Agarita Agony: When Things Don't Jell

You’re probably tired of hearing me go on about agaritas, but please indulge me once more. As it turns out, it isn’t the arduous process of harvesting and gleaning the berries that’s the heartbreaker. It’s the process of making the jelly itself.

Instructions on packages of pectin make it sound like a piece of cake-- which is so not true. Mary and Maverick met defeat time after time (and boy did I hear some salty language) in the jelling department. Actually the first time Mary had beginnner’s luck. But the next three times she and Maverick boiled the juice with sugar, lemon juice and fruit pectin, they were forced to repeat the process when none of it jelled.

They had to empty all the jars back into the pot, add more pectin and bring it back to a boil-- which can be a booger since it will boil all over the stove if you don't watch it like a hawk. (I heard more salty language the times this happened.) The last go round, Mary added enough Certo to stiffen a wet blanket.

As they found out, jelling isn’t an exact science. It is beyond vexing to find your jars are filled with runny red juice hours after filling them. The lesson learned is twofold: first, put at least half again as much jelling agent as is called for and second, if you can’t deal with uncertainty and extreme frustration, don’t do jelly. It's a bitch..and I don't mean the female dog kind.