Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts

10.26.2010

Day 20 – a hobby of yours

day 20 - a hobby of yours. Last year we had so many tomatoes I didn't know what to do with them. So I started exploring in the canning world, my first recipe being canned salsa, and I have been hooked ever since! I even participated in a fun jam exhange earlier this summer.  Here are the recipes I sent to Leslie, my jam exchange partner. (Left one is tayberry jam, the right one is strawberry jam). 
picture from spilling buckets

Tayberry Jam

3 pounds tayberries
1 ¼ pounds sugar (2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups)
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Sterilize your jars and put 5 teaspoons on a plate in the freezer, to test your jam for doneness later.

2. Set aside approximately 1/3 of the berries.

3. Combine the rest of the ingredients (remaining berries, sugar, and lemon juice) in your jam pan.

4. Bring the mixture to boil.

5. After the mixture thickens a bit, add the remaining berries. I added mine at about 10 minutes, which was about halfway through the cooking process. This late addition of the berries helps your jam to have a nice texture in the end.

6. Boil the jam until it sets, using a large, shallow, stainless-steel spoon to skim the stiff foam off the top as it cooks. I started testing my jam for doneness at about 15 minutes and considered the jam finished at around 20 minutes. (Keep in mind that lots of factors can affect your cooking time; it may be very different for you, so be sure to watch the mixture and test it.)

To test your jam for doneness: Remove the pan from the heat. Use one of your frozen spoons to scoop up a little bit of jam -- not a whole spoonful. Return the spoon to the freezer and wait 3 minutes. Retrieve the spoon and hold it vertically. If the mixture runs very slowly or not at all, it’s done. Alternately, give the mixture a little push with your finger. If you see creases or wrinkles, it’s done.

7. Take care of any final skimming and ladle the hot jam into your sterilized jars. I processed mine for 5 minutes in a hot-water bath, which is appropriate for fruit at my elevation. Yields about 5 half-pint jars.

Simple Strawberry Jam

5 cups hulled mashed strawberries
7 cups sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 49g package powdered fruit pectin

1. Place 8 or 9 8-ounce mason jars in a large hot water bath canner (or pot). Cover with water and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer center lids in separate saucepan full of water.
3. Place mashed strawberries and lemon juice in a separate pot. Stir in pectin until dissolved. Bring strawberries to a strong boil.
4. Add sugar (measure beforehand so you can add it all at once), then return mixture to a full (violent) boil that can’t be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute 15 seconds.
5. Skim foam off the top.
6. Remove one jar at a time from the simmering water. Pour water back into the pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, fill each jar with jam, being careful to keep the liquid/fruit ratio consistent. Fill jars so that they have 1/4-inch of space at the top.
7. Run a knife down the side of the jar to get rid of air bubbles.
8. Wipe rim of jar with a wet cloth to remove any residue or stickiness.
9. Remove center lid from simmering water and position it on top.
10. Put screw bands on jars, but do not overtighten!
11. Repeat with all jars, then place jars on canning rack and lower into the water.
12. Place lid on canner, then bring water to a full boil. Boil hard for 10 to 12 minutes.
13. Turn off heat and allow jars to remain in hot water for an addition five minutes.
14. Remove jars from water using a jar lifter, and allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
15. After 24 hours, remove screw bands and check the seal of the jars. Center lids should have no give whatsoever. If any seals are compromised, store those jars in the fridge.



9.13.2010

Jam Exchange

Last Thursday, I received a package from my jam exchange partner, Leslie from Spilling Buckets and all I can say is she totally outdid herself!!! Leslie mailed Cinnamon Peach Jam, Spiced Blueberry Peach Jam, and a BONUS can of Salsa, YUM!! I can't even begin to explain how excited I am, especially since I never got around to preserving peaches this year.


Thanks so much Leslie, I hope you enjoy the Tayberry Jam and Strawberry Jam :)
And thanks to Steph for hosting this awesome event. I can't wait until next year!

7.26.2010

Jam Exchange!!

::steph chows:: is holding her 2nd annual jam exchange and I'm am so excited to participate this year! I started venturing into canning last summer when we had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with. Since then, I've made lots and lots of types of jams (they make great Christmas gifts!). If you are interested in participating, here are the rules straight from ::steph chows:::

1.You do NOT need to have a blog to participate! Everyone is welcome to join in!
2.You must be willing to mail 2, 1/2 pint jars of any kind of jam your little heart desires to your given person. (yes they can both be the same kind of jam)
3.You must sign up with me so I can make sure to pair you with someone! Email me at stephchows (at) gmail (dot) com with the following:
Your name and address
Blog URL if you have one (see rule 1... you DO NOT need one)
If you would be ok with mailing internationally or if you want to stick domestic (USA) (totally ok either way you choose) I know we have a few peeps from Canada who are in to do this... I checked with the post office here and they said we can ship jam to our Canadian neighbors! I know we have a bunch of AUS readers too... and the post office says no issues with shipping jam to you either! All my other international friends... email me and I'll check and see if it's allowed to your country or not :) As for your country to here or somewhere else... I'm not sure about that one...
I figure if you agree to ship international, I'll pair someone international to send back to you so it's a fair trade. (I know the USPS has flat rate international boxes... probably the cheepest way). 4.If you would like your jam included in the final roundup email me a picture of it and a link to a blog entry if you have one up, or just email me to let me know what you sent/received.

Deadline to send me your info: August 11th (my birthday!)
I will contact you with your jam partner by August 22nd
You have until September 7th to mail said jam to said person. You can mail as early as you like though, so if you have your jam ready to go on the 22nd when I email you... go for it and mail it! Or if you are a procrastinator... wait till the 7th to mail it... either way works :) Just please make sure to mail it so no one is left out!