Jam Day! Sink or Swim!

[Raven]

Okay, I've never made home-made Jams and Jellys before, but I've always kinda wanted to.

Careful what you wish for.

One of our church members noticed that an army of squirrels were stripping his Plum trees so he did what he called an "Emergency Pick". Absolutly overwhelmed with fruit he said he'd bring us a some when he picked my mother up for the church potluck last night.

What he brought, was a BUCKET that weighed out at 12 pounds (13 if you count the bucket too). I grabbed my Grandmothers Plum Jelly recipe that I litterally grew up on (turns out it was cut from the back of a box of Sure Jell. Sneaky Gramma!) and sent the wife to the store for 2 boxes of jelly-jars (I already have 1 box), lids, Sugar, Pectin etc. I figure (according to the Sure Jell recipe for Jam) that I'm going to need about 30 half-pint jelly jars!!

So it's sink or swim time! LOL! by the time this weekend is over I will probably have become an instant expert on how to make Plum Jam.

Pray for me
~ Raven ~

 

[mudbug]

prayin' here, Raven. Sounds like you will have all the necessary gear. Bon courage!!

 

[Raven]

Thanks Mudbug

They really worked. My first batch came out beautifully. I was a 1 cup short on juice so I just poured a cup of water in it (LOL) before adding the pectin and sugar but you can't tell it. The end result was still real fruity.

It's somewhere between Jelly and Jam. It's clear like jelly but spreads like Jam.

The recipe called for the whole fruit (minus pits) to be used but instead after I cooked it down I ran it through the ricer to seperate the pulp from the skins (I really didn't want the skins) and it came out as a spreadable jelly.

(BTW, don't ask why a guy in Arkansas has a UT apron LOL! They might just kick me out of the state hee hee hee).

~ Raven ~

 

[SierraCook]

Congratulations on your jam/jelly making endeavour. I love homemade jam. My Grandma used to make blackberry jam every summer. One summer it turned out runny and we used it for syrup on our pancakes, but is still tasted good.

 

[lulu]

It looks beautiful! Such a clear bright colour. Its a relaxing experience making jam, eh?

 

[Michael in FtW]

Congrats Raven! Sometimes the hardest part is just getting up the nerve to try something new.

FYI - technically you made jam since you used a puree of the fruit pulp. Jelly is made from just the strained juice (no pulp) and preserves are more of a "mashed" pulp which has some pieces of fruit larger than a puree.

 

[Swann]

Next time make jam without using pectin as it is much better and uses half the sugar. I use 4 C of chopped plums and 3 C of sugar and 1/4 C lemon juice. Cook until it slides off the spoon in a clump. For an added delight add 1 C raspberries to the plums.... need not add more sugar.

 

[skilletlicker]

Go Vols

Nice jam

 

[Raven]

LOL! Thanks gang.

Oh goodness, Day 2, Batch 2. I only got 7 half-pints (the recipe said 10 but..) the first day and 8 today so I'm at 15 half-pints and boy am I beat. I may take tomorrow off

At one point today I was ladeling the molten sugar syrup into the jars and SPLAT, a big glob hit my hand and stuck like napalm. I dropped the ladel and funnel PDQ, wiped it off and stuck my hand under cold running water, then hit it with some Aloe Vera. It pinked up and stung a bit then went right back to normal **Whew**

You know instead of making jam out of the last 2 pounds of Plums I have I may just cook it down to syrup for pancakes or iced tea or something and can it just as syrup. When it's cooking down it just smells SOOOO good.

Skillet >> LOL! My sister lives in Knoxville so she sent me some Vols paraphanalia and I sent her back some Razorback stuff hee hee.

~ Raven ~

 

[Michael in FtW]

I only got 7 half-pints (the recipe said 10 but..) the first day and 8 today ...

If it makes you feel any better, in the 10 years I've been jammin I have NEVER gotten the exact quantity the recipe says - usually just slightly under, a couple of times just slightly over. I don't remember my grandma ever getting "exact" jars full either - there was always one jar that wasn't quite full and got eaten up in a couple of days.

Sorry to hear you got burned .... yes, hot jam is like liquid napalm!

 

[Swann]

I have been making jams, preserves, pickles, and relishes for 50 yrs and have never come out even. Never gotten the same number of pts or qts stated. As Michael says the left over parcial jars are eaten veeeeery quickly and lets you taste the canned food without opening a jar.

 

[CharlieD]

Looks great. I'm concern about extra water though, better make sure to check it out every so often, make sure there is no mold.

 

[BigJim]

Making jam/jellies

How do you feel after making jam/jellies for the first time. It isn`t as bad as
alot of people think. the hardest part is the preperation of the fruit. I make
jam/jellies all the time and give it to my relatives and friends. a friend of my
son came over to visit, and we were talking about making some strawberry
jam for my new landlady. she has a alot of strawberries in the flower beds.
and I told her I would make her some jam. anyway Adam my son`s friend
wants me to teach him how to make some jams. so this weekend we are\going to make strawberry then some blackberry. that I have frozen.
anyway raven I hope you like it. and venture out to different kinds.
this is grown into a hobbie of mine.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Looks great. I'm concern about extra water though, better make sure to check it out every so often, make sure there is no mold.

I don't think the added water will be a problem, Charlie. While it may thin out the texture a little bit ... most recipes call for "x" amount of fruit/juice and adding a little water to bring it up to the amount called for is really only compensating for the juiciness of the fruit.

 

[Raven]

Ouch! Thanks for the heads up on the water. I was thinking the same thing Micheal said but didn't think that I might be compromising safety by lowering the natural acidity of the fruit.

I sealed them in a BWB canner (instead of hot-packing them) so that might add another layer of protection but I'll definately keep an eye on them all the same.

Thanks again.

~ Raven ~

 

[Raven]

How do you feel after making jam/jellies for the first time. It isn`t as bad as
alot of people think. the hardest part is the preperation of the fruit.

It's addictive! LOL!

Yes I'm definately going to start looking around to see what else I can get my hands on to make jams out of. I would love to try Strawberries but I can't grow them here. I've tried for the last 3 years (finally giving up this year altogether) and they always die before they produce fruit 1.

~ Raven ~

 

[lulu]

When I make jams/jellies I like to make things that are not o readily available. I made peach and rasberry last year....either are made commercially, but not in combination together. apple jelly is also tricky to get hold of, and yet so gorgeous. I also made peach and honey suckle cheese (as in like quince cheese...a firm, very concebntrated jelly) that we haven't tried yet, but will be trying very soon, so I might make some more this year. All homemade jams are lovely and so satisfying to make, but I do feel a bit better making something I cold as easily, or quite frankly, more cheaply - buy.

 

[BigJim]

Jams/jellies

LuLu: my wifes favorite jellies is apple, what I do when it is out of season or can`t get the right kind of apples, I will buy some pure apple juice and make
it out of that and it comes out the same. I did the same thing with pomagranate jelly. here in california the strawberries are so plentiful I bought
a 4 lb box for 1.98 on sale in the supermarket yesterday. and these berries
are as big as turkey eggs. I will be making jam today.