by Diane Roberts | December 16, 2024
How to Make Dewberry Jelly
Diane Roberts shares her family's cherished dewberry jelly recipe, a sweet Southern spread made from hand-picked wild berries and generations of tradition.
Betty Roberts’s Dewberry Jelly
Makes 6 to 7 Jars
- 3 ¾ cups dewberry juice
- 4 ½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 tablespoons Sure-Jell
PREPARATION: Cook dewberries in just enough water to cover them until the juice is released. Strain through cheesecloth. Be careful when you squish them—the berries can stain your hands purple. Take juice and mix in sugar and fresh lemon juice. Cook on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and keep on high heat for one minute. Stir in Sure-Jell. Remove from heat, and let cool for one minute. Skim off the foam that settles on top. Pour into jars, tighten the lids and then put in a boiling water bath for eight minutes. Remove and don’t touch the jars for 24 hours. Disturbing them could affect the setting process of the dewberry jelly. And you don’t want to do that.
Read more about Diane Roberts’s jelly-making family traditions, or find more recipes here.
