Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: Bernardin
Safety reviewed: 09/18/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Use the exact altitude-adjusted schedule in the tested recipe card.
Source & provenance
Recipe safety classification
Tested Bernardin manufacturer recipe. Follow the exact tomato-juice measure, bottled lemon juice, pectin type, sugar, jar size, headspace, and process.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning ; hot pack - Jar size and yield
- About 7 × 125 ml jars
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch (0.5 cm)
- Base processing time
- 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 ft (305 m); apply Bernardin’s altitude adjustment above 1,000 ft
Publisher source
Bernardin’s official Tomato Jelly recipe is the controlling source. The WPRM record below preserves the imported formula and directions.
Preparation timeline
- Cook the tomatoes, water, chiles, and basil for about 25 minutes.
- Drain undisturbed through a damp jelly bag for about 2 hours and measure exactly 1 3/4 cups (425 ml) juice.
- Cook the jelly, hot-fill, process for elevation, wait 5 minutes, and cool upright for 24 hours.
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- Seven 125 ml
canning jars with lids and bands - Large nonreactive preserving pot
- Damp jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined strainer
- Jar lifter, funnel, and headspace tool
Visual method guide
- Soften and crush the tomato mixture while it cooks.
- Drain without pressing for a clear jelly and measure the required juice.
- Add bottled lemon juice and original fruit pectin, then boil with the measured sugar as directed.
- Hot-fill to 1/4-inch headspace and process with jars covered by at least 1 inch of boiling water.
Safety essentials
Use the exact 1 3/4 cups (425 ml) prepared tomato juice, bottled lemon juice, original fruit pectin, and sugar specified in the card. Do not reduce the acid or sugar or substitute another pectin type.
Use only 125 ml jars, maintain 1/4-inch headspace, and adjust processing for elevation.
About this recipe
This savory-sweet Bernardin jelly is made from strained tomato juice infused with dried chiles and basil.
Before you begin
- Read the complete card and official source.
- Confirm your elevation.
- Prepare seven 125 ml jars.
- Allow time for the cooked tomato mixture to drain.
Altitude-adjusted processing
Process for 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 ft (305 m). Above 1,000 feet, use Bernardin’s current boiling-water adjustment and never shorten the base process.
Tomato Jelly — Bernardin
Ingredients
- 8 cups (2L) sliced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
- 3 dried hot chili peppers
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- 1 pkg (57 g) BERNARDIN® Original Fruit Pectin
- 3-1/4 cups (800 ml) granulated sugar
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water bath canner with rack
- 1 Large stainless or enamel preserving pot
- 1 Canning jars with two-piece lids
- 1 Headspace and bubble tool
- 1 Jelly or candy thermometer
Directions
- In a large deep stainless steel saucepan, combine tomatoes, water, chili peppers and basil. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring and crushing tomatoes occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, about 25 minutes.
- Transfer tomato mixture to a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for about 2 hours. Measure 1-3/4 cups (425 ml) tomato juice.
- If you do not have the required amount, add 1/2 cup (125 ml) boiling water to the remaining pulp in the jelly bag to extract additional juice. (Or add unsweetened apple or white grape juice to extend the juice to the required measure.) Place 7 clean 125 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner.
- Cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Keep jars hot until ready to use. Preheating Bernardin® lids is not advised. The sealing compound used for our home canning lids performs better at room temperature than it does pre-heated in simmering water (180°F).
- Simply wash lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed. Preheating can lead to less vacuum being achieved during water bath canning, and to buckle failures during pressure canning. Measure sugar; set aside. Transfer tomato juice to a large, deep stainless steel saucepan.
- Add lemon juice. Whisk in BERNARDIN® Original Pectin until dissolved and add 1/2 tsp (2 ml) butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil. Add all the sugar.
- Stirring constantly, return mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim foam if necessary. Quickly ladle hot jelly into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (.5 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles.
- Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Centre sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner ensuring jars are covered by water. Repeat for remaining jelly.
- When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time.
- At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process - boil filled jars - 10 minutes.* When processing time is complete, turn stove off, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface.
- Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands. After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired.
- Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
- Processing: At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process - boil filled jars - 10 minutes - 10 minutes.
- Altitude-adjusted processing table: At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process - boil filled jars - 10 minutes
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
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Share your results how it turned out.Serving and storage
Serve with appropriate cheeses, roasted meats, sandwiches, or savory appetizers. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark, dry place and refrigerate after opening.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use larger jars?
No. Use only the documented 125 ml jar size.
Can I reduce the sugar or lemon juice?
No. Preserve the tested proportions and use the specified bottled lemon juice and pectin.
Can I press the jelly bag?
Pressing may produce cloudy juice. Follow Bernardin’s draining directions for the intended clarity.
Recipe context
This tested boiling-water-canned jelly is not interchangeable with tomato jam, salsa, or an unprocessed refrigerator spread.
Troubleshooting
- Not enough tomato juice
- Use the source’s documented boiling-water extraction step or approved unsweetened juice extension; still measure exactly 1 3/4 cups.
- Jar did not seal
- Refrigerate promptly or follow current authoritative reprocessing guidance within 24 hours.
- Cloudy jelly
- A squeezed jelly bag can force pulp into the juice; this affects clarity, not the prescribed
canning process.
Source and provenance
- Source
- Bernardin
- Publication
- Official online recipe page
- Country
- Canada
- Editorial treatment
- Organization and explanatory text added without changing the imported formula or processing directions.