Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Cucumber Jelly Recipe

While I was cleaning out my sewing room, which included my sewing basket, I came across a handwritten recipe for Cucumber Jelly.  It was given to me last year while at our hand-quilting group at church.   My notes were sketchy, and I can't quite remember which quilter gave it to me, but I have it narrowed down to 3 people. I think it was Doris K.    My daughter buys cucumber jelly at craft fairs and loves it on crackers..   So with the help of my friend Linda H. who gave me a few of her big overgrown cukes, I made a batch of jelly today.

I researched other recipes for cucumber jelly, and it's not very popular.  Maybe it's a maritime dish?  The recipes that I did find say to serve it with smoked salmon and cream cheese.  So guess what I'm serving at my next get together.

It is still setting as I write this, so I haven't tasted it, but it looks and smells so good.  I'll share the recipe with you in case you have a few big cukes you want to use.

Cucumber Jelly - Yield 7 - 8oz jam jars.
  • 3 - 4 big cukes,  shredded and ground up with peel on.  Strain through cheese cloth or sieve.  Don't push too much, or the juice will be cloudy.
  • 2.5 cups of strained cucumber juice (from the step above)
  • 7 cups of sugar
  • 1 cup of white vinegar
  • 2 pouches of Certo Pectin
Mix cucumber juice, sugar and vinegar in a big pot.  Stir, and bring to a boil  for 2 minutes.  Then remove from heat and stir in the 2 pouches of Certo.   Continue to boil for another half minute, and remove from heat again.  Stir and skim off any foam for 4 or 5 minutes.  The jelly will be a light green.  If you want more color, add two or three drops of green food coloring.   Bottle in jelly jars and let the jars set.  Be sure to check the seals.  If one doesn't seal, keep it in the fridge and use it first.    Serve with crackers and cream cheese.


32 comments:

Linda H said...

Sounds interesting! I'll be anxious to hear how you like it. Wonder if it will have much flavour?

Heartsdesire said...

Love the beautiful colour. Be sure and let us know how it tastes. I think I'd like to try to make a batch.

Kathy said...

It is very pretty, although it doesn't sound that appetizing. Let me know how you like it. GOOD job, Gail.

GailM. said...

I know lots of people are looking for cucumber jelly this summer because I see the hits on my stats. I should let you know that this turned out sooo good. I'll be making another batch this year. I found that it took a long time to set. After a day, it seemed to be still too liquid. I set the jars away in my cold room and said I'll deal with it in a week. When I went back to look, all the jars had set up beautifully. Give it a try. I know you'll be impressed with the flavor and smell. It's just so fresh tasting.

janimarie said...

I had lost my recipe which I got years ago from a N.B. friend. Have been making it regularly. Thought I'd take a chance of looking online, and lo and behold there were several. I've never met anyone else that made cucumber jelly. It's a family fav for us, goes well with chicken and pork as well as the cream cheese, etc., and so very easy to make. Thanks - I'll be making some this weekend with the hot house English cucs from Leamington.

Lori said...

My sister got me hooked on cucumber jelly years ago. I googled recipes to see how others were serving it. We use it on pork and roasts. My teen even loves it.

Unknown said...

I made this last year for the first and I found it a bit too sweet. Do you think it would still jell if I used 1/2 - 3/4 cup less sugar?

Unknown said...

Do u need to water bath this recipe
If so how long dying to try this..

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for sharing your recipe Gail. I have just made my first ever batch of Cucumber jelly and it tastes and smells fabulous. Living in the Uk I had 'fun' with quantities as we do not use cups but our jam making making sugar already has added pectin so I was able to make this with just under half of the amount of sugar you recommend. It has set really well and tasted incredible with our smoked salmon and crab starter. I would never have thought of this had it not been for your recipe. Thanks again, Derryn

Lisa said...

Wondering if Marlene Pasco and Sarah Beemish received replies. I am curious about these things as well. Thanks.

GailM. said...

Replies to the questions. I do not waterbath my jelly. Also, I use Certo pectin. The instructions are clear and they have a warning not to use a reduced amount of sugar, so I would use the right amount. If you try less sugar, let me know if it works ok for you.:

Anonymous said...

Do you use liquid or powdered pectin?

GailM. said...

I use Certo liquid pectin.

Unknown said...

Hi Derryn was interested to hear of your experiment! I also use imperial or metric not cups. I presume the jelly would be made same way as apple jelly. For every pint of juice a pound of sugar? I wil try it this way to see if it works with the addition of vinegar sounds delicious. Will let you know how it works out!!

wendy yaksic said...

Hola Gail, jamás he hecho jalea pero me encantaría hacer su receta. En España compro la pectina en la farmacia y es en polvo. Podría decirme que cantidad necesitaría?. Muchas gracias de antemano. Saludos

Woozie23 said...

Hope you all tried it. For those who wondered if it would have much flavour, please believe me when I say it does have a very fine, strong cucumber taste. Terrific with salmon. Frankly I prepared the juice by running the cukes through my extraction juicer then strained it through a couple layers of sheer-type fabric scavenged from 1940's curtains. The finished jelly is not crystal clear but I'm more interested in flavour. BTW: I've been making tons of jams and jellys for 50 years and have never submitted them to the unnecessary torture of a water bath. Haven't had mould grow on a sealed bottle yet. but I do ensure everything coming in contact with the product is sterilized - even my plastic gloves. Please do try this terrific condiment.

Woozie23 said...

Hope you all tried it. For those who wondered if it would have much flavour, please believe me when I say it does have a very fine, strong cucumber taste. Terrific with salmon. Frankly I prepared the juice by running the cukes through my extraction juicer then strained it through a couple layers of sheer-type fabric scavenged from 1940's curtains. The finished jelly is not crystal clear but I'm more interested in flavour. BTW: I've been making tons of jams and jellys for 50 years and have never submitted them to the unnecessary torture of a water bath. Haven't had mould grow on a sealed bottle yet. but I do ensure everything coming in contact with the product is sterilized - even my plastic gloves. Please do try this terrific condiment.

Tami said...

So good! I tweaked it a little and added about 1/2 chopped mint. I can't wait for these to set up. I will be making another batch very soon. Thanks for the recipe! A new favorite for sure.

a said...

Can you use powdered pectin? I have 30+ cucumbers and I will be making alot of this jelly so I was wondering if powdered would work since I have that on hand.

Anonymous said...

Can I use powder pectin instead of liquid? I have 30+ cucumbers and I will be making a lot of this jelly and since I have powder on hand I was curious if the switch is even possible. Thank you for the recipe I cannot wait to try it and I have lots of family members that are looking forward to it also!!

connie said...

Great recipe! I used sure-jel (powder) instead of liquid pectin and it set perfectly. Next batch I would like to try adding some cantaloupe juice. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Also I cut the sugar by 2 cups.

a said...

Thanks Connie I did use the powder I also added vanilla bean to 2 batches and made 2 batches adding vanilla and habanero peppers to it...The whole family enjoyed all 3 recipes. I even used some on grilled salmon the other night it was delicious.

Anonymous said...

LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Just made this recipe. Can't wait to use. My taste test revealed a slightly tart, sweet refreshing cucumber taste.






Anonymous said...

We are fans of PBS show, a chefs life so last year we decided to visit their restaurant, chef and the farmer. Instead of just bread and butter at the start they served something wonderful. A small ramikin with deviled ham covered in about a quarter inch or so with cucumber jelly with the bread. It was wonderful. Not sure about the sugar though. I don’t think it was sweet. Can this be made without sugar?

GailM. said...

Dear Anonymous from Dec 6. The pectin package is very clear that sugar is an important part of any of the jelly recipes. It needs sugar to set and gel. Unlike fruit jellys that are naturally sweet, cucumber is not. But if you do try it without sugar, let us know what you think.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Gail. I’m 71 years old and my memory doesn’t seem be me as well as it used to. I’ll experiment and let you know.

Unknown said...

I used one package of sure jell powdered pectin. It seemed really thin when I put into jars. Was still liquid this morning. Should I have used 2 boxes powdered pectin?

Unknown said...

I made this last night. I used one box of Sure Jel powdered pectin. It was still really liquid this morning. Should I have used two boxes of powder?

Sue Geiger said...

I made this yummy jelly today, I only used 2 cups sugar cuz I thought I didn't quite have enough juice. I used 2 boxes of powdered fruit pectin, it started setting up so fast. I got a couple cereal bowls full. Added couple drops of green food coloring. OMG this is Soooo good. My neighbors tasted it and want me to make more. Tons of cukes still coming in. So definitely will be making more. Thanks for this great recipe.

Sue Geiger said...

I made this yummy jelly today, I only used 2 cups sugar cuz I thought I didn't quite have enough juice. I used 2 boxes of powdered fruit pectin, it started setting up so fast. I got a couple cereal bowls full. Added couple drops of green food coloring. OMG this is Soooo good. My neighbors tasted it and want me to make more. Tons of cukes still coming in. So definitely will be making more. Thanks for this great recipe.

Unknown said...

May be good as a mix for a cucumber martini