Skip to content | Skip to menu | Skip to search

The Bunker

"Love your enemies just in case your friends turn out to be a bunch of bastards." -- R.A. Dickson

Post details: How to Make Jam

How to Make Jam

Thing you need:
fruit

fruit pectin
sugar

lemon juice (optional)


big wooden spoon
6-8 qt saucepot

lids and bands
1/2 pint jars

potato masher
paring knife

large bowl
measuring cups

tongs


Nice things you can do without:
jar funnel

lid wand





Tips
Fruit pectin comes with recipes. You can fish the recipe out at the store to see how much fruit to buy.


Boxes of new jars come with lids and bands.


I use the "inversion method" to seal jam instead of using a boiling water canner. After I seal the jars, I invert them on a towel. After exactly 5 minutes, I turn them over and they seal themselves in around half an hour.


I use low-sugar Sure-Jell. It doesn't set as firm and spreads more like apple butter than jam. I think it tastes fruitier.


After comparing the fresh strawberry jam to last years, I will be putting lemon juice in to prevent browning next year.


1/2 teaspoon butter, margarine or vegetable spreads like Promise or Country Crock all work to reduce foaming. Strawberries foam a lot.



Before you pour boiling water on the lids, turn over every other one so they're easier to grab with the tongs later. Steve likes salad tongs for this purpose.

Comments:

Comment from: coley [Visitor]
thanks for the inversion tip. i made strawberry AND blueberry this past weekend.

it's much easier than filling that dang pasta pot with water.
PermalinkPermalink 06/30/04 @ 20:11
Comment from: Hillary [Visitor]
You're a machine! Much faster to invert the jars. I was horrified the first time I saw my Grandma do it, but she's been at it for over 50 years now. It would appear that the disadvantage is not being able to enter some contests.

I didn't make blueberry this year. It languishes in the boxes while Steve eats plum jam. Did yours set well? I think my fruit was too ripe last time because the jam was watery after being in the fridge for only a couple days. I ate most of it on soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I ignored the warning on the Sure-Jell that says not to make two batches at once on the strawberry this year. I've eaten some of it, and it set fine. I think I'll try making a double batch of plum jam as well.
PermalinkPermalink 07/01/04 @ 08:34
Comment from: coley [Visitor]
the blueberry didn't set as well, but i used the liquid pectin. don't know if it was that or the lack of lemon juice that made it so. i don't put lemon juice in because one of my recipients is allergic to citrus. but last year it seemed kind of gloppy too and i used the powdered pectin.(didn't make enough to keep any for me last year)

i like berry jam though because it seems less cutting up and peeling of fruit.

i'm intrigued by the green pepper or jalapeno or tomato jam. what on earth would you eat it with?

i agree about the inversion method. the instructions do say most competitions don't allow for that. no blue ribbons for us!
PermalinkPermalink 07/01/04 @ 20:05
Comment from: charles fortner [Visitor]
If you make an apple tart-use pate sucree (sweet dough) for the crust, about a 1/4" inch of creme anglaise (frangipane or vanilla pastry cream) after you pre-bake it and put your apples-lightly cooked beforehand if you like (and I do) then melt your jalapeno jelly and brush it on the top-looks great, tastes better.
PermalinkPermalink 07/06/04 @ 15:00
Comment from: Hillary [Visitor] · http://bunker.defcode.com
That sounds great, Charles. I hope I get some jalapeno jelly for Christmas :)

I wonder what it's potential as a meat glaze might be. Pork with Mexican food maybe. Is it spicy?
PermalinkPermalink 07/09/04 @ 13:32
Comment from: Malka [Visitor]
The thing to do with the batches that don't set (and we all have them some times!) is to rename them. That wasn't blueberry jam; it was blueberry syrup! Try on pancakes or waffles...its great!
PermalinkPermalink 08/20/05 @ 01:29
Comment from: Mary Fitzgerald [Visitor] Email
Thank you! I haven't made jam in years and forgot the specifics of my favortie method. Today my grand-daughter and I will be making strawberry - her first time for anything like this and I am very grateful I came across your site.
PermalinkPermalink 06/26/08 @ 12:03
Comment from: Hillary [Member] Email
Glad I could help! Making jam is so easy and really should be passed on to younger people. I grew up with high fructose corn syrup and artificially flavorings, never knowing that the real deal is so much tastier.
PermalinkPermalink 06/26/08 @ 12:13

This post has 4 feedbacks awaiting moderation...

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be displayed on this site.
Your URL will be displayed.

Allowed XHTML tags: <p, ul, ol, li, dl, dt, dd, address, blockquote, ins, del, span, bdo, br, em, strong, dfn, code, samp, kdb, var, cite, abbr, acronym, q, sub, sup, tt, i, b, big, small>
(Line breaks become <br />)
(Set cookies for name, email and url)
(Allow users to contact you through a message form (your email will NOT be displayed.))

| b2evo | evoCore