Move over Martha

Canned Jam and Jelly! (sort of)

A couple weeks ago, I finally stopped talking about wanting to learn to make jam and to can, and did it! I bought the Blue Ball Book (who came up with that name?). I guess it's the bible of canning. I also bought 12 jars and all the canning gear. Then I read the book. Making jam and canning have to occur at the same time - a daunting task when you need to fit the massive canning pot, a pot large enough to fit 7 jars, another pot for lids, and the pot to make the jam, all on a half-size range. I think it would probably fit on a regular sized stove-top. I tried to make it work but I'm going to have to buy a plug in element because it was too difficult and compromised my jam.

Anyway, I was a little intimidated so I decided to make strawberry freezer jam first. All you do is mush the strawberries and add the freezer jam packet. It was quick and painless...and runny. It was more like strawberry puree. In fact, I made a pb&j to take to school for dinner. By the time I went to eat it, the jam had soaked right through the bread and turned it pink.

Apparently measurements are crucial in jam making.

Luckily, I found a use for runny jam. Home-made soy ice cream! Mix one part runny jam with one part soy creamer. Bring almost to a boil then take it off the element and add a slurry of arrowroot and soymilk. Stir and refridgerate overnight. The next day, pop it in the ice cream maker and, voila, strawberry soy ice cream that kicks ass!

Next up, peach jam and grape jelly. I was so overwhelmed by the whole process of boiling, stirring, lifting, watching, timing, that I didn't take any photos.

Do you know how much sugar is in homemade jam? SO MUCH. There is twice as much sugar as fruit! I made the peach jam with regular pectin, the "traditional" way. It's really sweet. Really really sweet. And a little overcooked tasting. You have to bring your jam to a boil slowly - but not too slowly. I was too slow. Now I have 7 jars of sickly sweet peach syrup, with chunks. The peach bits float to the top. I guess if you let the jam sit 5 minutes before canning the peaches will mix in and look pretty. Whatever.



The jars that I didn't open actually look like they may have set to a regular jam consistency. I'll cross my fingers.

I was hoping to redeem myself with the grape jelly. Maybe next time. I decided to use no-sugar pectin because the grapes were quite sweet. I still added about 1 cup of sugar to the pot, instead of the recommended 7.5!

Wow, is grape jelly labor intensive. First you slighty crush your grapes into a big pot. Add about 1/4 cup of water for every quart of grapes. Then simmer to make grape juice. When finished, strain it through a few layers of cheese cloth on a strainer. Don't smush it through, as I did. That's a big no no. Let it sit overnight because it forms crystals. The next day strain it again. Then you have grape juice! Yummy but a lot of work for not much juice. The juice is used to make jelly.

The jelly set ok. It's still softer than store bought jelly, actually, it's more the consistency of jam. It does taste really good. Just enough sugar to still be a little bit tart. And you can really taste the fruit, something that can't be said for the peach jam.



Jam and Jelly making aren't easy, for me. There are so many points to go wrong that it's nearly impossible to figure out what went wrong.

I'm going to take a break from jam and try making and canning salsa and tomato sauce. It sounds much easier.