Mastery Challenge March Round-Up: Jellies and Shrubs

A post shared by Danita (@behndblueeyes) on Mar 26, 2017 at 2:31pm PDT

That’s it! March is all wrapped up and so is our jellies and shrubs challenge. This month, 262 people submitted their projects and lots more joined the conversation in the Facebook group and on Instagram. As always, it was a joy for me to see so many people trying new recipes and finding ways to make and create.

Much like last month, there was a lot to choose from within the challenge parameters. I was surprised and delighted that so many people took on shrubs. As you’ll see in the satisfaction numbers further down, I feel like this month turned a lot of shrub-skeptics into shrub lovers (though not all of you loved the shrubs. And that’s okay too!).

Another thing that was fun to see what that a lot of you made more than one project for the challenge. There’s never a requirement to try the skill more than once, but the more you play around with a particular preserving style, the more you can come to understand it and make it part of your culinary dialect.

Now, here are the numbers that I thought were most interesting. At the start of this month, a number of you had uneasy or negative feelings about shrubs. And I get it. Sometimes the idea of making a sweetened, vinegar based syrup seems a little weird even to me (and I’ve been doing it for years now).

But at the end of the month, a vast majority of those of you who made the shrubs now have an exceedingly positive attitude towards them. Heidi in Rockville, MD said in her comment, “I can’t stop making shrubs!!!! Fun, easy, and sooooo delicious with some soda water or seltzer. They are amazing!” So glad you’re so enthused, Heidi!

A post shared by John Reed (@britinthesouth) on Mar 28, 2017 at 11:29am PDT

The Jellies

• Mandarin Dream Jelly – The Artistry of Acorn Cottage
• Pomegranate Jelly – BLDRNRPDX
• Apple Jelly – Cookin Mum’s Culinary Adventures
• Jalapeno Confetti Jelly – Thoughts and Reflections
• Mint Jelly – Merry Meeting Menus
• Blood Orange Mimosa Jelly – Susan Can Cook
• Lavender and Lime Jelly – Tandy Sinclair
• Blackberry Cherry Jelly – The Scholarly Redneck
• Red Poblano Pepper Jelly – Brit in the South
• Satsuma Mandarin Orange Pepper Jelly – Cooking with Mary and Friends
• Pomegranate Jelly with Balsamic Vinegar – East of Eden Cooking
• Hot and Sweet Jalapeno Pepper Jelly – Gin’s Kitchen
• Lavender and White Wine Jelly – My Savory Spoon
• Pomegranate Jelly – Canarella
• Sour Cherry Jelly and more – Casula Mellita
• Pomegranate Jelly & Tart Cherry Jelly – Knittygirl2
• Rosemary Grapefruit Jelly – danyelletyrrell
• Sour Cherry Elderflower Jelly – alexamartindale
• Mimosa Jelly – aligator3
• Orange Cardamom Jelly – muffinlady01
• Basil Jelly – joelepalmer
• Blueberry Lemon Jelly – msroest
• Rosemary Rhubarb & Rhubarb St. Germain Jelly – qconway
• Razzleberry Jelly – subculturalfarmgirl
• Cherry Jelly – Southern with a Twist
• Pomegranate Jelly – Small Batch Preserves Made with Aloha
• Sweet Peach Wine Jelly – Purlewe An
• Mimosa Jelly – Dona Gomez
• Oatmeal Stout Jelly – Cathy Samko
• Rhubarb Prosecco Jelly – katie.fleischmann
• Meyer Lemon Honey Jelly – lauriehkane
• Lemony Gingery Gooseberry Jelly – raisinporpoise
• Four Pepper Jelly – gdlee9270
• Tangelo Mimosa Jelly – wildernessnomad
• Concord Grape Jelly – 215kate
• Pomegranate & Mint Jellies – Laura Shellaburger
• Ginger Vanilla Apple Scrap Jelly – Prospect the Pantry
• Apple Jelly – Boudreaux Hund
• Black Cherry Jelly – Deborah Lee
• Lavender Honey Jelly – Erin Woycik
• Rhubarb Prosecco Jelly – Shades of Bliss
• Apple Kiwi Kirsch Jelly – Seed to Pantry
• Habanero Jelly – m_a_inman
• Salted Cantaloupe Jelly – breezycukale
• Tart Red Cherry Jelly – behindblueeyes
• Mint Jelly – graves_will
• Tart Cherry Jelly – roguewrld

A post shared by Cathy Kempf (@cskempf) on Mar 29, 2017 at 1:36pm PDT

The Shrubs

• Ginger Blueberry Shrub – BLDRNRPDX
• Peach Ginger Vanilla Shrub – Fillmore Container
• Raspberry Shrub – Knit at Nite
• Lemon Ginger Shrub – Feast in Thyme
• Blueberry Ginger Shrub – My Bit of Earth
• Strawberry Shrub & Honey Ginger Blackberry Shrub – Gone Walkabout 2
• Blueberry Ginger Shrub – The Edible Coast
• Pineapple and Red Pepper Shrub – First Things First
• Blood Orange Shrub & Blueberry Ginger Shrub – Merry Meeting Menus
• Strawberry Balsamic Shrub – Tesla Anomaly
• Berry Shrub – Bread Experience
• Apple Shrub – Les Campagnonades
• Kiwi Lemon Balm Shrub – Love & Wild Honey
• Strawberry Rhubarb Basil Shrub – Putting Up With Erin
• Blueberry Shrub – Sidewalk Shoes
• Strawberry Vanilla Peppercorn Shrub & Pomegranate Shrub – A Plateful of Happiness
• Strawberry Shrub & Papaya Shrub – Bubble Tea for Dinner
• Blueberry Lavender Shrub – Canarella
• Blueberry Apple Ginger Shrub – C’est La Vie
• Lemon Ginger Shrub (and more!) – Dawnstar
• Blueberry Ginger Shrub – Hip Roof Barn
• Blackberry Shrub – uncanny preserves
• Spiced Cranberry Shrub – twice5miles
• Sumo Citrus Shrub – andreaeatworld
• Sour Cherry Lime Shrub – carololsen14
• Spiced Cranberry Shrub – genaboehme
• Strawberry Peppercorn Shrub – celestenaomi58
• Raspberry Meyer Lemon Shrub – socks2go
• Blood Orange Shrub – jeannemarie19
• Strawberry Shrub – cskempf
• High Bush Cranberry Shrub – Just Another Day on the Farm
• Cantaloupe Orange and Coriander Shrub – The Pit Stop BBQ
• Spiced Cranberry Shrub – Katherine Dowdell
• Ginger Lime Shrub – tatertate85
• Apple Cider Shrub – quantumhollapena
• Grapefruit Zest Shrub – kittyvontrubble
• Strawberry Balsamic Shrub – Sew Much Food
• Blueberry Ginger & Mandarin Mint Shrubs – Snow Monkey Plum
• Blood Orange, Pomegranate, & Spiced Cranberry Shrubs – Spinstah
• Rhubarb Ginger Shrub – Shades of Bliss
• Blueberry Ginger Shrub – victrola242
• Strawberry Black Peppercorn Shrub – ahutchinson1010
• Meyer Lemon, Blackberry, and Ginger Shrub – graves_will
• Grapefruit, Tangerine, & Rosemary Shrub – southernfriedyankees
• Blood Orange Shrub – mignyc
• Meyer Lemon Rosemary and Cranberry Shrubs – sam8371
• Rhubarb and Raspberry Shrub – he4lthybody
• Rhubarb Shrub – landofplentysustainablefood
• Blueberry Ginger Shrub – ikebanagirl

Also, don’t miss the round-up Mary did of the projects her preserving group completed!

• March Round-up from Cooking with Mary and Friends

Big thanks to everyone who participated this month! In April, we’re making quick pickles. Hope you all can join in for that!

Sharing is caring!