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Making
Jams and Jellies
By
Lisa James, staff writer
Summertime
and fresh fruit straight off the trees brings to mind the
sweet smells and sounds of homemade jams and jellies cooking
in the kitchen.
With so
many choices of flavors in the grocery stores now days, it
may be hard to spend the time making your own. But, the satisfaction
of making your own jams and jellies, far out weighs the effort
you put forth. Just imagine the smiles around the breakfast
table or the oohs and aahs at Christmas if you give your homemade
creations out as gifts.
Try it!
See how easy and enjoyable it can be.
When you
are getting ready to preserve your own jam and jelly, you
first need to read the recipe all the way through. Some recipes
require you to prepare something and then let it set overnight.
There also maybe an extra ingredient you had not counted on.
Always be prepared and read through the recipe.
It is
best not to double a recipe. This may cause the jelling to
be less effective. Also canning in pint jars rather then quarts,
is better for the jelling as well.
Always
use the amounts specified in the recipe. Do not add a little
extra for taste, sweetness, etc. It will ruin the balance
needed for the jam or jelly to set correctly. You will end
up with a syrup or worse.
Organizing
your equipment is a must. You do not want to be half way through
the process when you realize that your jars are sitting in
the sink filled with soapy water. Have everything you need
right there and ready to use.
It is
best to use jars that are specifically used for canning, like
Mason jars. Mayonnaise, pickle and baby food jars are not
made to with stand the heat of the water bath or pressure
canner.
Look over
all of the jars, lids and bands you will be using. Make sure
they do not have nicks, dents or anything else that would
cause them
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1 quart chopped and pitted sweet or sour cherries
1 package powdered pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice (only if using sweet cherries)
5 cups sugar
Combine cherries, pectin and lemon
juice, if needed, in a large saucepan. Bring to a
boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar,
stirring until
dissolved.
Bring to a boil; boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot
jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust
two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water
canner.
Yield: about 6 half-pints.
Recipe from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/1012/jam.html
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3 lb. fresh peaches
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
5-1/2 cups sugar
1 box powder pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine
Peel, pit and finely chop the peaches
to make 4 cups of prepared fruit. Mix the chopped
peaches with 2 Tbls. lemon juice in a 6 to 8 quart
saucepan. Measure out the sugar and place in a separate
bowl. Do not use yet.
Stir pectin into fruit in the saucepan
until completely dissolved. Add 1/2 tsp. butter, this
will prevent foaming.
Bring fruit mixture to a rolling boil.
Stir constantly. When at a full boil, add the sugar.
Return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute,
constantly stirring. After one minute, remove from
heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon. Ladle
into prepared jars with a 1/8 inch headroom.
Wipe off jars. Place lids and screwbands
onto jars. In a boiling water bath, process half-pint
jars for 10 minutes and pint jars for 15 minutes.
Recipe submitted by Lisa James, Mormonchic.com
staff writer.
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FREEZER
RASPBERRY OR STRAWBERRY JAM
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4
c mashed berries
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin (cannot use liquid type)
-- such as
Sure Jel or MCP pectin
5 cups granulated sugar (about 1/2 of a 5 pound bag
of sugar)
1 cup of corn syrup (or glucose)
Put
mashed berries in large (4-6 quart) pan (preferably stainless
steel). Add lemon juice, then gradually stir in pectin.
Let sit for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, measure into a large pitcher or 8 cup measuring
cup; granulated sugar and corn syrup.
After 30 minutes, place pan on low heat on top of
stove. Gradually stir in sugar, NEVER let jam mixture
get warmer than a baby's bottle. When you can no longer
taste (or feel) sugar crystals, remove from heat,
and stir in corn syrup.
Cook's
Note:
I ladle the jam into seal-a-meals and freeze. They stack
up compactly and I don't have to worry about broken jars!
Then, when I'm ready to use, I take out a bag, and squeeze
it into a pretty glass jam jar! It will keep in the refrigerator
for 30+ days, but for long-term storage, it should be in
the freezer!
I
like this recipe because it calls for twice the berries
per package of pectin and quantity of sugar -- compared
with the recipes that are inside the pectin box. 95%
of the time it turns out great -- I have had an occasional
batch where it was softer than usual (more like ice
cream topping) but it was still delicious!
Recipe
submitted by Sherrie, Newton Creek Ward, Roseburg OR Stake
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PEACH
JELLY WITH POWDERED PECTIN |
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3 cups
peach juice (about 3 1/2 pounds peaches and 1/2 cup water)
5 cups sugar
1/2; cup bottled lemon juice
l box powdered pectin
To Prepare
Juice: Wash and slice or chop fully-ripe peaches. Do not
pit or peel. Crush fruit. Place crushed fruit and 1/2 cup
water in saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Extract juice.
To Make
Jelly: Measure sugar and set aside. Measure prepared juice,
powdered pectin and lemon juice into a large saucepan. Bring
to a full boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. At
once, stir in sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot
be stirred down. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, quickly skim off foam. Pour jelly immediately
into hot, sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in
a boiling water bath.
Yield: About 5 or 6 half-pint jars
Recipe
from - http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3200.htm
This web site has other great how to tips.
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3
cups bottled grape juice
1 package powdered pectin
4 cups sugar
Combine
grape juice and pectin in a large saucepan. Bring
mixture to a rolling boil. Stir in sugar and return
to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.
Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving
1/4 inch headspace. Process 5 minutes in a boiling
water canner.
Yield: about 5 - 1/2 pints
Recipe from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/1012/jelly.html
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Ingredients:
6
lemons
1-1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
5 cups Sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin
Instructions:
Remove peel from lemons; discard white membrane and
cut rind into slivers. Section lemons, remove seeds,
and chop pulp. Set aside. Combine rind, baking soda,
and water in a saucepan. Cook, over medium high heat,
until mixture boils, stirring frequently. Add sugar
and reserved fruit, stirring well. Cook until mixture
reaches a full, rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
Boil hard 1 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pectin.
Skim foam.
Let
stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute
fruit. Pour into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm)
head space. Adjust caps.
Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
Yield: about 4 half pints.
Recipe from http://search.yumyum.com/recipe.htm?ID=16084
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Let's Get Started!
After
reading through the recipe and organizing the equipment needed,
you will need to get all of the ingredients that you will
be using together. Have a clean, cleared off work area to
use. Now you are ready to go.
- Wash
jars, lids and screw rings. The jars can be washed in hot,
soapy water or in the dishwasher. The lids and screw bands
should be hand washed in hot, soapy water. Rinse completely.
- Boil
water in a small pan. Remove from heat and add the lids.
Let the lids stand in hot water until it is time to use
them.
- Prepare
the water bath canner. Fill the canner with water and begin
heating on medium-high heat.*
- Use
the recipe and prepare the jam or jelly. Follow the directions
carefully and measure exactly.
When making a jam, it should always have little bits of
the fruit still intact. Do not use the puree button on the
food processor. Either cut the fruit by hand or use the
pulse button on the food Processor to chop the fruit.
Also, when the recipe says ‘full rolling boil’,
it needs to be a full rolling boil. Don’t get into
a hurry. Recipes for jams and jellies tend to say ‘quickly’
a lot. Don’t rush. You will have time to do it without
making mistakes by rushing.
- Skim
off any foam after boiling with a metal spoon.
- Now
ladle the cooked mixture into the prepared jar. Make sure
you leave the right amount of headroom for your specific
recipe. Wipe the rims and screw threads of the jars off
with a clean damp cloth. Wipe off any other spilled fruit
on the jars.
- Lift
the lids out of the hot water with a pair of tongs. Position
the lids on the jars and tighten the screw bands on.
- Process
the jars in a water bath according to the directions for
the processor and correct times mentioned in the recipe.
- Take
the jars out of the processor when done. Place the jars
on a towel or wire racks to cool. Let the jars cool for
24 hours.
- Check
the seals on each jar after 24 hours. Press down on the
center of each lid to check if the lid is sealed correctly.
If the lid stays down then you have sealed the jars.
- Wipe
off the jars and label them. Label the jars with the name
of the product and when made. Example: Peach Jam, August
2, 2001.
- Store
the jars in a cool dark place until use.
*Note-Directions
in some pectin boxes say that by using their directions, you
can eliminate the need for the water bath method of preserving
jams and jellies. Read these directions carefully if you plan
to do this.
Canning
Terms
Full
Rolling Boil - A boil that doesn’t stop bubbling
when stirred.
Foam
- The tiny bubbles that rise to the top of the fruit mixture
during boiling.
Skimming
- Taking the foam off of the fruit using a metal spoon. Discard
the foam.
Headspace
- The specific amount of air space left at the top of the
jar after filling with jam or jelly. Each recipe will specify
the headspace needed.
High-Altitude
Adjustments
For a
water bath process, add the following processing time for
each elevation...
1,001
to 3,000 feet, add
5 minutes to the processing time
3,001
to 6,000 feet, add
10 minutes to the processing time
6,001
to 8,000 feet, add
15 minutes to the processing time
8,001
to 10,000 feet, add
20 minutes to the processing time
From
Blue Ribbon Preserves by Linda J. Amendt
More
Recipes ...
You can
find many great jam recipes at -
www.melborponsti.com
This web
site has great recipes -
www.4peaks.com
Canning Jar
Labels for your jams and jellies - www.countryclipart.com
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