Grape Jelly

I don't know what possessed me on a very hot day to do this, but yesterday I decided to try my hand at making grape jelly.  It was so much easier than I thought it would be.  The recipe I used is as follows:  3 cups of grape juice, 1 pkg of pectin, and 4 cups of sugar.  You mix the juice and pectin together in a pan and heat until it begins to boil and then slowly add your sugar.  I tripled the recipe and here is the results:

 Cost-wise, I spent 3.28 for the juice minus $1 off with a coupon.  The pectin was 3.99 each and I had a $1.50 off coupon and a four pound bag of sugar was 2.30.  Grand total is $15.05. I got 9 pints so the cost per pint is $1.67.  An 18oz jar of Smuckers sells for $2.99 so there are some savings.  And aside from making a horrible mess on the stove, it was great fun.  There is some great satisfaction in making something from your own two hands. 

Speaking of handmade, it was so hot yesterday afternoon, that the puppies and I spent the afternoon in the basement.  I decided to finish up some ornaments that I had in my stash.  Though they are really nothing too special, I wanted to give you all a hint when applying sealer to these:  Hang them on a clothes line!

That way, you can spray both sides and you don't have to turn or worry about them sticking to something when you wait for them to dry. 

Happy day, bloggie friends.  More to come....