Time to jam
Posted on July 7th, 2009 – 9:18 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
Finally! It’s jam time at my house. There’s something about making jam that I just love.I think it’s the whole idea of preserving the harvest at its peak.
Strawberries, for instance, are so full of flavor right now. If I can capture that in a jar, it just delights me. It’s dangerously close to being artistic, too.
We’ve already made straight-up strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, strawberry peach and strawberry with balsamic vinegar jams. Oh, and we tried a rhubarb with vanilla jam, too, but we agreed the lemon the recipe called for made it taste kind of brassy, rather than bright.
Raspberries are ripening now, too. Blueberries won’t be far behind.
Are you a jam or jelly maker? Would you like to be? It’s not as hard as people make it out to be, I think. It’s more an exercise in patience and precision than skill. And it makes eating local pretty easy.
If you do make jam, what are some of your favorites? Do you use recipes from books or do you have versions that are traditional to your family? Fan of gourmet jams (with wine, for example) or not?
34 Responses to "Time to jam"
Jam is pretty much my calling card. It makes the best presents, and I agree, is much easier than most people think.
Most years I make around 100 jars of jam (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, plum, peach, rhubarb), as well as grape jelly and pickles.
I use mostly recipes from Putting Food By (http://www.amazon.com/Putting-Food-Plume-Janet-Greene/dp/0452268990).
I haven’t bought a present for a member of my significant other’s family in years, and jam and homemade bread is always my contribution to holiday meals.
Can anyone tell me a good, local place to buy canning equipment (the lifters, canning pot, and rack, especially)? I’ve never canned before but would like to start this summer 
Cherish, you should be able to buy pretty much what you need at Wal-mart, Fleet Farm, Ace Hardware or Menards. Or you can order a kit online. Just do a search for “Ball Home Canning Kit.”
…tomato jam…hard to beat if made right.
Just need to get the tomatoes as ‘dry’ as possible. Soak in salt for hours (much like salsa prep) and then rinse thoroughly, drain in non-aluminum colander before adding sugary solutions. Many recipes available.
Also , jalapeno jam….another favorite.
Plenty of tomato/peppers coming from gardens soon….good use for them.
I’m thinking of trying jam/preserves for the first time this year…any tips for a newbie? Most important question - where are those beautiful jars from in the picture?
I plan on canning for the first time this year. I have recipes for salsa and pickles, but need a fabulous one for strawberry rhubarb jam… Any suggestions?
I’m a newbie to jam making. I blogged about my first attempt at strawberry jam this year: http://greenadventuresofacitygirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/jam-adventure.html
I’d love to make tons more with my excess of plums/peaches/nectarines I have right now - but I worry I won’t be able to use it up if I make that much. Anybody have good uses for jams/jellies they make? (besides on bread!)
Oh - I also got what I needed at Walmart. Don’t go to Target they had nothing but jars! No other equipment at all!!!
Jams and preserves are really tasty mixed with a tart lemon reduction and used as a salad dressing, dipping sauce for pork ,chicken and spread on top of fish with a little orange or lemon zest. Don’t get me started on Fondue or shish Kabob!
P.S Sage is a great spice to mix with Blueberries!
the jars in the pictures are bar elite jars, you can get them at wal mart and most places they sell jars
http://www.amazon.com/Collection-Elite-1440061162-Wide-Mouth-Platinum/dp/B000BOCCHE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1246991071&sr=8-14
Ball…not bar
Two strainers full of Meteor Cherries were picked and frozen. We’ll be making jelly and jam this weekend.
http://www.naturepixels.com/cherry/cherry1.jpg
http://www.naturepixels.com/cherry/cherry2.jpg
Yep on the jars — I have found them at Wal-Mart and Fleet Farm, but neither always has both sizes. I ordered my last case online.
I think those jars are what turned me on to canning as an adult. I have a more modern sensibility than the quilted glass jars that Mom and Grandma used. When I looked at those, I thought “Oh, this could be for me!”
BG, What do you do with tomato jam?
Songgrrl, where are you that you have plums/peaches/nectarines now? I’m jealous!
cola, to be honest, I used the recipe that comes with pectin. A lot of people like to make jam without pectin, but I like to use it because my fruit doesn’t have to cook down so much. I think it tastes fresher. I use Certo liquid pectin, which you can get at almost any grocery store. There are recipes in the box for about two dozen kinds of fruit jams and jellies.
Anyone ever swap the sugar for honey? I’d sure like to make raspberry jam with my own honey if it’s possible.
I’ve read about people using half honey and half sugar without an adjustment. Honey is sweeter than sugar, however, so you might want to not swap out the whole amount.
I have five pounds of heritage rasberries in deep freeze (minus 20) right now from last fall. I mow the canes for one crop. I just finished buying the equipment - I should have bought the ball kit mentioned as my ’surely big enough’ 5 gallon stock pot I used for making beer was just that tiny amount too narrow for the jar rack so I ended up spending more than I needed too. Wish I had known robins liked currants.. I lost my first year crop to them…
Rowland, I’m losing my crop of currants to my chickens this year because I stupidly picked one and fed it to the rooster as a treat. But the other chickens observed and imitated. I also watched a catbird devour my elderberry crop. I don’t mind sharing. But I would’ve liked to have had some!
Cindy says:
July 7th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
P.S Sage is a great spice to mix with Blueberries!
Cindy, say more, please!
Val
I saw a canning kettle at the Unique thrift store on 37th Ave last weekend, as well as 3 food dehydrators (one good one), and one pressure canner (which would need a new pressure gauge and gasket). The fancy Rainbow store in Roseville on Larpenteur had those jars that are in the photo.
If you find an awesome deal on flats of fresh berries and its too hot to can, freeze fruit until the weather is cooler and you aren’t raising energy costs to can and preserve.
Craigslist is worth a look for jars and canning supplies.
Made my first batch ever yesterday. Wife and kids loved it. Not that hard and quite rewarding! Took the kids out to the patch last Friday, had fun through the whole process. Betty Crocker cookbook. 8 cups of berries, 8 cups sugar, 2 tbsp. lemon juice.
Oops, make that 5 cups sugar.
Just made some strawberry freezer jam this weekend. Our girls love to put it on their oatmeal instead of sugar.
Hoping to make mulberry jam this year, if I get enough time. It usually comes out watery, but I don’t mind much; makes it easier to spread on toast.
Way to go, Brian!
Silas, I’d love to make mulberry jam, but my own mulberry trees are too young to bear. If anyone has a mulberry tree with good mulberries in their yard, let’s make a mulberries for jam trade! BTW, you might be able to cook the jam a bit longer and kind of reduce it so it’s not so watery.
The watery jelly may not be a shortage of reduction it may also be a lack of acid in the mulberries. You could try a tablespoon of lemon juice to get the pectin in the berries to jell things up, the recipe on box will call for vinegar or lemon juice to be added as the natural amount varies widely.
Oh, I bet you’re right, Deb W!
Val- The sweetness of the fruit marvels alot of spices. Grilled peppers with plums and white pepper with cherries served on pancakes or chicken. You have to play around with it. Try grilling chicken (weber style) and use the bluebery mix like steak sauce. It works well if you reduce the berries water content by simmering on low in a fry pan. let me know how you like it.
Well I made jam for the first time on Sunday. I bought the jars and pectin at Cub. I didn’t buy any of the other special equipment- figured if it turned out, I would make the investment at the end of the summer when it goes on sale, or keep my eye out at garage sales. I used the big stock pot I already owned and put a big metal jar lid in the bottom to keep the canning jars off the bottom of the pot. I lifted the jars out with long tongs I use for grilling.
I made the triple berry from the Sure Jell website- Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry. Opened the first jar this morning on my bagel- yummm.
my mom and i made a wonderful batch of low sugar strawberry jam this year. our recipe used the low sugar pectin, 7 cups of strawberries, 3 cups of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. it gelled up nice and tastes so fabulous it wont last very long! we also made regular strawberry jam and strawberry rhubarb.
Hello everyone! I’m a little late to this discussion, but that pretty much seems to be my thing =) I had never canned prior to 2006. When my mom passed away, I desperately needed something to occupy my mind (plus, she had more tomatoes growing than I knew what to do with and my siblings wanted none). So I started on jams. Strawberry rhubarb, strawberry, peach, lime pineapple, rhubarb/blueberry/cherry, plus grape jelly (which I would never recommend tackling WITHOUT a food mill). Just yesterday, I made 14 half pints of jam. I give them away to most anyone who will take them - and then people want to buy them from me (I always refuse, giving them a few jars instead of selling).
Since mom passed away and my brother and his family live in our childhood home now, I get almost all the rhubarb (I have to fight off the nearly 80 year old woman next door ;). My favorite recipe is extremely easy, and wildly popular. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rhubarb-Strawberry-Jam/Detail.aspx
Last weekend, I was at the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market at 12:40 (they close at 1:00). There was a vendor desperately trying to rid himself of blackberries. I ended up with 20 pints of blackberries for $6. I had to pick through and throw some of them away, but I still ended up with about 11 pints of jam. Sadly, I’m no expert…this batch failed to set up. No problem! It can now be used for syrup, used to flavor drinks or vinaigrettes. In fact, many jam recipes, even when they work out make tasty ice cream toppings, fillings for cookies, cakes, pastries, and awesome vinaigrettes!.
Happy canning!!
I got those same jars at Super Target.
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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