Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Jelly ~ this rosy rhubarb jelly is sweet/tart and flecked with vanilla bean seeds. It turns morning toast or a pb&j sandwich into a gourmet treat. Be sure to can some for holiday gifts!
Puree the rhubarb in your Vitamix blender or food processor, along with the water to get it started. You may need to do this in 2 batches.
Put the rhubarb puree into a clean jelly or nut bag, and let it hang over a large bowl to allow the juice to drip out. Don't press or squeeze the bag aggressively or the pulp may come through and this will make your jelly cloudy. I do squeeze it a little bit, though, to move it along. It can help to have a jelly strainer, which is made for this purpose. You want to end up with 3 1/2 cups liquid.
Put the rhubarb juice in a large stainless steel pot or saucepan. Stir in the sugar, the lemon juice, and the vanilla bean seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring almost constantly.
Once the mixture has reached a full rolling boil, let it fully boil for 3 minutes. It may foam up so stay right by it. Stirring is ok.
After 3 minutes, stir in the pectin, and bring it back to a full, rolling boil. Boil 1 minute. Again it may foam up so be careful.
Take the jelly off the heat and skim off any foam that is on the surface. Fill your sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of the top.
If you are canning
Wipe down the rims of the jars to remove any spilled jelly, then attach the lids and screw them, but don't over-tighten.
Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.
If you aren't canning
Let cool and then cap and refrigerate.
Video
Notes
If you want to use powdered pectin ~
Use 4 tablespoons of powdered pectin in place of the 2 pouches of liquid. Instead of adding the pectin at the end, you can whisk the powdered pectin into the sugar before you combine it with the juice.