5 pounds pomegranates (about 16, enough to produce 4 cups pomegranate juice – it’s the 4 cups of juice you have to go by)
1/4 cup strained lemon juice
1-3/4 ounces powdered pectin
4 cups sugar
Makes about 6 cups
The first thing to know about working with pomegranates is *do not* under any circumstances let the pomegranate/juice/syrup/what-have-you come anywhere near metal utensils, bowls, etc. A bad chemical reaction will occur causing the fruit to taste nasty and your jelly to be hopelessly ruined!
Tear pomegranates open and ream the halves on a non-metallic juicer. Strain the reamed pulp and juice through a plastic or enameled colander lined with a double layer of rinsed and wrung-out cheese cloth. Strain the juice only into a nonmetallic bowl, letting it drip through slowly without squeezing it to give a clearer color.
(NOTE: You can squeeze it, and while the taste will be essentially unchanged, the jelly won’t be as pretty or clear. On the other hand, there will be more of it.)
In an enameled kettle, combine *4 cups* pomegranate juice (this is the essential measurements as to how much pomegranate), lemon juice, and powdered pectin and stir the mixture until the pectin is dissolved. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, and add sugar all at once, still stirring. When the syrup comes to a rolling boil, boil it for exactly one minute. Skim the froth, ladle the jelly into sterilized 1-cup Mason jars and seal the jars with paraffin. Cap with lids.