place everything in a cheese cloth / tea towel and squeeze out the juices.
3. It will be a muddy looking liquid. Add the lemon juice now and the liquid will become a delicate red.
4. Place the liquid back into your pot and add the Certo. Bring to a full boil. Test the liquid by taking a teaspoon of it and put it on a plate. If it jells, then it is ready. Remove from heat.
5. Pour into your sterilized jars, seal and let sit on your counter overnight. Store jars in a cool dry place. Enjoy!

Here is a little bit from my Aunt Paul…

“I won second prize many years ago at the Carp fair with this jelly.

I started to pick the haw berry for my mom when I was tall enough to reach them.

You must wear long sleeve shirts to pick these since the bush/tree have wicked-looking thorns on their branches.

These thorns can be up to 3 inches long. As a young child I use to collect the branches and make a crown of thorns.

I have two that I made from my hawthorn tree in the back yard. I place them on my dinning table at Easter.

No one I know ever made this jelly other than my great grandmother, grandmother and mother and once my twin sister made it with me.

The taste is apple with spices, no spices are added but that is the natural taste of the hawthorn jelly.

You can always find a few trees with firm good fruits. Some tend to be very wormy.

Years ago I made wine with haw berries, its suppose to be good for the heart, it dilates the arteries and blood flows better.

I would have made a great woodsman since I love the old ways….making stuff from the wild and not wasting anything.

Well that’s it, the recipe was passed down from my great-grandmother Pillon on my mother’s side of the family.”

Happy canning!