It Might Not Be Perfect But Its Good.

Rod and I haven't made guava jelly and guava marmalade in several years. The reason being is that last time we made it, we made 1,023 jars of it and haven't needed any since then. Just kidding, but we made it in abundance. But we found ourselves slap out of guava jelly several weeks ago and since my family eats it like Every. Day., we decided to get with it. Of course, Papa Pete's guava tree was loaded with nice ripe guavas so we had motivation.

First step...wash 'em up!

Step 2: peel, peel, peel.



Step 3: cook 'em!

now let me interject here to mention (and you may know this is you've done any canning, etc.), everybody makes jelly and marmalade different -- on this day, we were only interested in making juice from which we would make jelly. Therefore, what you see in this picture is the peelings boiling - I won't go on and on offering more details and bore you to tears - just know that you will not see pics of the shells and the pulp, etc. etc.

Step 4: jars and lids cleaned, boiled and ready to be filled:




Gotta sample a tad to make sure it's just right....



Steaming hot lids go on...



And they're lined up like soldiers ....

All afternoon and into the night, we listened for the distinctive "pop" as each lid sealed against the jar. The kids were amused at our joy with every "pop" and joined in on our shouts of thanksgiving. It's a delightful sound indeed after you've invested hours slaving in a hot kitchen. Without that seal, you're sunk.

This is the part in the post where I'd love to tell you that our jelly GELLED nicely. But I can't. For whatever reason....too much sugar/not enough sugar/not enough rolling boil/ the change in the wind/or God telling us we need not have guava jelly....the mixture did not set up like it was supposed to- like it has done time and time before. Augh! It's consistency is really more like syrup. Thin syrup. But boy howdy is it tasty! It's just beggin' to be drizzled over a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream or atop a plate of homemade biscuits hot out of the oven.

And we made plenty! This time...1,024 jars. So don't be surprised if for Christmas, or your birthday, or any other random occasion, you receive a special jar of Rod & Heidi's Guava Syrup. Get your pancakes ready!