Strawberry Jam Recipe

YUM!!!  I'm getting hungry again just thinking about this delicious jam we made while I was in California.

Last week we went strawberry picking with the little ones, my sisters and my mom.  Each of the kids had their own bucket for their goodies.  It was so much fun!

I highly recommend this recipe but FOLLOW the directions.  I got a little carried away and it didn't gel as well as it was supposed to. Also, *USE no-sugar needed pectin*  Canning instructions at Back to the Basics!

Homemade Strawberry Jam

from Pick Your Own

Ingredients
10 cups chopped Strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 1/2  boxes Sure Gel (pectin)

If you plan on canning this jam, you'll need canning supplies *bottom of the page*
From Pick Your Own "Strawberry Jam can ONLY be made in rather small batches - about 6 cups at a time - like the directions on the pectin say, DO NOT increase the recipes or the jam won't "set" (jell, thicken). (WHY?  Alton Brown on the Food Channel says pectin can overcook easily and lose its thickening properties.  It is easier and faster to get an even heat distribution in smaller batches. It takes about 8 cups of raw, unprepared berries per batch. For triple berry jam, I use 4 cups of mushed (slightly crushed) strawberries, 1 cup of raspberries and 1 cup of blackberries. For strawberry-only jam; you’ll need 6 cups of mushed strawberries."

Directions

Wash and hull the fruit.  You can either chop, crush or mush fruit.

You'll need 4 cups of sugar (or about the same of honey).  You can make a strawberry jam with no added sugar if you use the "No-added sugar pectin" but honestly, the resultant jam just isn't as good.  It tends to be darker, more runny and less flavorful. But using the no-added sugar pectin with a reduced amount of sugar, about 4 cups instead of the usual 7 cups, works GREAT!
After measuring the sugar, set 1/4 cup aside to mix separately with the pectin in the next step.

If you would rather try to make jam with no added sugar, click here for those directions!

Strawberries don't contain much natural pectin, so you need to add a package and a half of the boxed pectin, or the jam will be pretty runny. Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar and Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. If you are not using sugar, you'll just have to stir more vigorously to prevent the pectin from clumping.  This helps to keep the pectin from clumping up and allows it to mix better!

Stir the pectin into the berries and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).
Why use pectin?  
Another tip: as mentioned above, use the lower sugar or no-sugar pectin. You can add sugar to either and it cuts the amount of sugar you need from 7 cups per batch to 4 cups or less! And it tastes even better!

When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (about 4 cups of sugar per 6 cup batch of berries) and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute... If you bring it back to a full boil fairly slowly (on medium heat rather than high) that will help reduce foaming.

Remove from the heat.

Notes about "set" (thickening or jell): It takes 3 ingredients for jams and jellies to set: pectin, sugar and acidity. The amount of pectin that is naturally occurring in the fruit varies from one type of fruit to another and by ripeness (counter intuitively, unripe contains more pectin). See this page for more about pectin in fruit. It takes the right balance, and sufficient amounts of each of pectin, sugar and acidity to result in a firm jam or jelly. Lastly, it takes a brief period (1 minute) of a hard boil, to provide enough heat to bring the three together.  Generally speaking, if your jam doesn't firm up, you were short in pectin, sugar or acidity or didn't get a hard boil.  That's ok - you can "remake' the jam; see this page!

Strawberry Fields Forever!

 Amazon has a great "utensils" kit for canning:



 If you need the waterbath as well...This is a great value:


 Find out HOW to Can this delicious Jam at Back to the Basics!

I'm linking this delicious recipe HERE.

Pear Preserves

My husband has mentioned about 100 times that his mom used to make pear preserves.  A hint maybe?  I think so!  With all of the canning and preserving I've done in the past year or so I've never made Pear Preserves so it's about time.

I searched far and wide for a simple recipe that did not require much prep.  While I had the entire weekend off, I also wanted to be able to take it easy.  I found what I was looking for at cooks.com.  The recipe doesn't say anything about peeling the pears so I left the skins on and just removed the cores and a few bruises.

PEAR PRESERVES 

Adapted from COOKS.COM

Ingredients:

12 c. sliced pears (approx 12 pears)
9 c. sugar
1 fresh lemon, sliced thin

 Directions:
Core and slice pears.

Cover pear slices with sugar and let stand overnight. Enough liquid will be produced to allow cooking without adding water.

Stir to mix pears, sugar, and juice. Add lemon slices. Bring to simmer and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until pears are tender, clear, and caramel colored and liquid is consistency of honey. This will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I actually simmered for 2 1/2 hours.

Pour preserves into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headroom and seal with sterilized lids.

The original directions did not specify how many pints or half pints in this recipe.  I ended up with 9 half-pints, 1 pint and an additional jar for the fridge because I ran out of new lids.The directions also did not state how long to process in the water bather canner.  I chose to use 15 minutes for the half-pints and 20 for the pints.  I live at sea-level so you will need to adjust for altitude.

*There is still time to enter Mary's "In the Kitchen" Giveaway*
Please, if you are new follower, leave a comment with your blog/website info so I can stop by.  Thank you!

Linking up HERE.

Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots

I found a recipe for pickled jalapeno peppers but I couldn't resist adding carrots.  Below is the original recipe.  To include carrots, simply double the brine recipe and add 1-2 pounds sliced carrots.

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

from Food in Jars

This technique can be used for just about any small, hot pepper. Measurements are for 1 pound of peppers and yield approximately 2 1/2 pints. Recipe can be doubled.

1 pound of jalapeno peppers, sliced in half lengthwise
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons pickling salt

Pack clean, hot jars with peppers. Pour hot brine over top. Bubble your jars thoroughly by tapping them firmly on the countertop and using a wooden chopstick to release any stubborn bubbles. Wipe rims, apply lids and bands.

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Store in cool, dark place for up to a year.

Purple Opal Basil Jelly

This post was from a book review at Back to the Basics:

Last month I reviewed an excellent gardening / food book Grow Great Grub by Gayla Trail.  Then of course I had all sorts of excitement with the New Seeds announcement and I didn't get a chance to post what looks to be a delicious recipe.  This is a jelly recipe I'll look forward to making as soon as my Dark Opal has reached maturity.

"This recipe uses low-methoxyl pectin, a type that allows jam and jelly makers to cut back on the sugar.  As a result, this recipe will not work with regular pectin."

Dark Opal Basil Jelly

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh Dark Opal Basil leave, finely chopped
1/2 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons low-methoxyl pectin
3 teaspoons calcium phosphate solution

Directions:
1. Place the basil, white grape juice and 1 1/2 cups water in a pan and bring to a boil.  Immediately remove the pan from the heat and set aside to steep for about 20 minutes.
2.  Strain the leaves from the liquid.  Some liquid will have evaporated, so add more water to bring the quantity up to 2 cups.
3.  Pour the liquid back into the pan along with the lemon juice and slowly bring the mixture to a boil.  In the meantime, mix the sugar and low-methoxyl pectin in a bowl.
4.  Once the herbal liquid is bowling, slowly stir in the sugar-pectin mixture using a whisk, continuing to stir until the powders have dissolved into the liquid and all lumps are gone.
5.  Bring the liquid to a vigorous rolling boil that can't be stirred down and allow it to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6.  Quickly and thoroughly stir in the calcium phosphate solution and remove the jelly from from the heat.
7.  Pour into sterilized jars and process in a boiling-water bath for 5 minutes.

Makes 5-6 quarter-pint jars

"If you'd rather not bother with sterilizing jars, leave the jelly on the counter to cool and set for a few hours before serving.  It will last about a month in the fridge."

Key Lime Marmalade

I enjoy lime marmalade on a fresh buttery roll.  I prefer Key Lime Marmalade, however any type of limes or lemons will work.  This recipe makes 10 Pints and can easily be cut in half or a third.

Key Lime Marmalade

Ingredients

3 lbs (about 18) large limes, peeled, zest cut into thin strips 2" long.

9 c water

6 lbs sugar (13 1/2 cups)

Directions

Cut the peeled limes in half and squeeze the juice. Set the juice aside.

Scrape the pulp and seeds from the lime halves. Place in a cheesecloth bag. Place the cheesecloth bag, zest, juice and water in a 6qt saucepan, cover and let soak overnight or about 8 hours (this removes bitterness).

Bring water mixture to a boil and cook about 2 hours until the peels are soft. Remove the cheesecloth bag. Add the sugar to the pan and stir to dissolve. Boil stirring often, until a cooking thermometer reaches 220 degrees.

Ladle into clean jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Cap and seal. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Makes about 10 pints.

Apricot and Cranberry Jelly

I was so excited to try this recipe...And my new water-bath canner!!!  It's simple and inexpensive to make.  I liked this recipe so much I made it twice and I'm ready to make it again!

Apricot and Cranberry Jelly

Time to prepare: 25 mins

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

4 cups cranberries

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 orange, zested

Directions:

Boil the water and sugar together for 5 minutes. Add the cranberries and apricots. Simmer until the cranberry skins burst, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the orange zest and cool.

To can: sterilize and prepare appropriate jars.  Add jelly to warm jars, making sure to remove air bubbles and wipe rim of jars, and seal.  Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

This recipe can be frozen or canned.  Apple butter is a great substitute for butter or oil in baking recipes.

All Day Apple Butter

from allrecipe.com

Ingredients

5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped

4 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.

Cover and cook on high 1 hour.

Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.

Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze. 

To preserve, I found canning instructions for 

Homemade Applesauce at Foodin Jars:

To process, bring your applesauce to a boil and pack into clean, hot jars, leaving a half inch of headspace.

Remove the air bubbles, wipe the rims and apply lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 (pints) or 20 (quarts) minutes. Store in a cool, dark place and enjoy homemade applesauce all year long.