Just made some jam for the first time.

[Prosciutto]

Over the weeknd I went over to my aunts house (and her huge kitchen) to make some jam. I originally wanted to make it from cherries but I decided I didn't want to sit there and pit them all day. So instead I used peaches.So finshed chopping the peaches and then realized i didn't have enough. So in went some strawberries. Added some sugar, lemon juice, and Sure Jell and out came strawberry jam! All I did was follow the recipe that came with Sure Jell and it came out alright. And My family had a lot of fun helping me. Its a fun project for family and friends to come over. There were two recipies on there so it was a little confusing. One was called the traditional and the other had something to do with cheesecloth. Anybody know the differnece? Anybody else have successful "jam sessions" lately?

 

[lulu]

I love jam making.

By straining through cheese cloth you get a jelly.

a marriage made in heaven if you have peaches again is peaches and raspberries. I make some of that every summer

 

[DianaTx]

I want to start making jams and jellies and other preserved foods. I bought a cookbook on preserving foods .. hopefully I'll be getting some peaches this weekend from Fredericksburg Tx. We're going to drive there Sunday.

 

[CharlieD]

Cheries with lemon slices is my all tyme absolute favorite jam. i can just seat and eat it out of the jar, yum.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Another great way to make jam is to make freezer jam. The flavor is closer to the natural flavor of the fruit as it isn't cooked. But it also doesn't have the staying power of a cooked jam or jelly. And, it has to be kept in the freezer until used.

My favorite jelly took a ton of work. I had picked a couple gallons of wild raspberries. I wanted a beautiful jelly, and so mixed the berries and some sugar together, according to recipe directions, and put them into my spaetzla maker/ricer, which was covered on the bottom with several layers of cheesecloth. I proceeded to squeese the berry/sugar mixture through. It made an incredible jelly, but took hours of hand pressing. My arms were so tired after that experiment. I got several quarts of beautiful jelly from that batch, but have been leary of taking on such a task again. If I can scare up enough berries this year, I'm hoing to process them through my juicer to make the jelly seed free, but with a bit of pulp.

The moral of this story is to use whatever work-saving appliances you own, but only if it will give you the highest quality end result. If the juicer somehow reduces the quality of my jelly, I will try something else.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Prosciutto]

After I was done making the jam I had given my aunt and uncle a jar of it, after all there was so much of it I couldn't possibly use all of it. I could not believe how happy they were to accept it. I would imagine giving homemade jam or jelly is a big hit with people from my experience. Has anybody here ever given away their jam or jelly as a gift? What kind of reactions do you get?

 

[marigeorge]

Last week I made jam with apricots and raspberries. I think I would strain the raspberries next time to make a prettier jam.

 

[lulu]

After I was done making the jam I had given my aunt and uncle a jar of it, after all there was so much of it I couldn't possibly use all of it. I could not believe how happy they were to accept
Yes, I give away jams, jellys, fruit cheese and other things from my kitchen every chistmas and whenever oppertunity arises. I get a great reaction. In fact, I baked a cake for a recent birthday of a close neighbours fancy birthday party and she's got me lots of commisions to cook for them, so I'm very happy to recommend giving jams etc as presents, it might one day make you a little income, and in the mean time it will make he people getting it very happy!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

MmaryJean; That jam looks soooooo good. It has gorgous color. Yes, seedless is amazing stuff, and the seeds don't get caught in your teeth. But you said you'd strain it to make it prettier. I say that your pictured jam is some of the prettiest product I've seen in a long time. And it's got my mouth watering.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Michael in FtW]

After I was done making the jam I had given my aunt and uncle a jar of it, after all there was so much of it I couldn't possibly use all of it. I could not believe how happy they were to accept it. I would imagine giving homemade jam or jelly is a big hit with people from my experience. Has anybody here ever given away their jam or jelly as a gift? What kind of reactions do you get?

People recognize that properly home-canned items like jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, butters, etc. are a special gift involving not only the costs of the ingredients but also your time and effort.

Each year, for Christmas, I make a variety - Pop likes apple butter, Mom likes orange marmalade, one aunt like peach jam, my other aunt like apricot preserves, and my sister likes anything she doesn't have to cook. I make them each a basket with each - one of each but two of their favorites, and a loaf of homemade honey-butter wheat bread ... along with a jar of each for them to share for the week Mom and Pop are here (and a couple of extra loaves of bread and a couple of loaves of cinnamon bread).

I usually get calls from them starting in the summer wanting to know if I am going to make my jams for Christmas ...

 

[Mel!]

Yumm!!!!
Peach and strawberry sounds like a delicious combination. I often make jam when I have too much fruit for us to eat fresh.

The cheese cloth would be for when you want to make clear jelly type jam. You pour the hot jam through a cheese cloth to filter all the fruit bits out. I never do this. Why waste the fruit bits.

Mel

 

[Mel!]

People recognize that properly home-canned items like jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, butters, etc. are a special gift involving not only the costs of the ingredients but also your time and effort.

I usually give my parents in law a pot of jam and some other homemade things when they visit. They often bring their caravan with them so have a fridge etc to store these things in. They think I am a wonderful cook.

My neighbour however was not so gracious when I gave her things like that as a present.

 

[Prosciutto]

After making the jam I took a look at the Sure Jell website surejell.com since I used their recipe from inside the box. There so many things that can be made with pectin. There is a link to 100 Recipes with everything from relishes and jelly candy to smoothies. What sort of things have you made with pectin other than jelly and jams?

 

[sabixatzil1]

last Week I Made Jam With Apricots And Raspberries. I Think I Would Strain The Raspberries Next Time To Make A Prettier Jam.

This Looks Amazing!

 

[marigeorge]

Thank you for the nice comments!

Here are the rest of the jams I have made in the past couple of weeks. Strawberry and the other is apricot. I am waiting for the blackberries to ripen, which should be next week........last night I canned 6 pints of salsa.

 

[babetoo]

I usually give my parents in law a pot of jam and some other homemade things when they visit. They often bring their caravan with them so have a fridge etc to store these things in. They think I am a wonderful cook.

My neighbour however was not so gracious when I gave her things like that as a present.

my daughter gives jam every christmas. everyone awaits it eagerly.

babe

 

[Michael in FtW]

... My neighbour however was not so gracious when I gave her things like that as a present.

There are always exceptions ...

 

[mcnerd]

I pleasantly decline offers from neighbors and friends of their preserving efforts, especially since the last three such occasions I learned none of them owned a canner and for one person the jar of pepper jelly was actually bubbling through the lid from a former commercial jar with one-piece lid. Either these people have built up an immunity or they don't eat their own stuff.

 

[letscook]

whats the difference between Sure Jell and Certo I see they are from the same company

 

[letscook]

marigene,
your apricot jam looks great.
My parents have 2 trees of them and they are so loaded on the branches. They look like branches of grapes. They are so tight and loaded. In fact they are rotting before they finish riping. He has been picking them and can't keep up wiith them. It is like he picks 5 and 10 grow back. If i get back out there this week I will have to take a picture. It is unbelieveable. They never had so many on them.
I would love to make my dad some apricot jam.
Do you a recipe different then what come with the box of sure jell?
If so would love to have yours. Thanks