I process all my jellies at 10 minutes because then I don't have to sterilize the jars.

Paraffin is not inherently dangerous, you can't get botulism from jelly but it will spoil. Even my Grandma used lids and rings and never looked back.

Paraffin is hot and messy, I've had it catch on fire while melting it. I ruin a pan to melt the darned stuff and always end up getting it somewhere besides on top the jar. I never manage to get a perfect seal, there's a pinhole somewhere and then my jelly molds.

In my opinion, lids and rings are easier, faster, more convenient, less messy and more reliable. That's why I use them.

As for champagne jelly, here's a recipe from the Sure Jell Company. I made a batch for my mother, it was very pretty. I don't like wine, so I was pretty underwhelmed, but she liked it.

Mimosa (Champagne) Jelly

Note: Alcohol may not evaporate completely during cooking. This may be a concern for individuals who choose to avoid alcohol. Recent research has found that wine added to a pot roast which was then simmered 2 1/2 hours retained 5% of the original added alcohol content when served. Sauce in which the alcohol was flamed retained 75 - 85% of the alcohol, and a Brandy Alexander pie which was refrigerated for 16 hours retained 75% of its alcohol. Research was not conducted on wine jellies, but you should assume that some alcohol is still present in these preserved foods. Do not serve this jelly to children under 4 years old because their bodies are not yet able to metabolize alcohol well.

2 cups champagne
1 cup orange juice
4 1/4 cups sugar
1 box regular pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine

Measure champagne and orange juice into large saucepan. measure sugar into separate bowl. Stir pectin into champagne-juice mixture. Add butter. Quickly bring to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in all sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Quickly ladle into clean half-pint or pint jars, add prepared lids, and process in boiling water canner 5 minutes. Recipe adapted from Sure.Jel company.

Annie

I hate paraffin. Never, ever want to use the stuff on jams again. Ditto to everything Annie said.

Rule of thumb for jams and jellies, regardless of recipe, is 5 minutes sterilized jars, 10 minutes plain hot clean jars. In your case 15 minutes without sterilizing will do it.

Carol

And thanks for putting up with me...one and all!

I search stuff but unless I see a testimony on here, or from a reliable source...and I am always hesitant cause I do not have alot of time right now to waste on something that will bomb....not to mention my beginner's self-esteem!

A video? Carol, that would be a hoot, wouldn't it? LOLOL Maybe we could have "guest canners", Linda Lou, Garden Lad, etc.

Sounds like an excuse to travel around the country interviewing "guests" to me! Ah, now all I need is time and money. (grin)

Tucker, my youngest daughter used to tell her day care provider "thanks for putting up with me". She was happy to and so are we.

Annie

Ah HA! You've got it now Tucker!
Full blown canning addiction.
Time off the paying job to go to the market.
Uh, Huh. Now you're hooked!
Have a great time and be sure to let us know the results.
We are a nosy bunch...we NEED to know what you bought, what you made, prices, yada, yada, yada.
And if you've got the digital camera thing going, we want pictures!
Keeps those of us who didn't take a vacation day SANE while we're at work!!
Deanna

When I made my grape jelly, I used that refrigerated bottle of it, you see in the produce section. To increase the sweetness and taste, I added some frozen grape juice concentrate. NOT the one that has water and sugar in it, but the one thats 100% concord grape juice. The same holds true to apple jelly when I start with apple cider and add frozen apple juice.

Yup Annie, here we are getting on the plane for our latest canning gig, professional briefcase in hand. Containing, of course, Ball Blue Book, apron, gloves, jar lifter and . . . ta da, trusty peach pitter.

Actually, Tucker, Annie's off to Canny Camp in just a few days, so she'll be doing something like your suggestion, being one of the leaders of the canning pack for a new generation of home preserving addicts (who take time off from work to can, LOL).

Carol

Carol, I want you to know that I'm taking THREE vacation days to go instruct at Canning Camp, LOL. Yup, I not only take vacation days to can, I take vacation days to help other people can. (grin)\

KatieC is coming along and she had to buy a plane ticket in addition to taking vacation days, so she's a worse (better?) addict than I am!!!

Annie

You guys are hopeless!!
So glad to be a part of this group :+)
I sure hope someone is going to be posting pictures during camp????

Wonder if we could put together a Pacific Northwest one?
How many are there? Bejay? Linda? Me. Who else?
Say within a couple hundred miles of Portland, OR?

Now I'm curious!
Deanna
(who's dreaming a fall get-together...cider, sauce, soup, squash, salmon.......OK, OK, I'm going back to work).

Heck...a canning camp sounds like a great idea! You can learn from reading but the best would be to have someone by yer side like others have had.

I read somewhere (Country Cook maybe) where the editor wonders if preserving will be a lost art. In my opinion...it seems to be reviving!

I sure will take pics! And yes....canning camp pics would be great to see.

The knowledge of people in here...there has be some angle missing in the market where someone can take advantage of it...and earn a livin'...don't ya think??

Earn a living? I don't know, Tucker, but it would be a great job, I think.

Deanna, I'll be posting pictures, and I'm sure there will be a whole thread on the Gallery over at Cooking, that's where this Canning Camp originated.

It starts Wednesday with a get acquainted dinner, then Thursday we start canning in earnest. We had to limit the canning sessions to 12 because that's all the kitchen would hold. LOL So far I think we're going to make salsa, Habanero Gold, some type of soup, freezer jam and we have to develop a recipe to dedicate to a member of the Cooking Forum who passed away last year from pancreatic cancer. Her widower will be with us for Saturday night supper so we can give him the first jar.

Janet, my friend, you'll be smiling down on us, I'm sure.

Annie