I love it when recipes come to me via a circuitous path. This is certainly one of those. Raleigh, North Carolina, cookbook author Debbie Moose raved about this jelly, made by a friend of a friend, John Roby of San Antonio, Texas. When I contacted Roby, he sent me the recipe and a jar of the jelly with this note: “Of all my local jellies (loquat, cactus tuna, and mustang grape are the others), friends like this the most because it’s unique in flavor and color compared to anything you’re likely to eat. ‘Honey’ and ‘vanilla’ are the closest words folks come up with to describe the golden spread.” The jar that Roby sent me was delicious. It was as if I was tasting a cousin of honey. If you’re lucky enough to live close to mesquite trees, give this a try and help spread this Texas foodways tradition.
3 cups mesquite bean juice
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (1.75-ounce) box of pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar
Fill a 1-gallon container with mesquite beans when they’ve turned a tan color and begun to drop from the trees. Immerse the beans in water for a few minutes to remove any bugs, then drain.
Place the beans in a large stainless-steel stockpot or enamel Dutch oven with just enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil and cook until the beans are softened, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups water and soak the softened beans overnight.
The next day, bring the beans back to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, let cool a bit, then drain the beans in a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth, reserving the juice.
Combine 3 cups of the mesquite bean juice, the lemon juice, and the pectin in a medium saucepan. Stir. Bring to a full rolling boil that stirring won’t lessen. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let return to a full rolling boil for 1 minute.
Ladle the jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Follow the instructions for boiling-water canning on page 10. Process the jars for 10 minutes.