Jam Time! ... a break from sewing

Taking a break from sewing. Which is a good thing to do since last week I let you all know about my hand/wrist and arm problems. Not sewing for a week and I'm feeling much better!

I started canning jams about 3 years ago after my mother passed. She had been providing everyone she knew with endless jars of wonderful Boysenberry Jam and Orange Marmalade for years. Going back to store bought stuff just seemed too sad.

I tried one batch of Marmalade using the store bought pectin she always used, but it came out runny. I tried to cut back on the sugar. Canning is a bit like a science. Things need to be precisely measured. So I've come to the conclusion that it is better to eat a small amount of something that tastes really good (albeit high in calories) than something that has been altered. So, I make the full sugar stuff these days although I now use recipes that use a bit less.

A friend of mine suggested we take a canning class sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. They always have great classes! The lady teaching the class turned out to be Cathy Barrow, who writes food columns for the Washington Post, New York Times and other places. She had just written this great book on canning jams, pickles and other stuff. I took the pickling class as well.

Anyway, she has devised this great method of chopping up the fruit with the sugar and letting it sit for up to 2 days in the fridge. When put into a colander a thick liquid drains out. That liquid only is brought up to the magical 220 degrees F before adding the fruit back in. This prevents overcooking the fruit and burning. Commercial pectin is not needed. She grates a granny smith apple into the pot which adds pectin but doesn't alter the flavor. And interestingly her recipes don't use as much sugar as ones with commercial pectin.

I do what is considered small batch canning. I usually get about six 8 ounce and two or three 4 ounce jars with each batch.

I simply follow the instructions that come with the Ball brand jars and "process" (boil) the jars for 10 minutes. If you live at high altitude the time is longer. It is important to follow all their instructions to get something that is shelf stable.

I've invested in some specific tools, this jar lifter is essential and that metal disc at the bottom of my pan was my mothers! You need something to keep the jars from sitting on the floor of your pot. Many such things can be purchased or in a pinch you can put a folded towel there.

Strawberry done ... onto the Marmalade. Cathy Barrow, alas, does not have any recipes for Marmalade in her book, so it's taken me a while to find one that works without the commercial pectin. 

I use oranges and lemons taking the skin (zest) off first. They get cooked for a while before adding the rest of the chopped up fruit and sugar.

Store bought marmalade is usually JUST the peel with a bunch of sugar water. My mother's and my marmalade use the whole fruit. So yummy!

I'd give you the link for this recipe, but I'm using elements from several recipes ... still working it out. This batch came out pretty good though. I put some Cointreau in it at the end ... that helps!

I ended up with more jars than I could fit in my pan, so I put 3 of the smallest jars in a separate pan with a folded towel at the bottom to process.

By the end of summer I will probably make 3 or 4 more batches as the fruit becomes available at my Farmer's Market. Oh if I only had enough sun in my yard to grow my own like my lucky sisters who live in California do.

It's a good idea to label things with the date. Technically jams like this are stable for one year, but I've kept them for up to two and it has been fine.

The best part is I now have all occasion gifts for people all year long! They are a nice thank you when my neighbor waters my yard when I'm on vacation. They are a nice thing to bring when invited to dinner. I send a few when I want to give Christmas gift that the recipient doesn't have to feel obligated to give something back.

AND I think of my mother every time I spend an afternoon doing this.