If you are a member of the Couponing 101 Facebook page then you know that I recently tried making homemade jelly! I have to admit, I still don’t know if it’s worth all the effort! While it wasn’t necessarily hard to make, it was very time consuming (though I’m told it takes less time the more you do it). I really enjoyed seeing the final product though!
Now, the question is – is it cost effective? Here is my price breakdown for making homemade peach jelly:
Final Cost: $37.44 for 18 jars of jelly.
That works out to $2.08 per jar. If you eliminate the cost of the jars (since they are reusable) it works out to only $1.37 per jar. I purchased everything except the peaches at Walmart and I did not buy any special equipment except for a funnel.
This isn’t a spectacular price for jelly, but if you compare it to homemade jelly you buy at specialty shops or fairs then it’s not bad. You also have to consider that knowing exactly what goes into your food is priceless!
I am planning to set aside a few jars until Christmas because I think homemade jelly is a great gift idea! Tie it up with a cute ribbon and add it to a basket with a loaf of homemade bread and you have a delicious, inexpensive, and thoughtful gift!
I have a couple of guest posts lined up for those who are interested in learning how to can and/or make jelly. I’m definitely looking forward to learning more about the process!
What do you think? Is making your own jelly worth it?
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I went with homemade jelly (my first attempt) this past Christmas. I made peeper jelly. For the total cost of 4 dozen jars with supplies I spent roughly $41.00. It was an amazing way to let everyone know we are thinking of them without breaking the budget. I always look for the markdown produce at Kroger and was able to get three sacks of sweet peppers for $1 each! I will do this again this year. I also make my own bath salts for Mother's Day. The kids always love to help :-)
I LOVE that you posted that & would love how to do it myself with as little equipment as you used. I think the idea of putting it in a basket with a loaf of bread for Christmas is great! I have a lot of older relatives who "don't want anything" for the holidays but they would love this. I also don't want to invest a ton in trying it out.
I love making jelly. Plum is my favorite and I love peach jam. I make both. I also can tomatoes, green beans, beets, make spaghetti out of tomatoes out of out garden. I give jelly and canned vegetables to my kids for Christmas. We also have squash, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, beets, black eyed peas, yellow and zucchini squash and cucumbers in our garden.
My favorite is hot pepper jelly. Unfortunately it is addictive on Ritz Crackers with sharp cheese. I like it with onion and a blend of hot peppers. The only way to get it is to make it. I am going to do low sugar jelly this year. Anyone know of a good web site for canning?
@Linda from Georgia, Ok, I think I'm going to have to try making hot pepper jelly! Sounds like something my husband would love!
I agree with most, I love making jelly and giving it as gifts. Grape jelly is simple and quick to make for a first timer using the frozen grape juice concentrate. My favorite is Blackberry jam and it is abundant in the pacific northwest! Another quick and simple canning project is pickles. It is the one I started with, simple and I can put habenaros in the jar for the hubby who likes them hot (also I can't find them with peppers in them)! I hope you continue to can, it does get easier with time. I usually set aside a week or two in the fall and can until I can't stand anymore!! I have bought canning jars new, but you can find them on craigslist, garage sales or inherit them, that seems to be how my collection is growing (2 Grandma's that don't want to can anymore!) . I really do like to know what is going into my food, so this is a major reason I like to can. Also I am diabetic, so I can do the no sugar recipes. One recipe I found on food.com was a watermelon rind jelly. It sounds icky, it's the white part of the rind, it is time consuming, but everyone I have given a jar to says it tastes like honey and they love it. Was a great gift at the holidays!
@Trish, Watermelon rind jelly? That sounds like it would be a great way to get more use out of our watermelons! Thanks for the idea!
I love making jelly, especially for the grandkids. And the jelly is getting pretty high at the store. The fruit is getting pretty high. But, I buy when they are on sale. And it tastes good.
I'd like to try this, but was wondering if it's possible to use recycled spagetti sauce jars to keep the cost down.
@Vicky, Officially Ball and Kerr says you should not because those jars aren't made to withstand the high heat of processing. However, when I was a kid we used to use old peanut butter jars and such as long as the seal/lids fit well and of course were glass. I would say try one and see if it seals and hold the seal for awhile. You can keep saving them in case it works.
I bet if you do some searching you will find that fruit for free. My friend makes jams and jellies and she found a few ppl that have fruit trees and the fruit is going to waste and they say if you want it come pick it for FREE!! and that will take your cost down tremendously!!
Last she she made jalepeno jelly...OMG so yumi!!!
She always gives me jelly and jam, its so good and I am really thinking about doing it myself too.
@keylia, Jalapeño jelly? Sounds interesting! I would love to find someone who would let me pick their fruit for free! ;)
Have you tried no-cook freezer jam? It took only a few minutes to whip up a batch, and store it in old butter tubs.
@OC_Ski, I agree! Freezer jams are not great for gifting, but they are much faster to make and still provide you the benefit of knowing what is in your food. We do this all the time!
For me it is worth it too since knowing what goes into my jam is very important. Also being able to control and cut down on the sugar is HUGE. We love jam and it is nice to have the satisfaction of being able to make your own combinations too.
@Diana, This time I wanted to follow the directions so I used the full sugar (and WOW is it a lot), but I think next time I will be looking for a low-sugar recipe!