I may not possess the secret of joy, but I think I've figured out the secret of jam: small batches. Making jam used to be a huge "event" involving lots of time, lots of mess, and mixed results - sometimes jam, sometimes more like a sauce. I hated lugging up the huge canner, waiting forever for it to boil, and scorching my fruit.
I almost gave up until earlier this week when I decided to make a tiny batch of jam and see what happened. I decided to use my stainless steel pasta pot - the kind with the removable steamer/strainer - instead of the large canning kettle. It worked beautifully as a small canning kettle. I left the strainer in the pot so that the water would be able to circulate around the jars from underneath as well as on the sides and top.
I have used Pomona's Pectin in the past with good results, but I used Sure Jell this time, and it worked just fine, even though it was out of date. If you've never made jam before, most boxes of pectin will include a guide to help you. Make sure your kitchen is clean, have all your tools ready (it all goes fast at the end), and make sure your jars are clean and free from nicks.
Today's recipe is for raspberry-peach jam, but you can use just raspberries if you like. I did a small batch of raspberry jam earlier in the week. I used raspberries and peaches that I had frozen previously and thawed overnight, and they taste every bit as good as fresh. This recipe makes 5 pints.
Raspberry-Peach Jam
6 1/2 cups fruit - (4 cups of raspberries and 2 1/2 cups of peaches, fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/8 cup sugar
1/2 box of Sure Jell pectin - about 1/4 cup
1 teaspoon butter (to prevent foaming)
Put the fruit into an enameled or stainless steel pot with the 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes, enough to release the juices, stirring occasionally. Use a potato masher to mash the fruit into a pulp if needed.
While the fruit is simmering, heat the water in your canning kettle/pasta pot until boiling. I also heat another small pot of water to just under the boiling point and put my lids in to sterilize them about five minutes before I fill the jars. Do not boil the lids, just keep them hot.
In a separate bowl, combine the pectin and the remaining 1/8 cup sugar. When the fruit is ready, USING A WIRE WHISK, quickly stir the pectin/sugar mixture into the fruit. Turn the heat on the pot up, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly with the whisk (if you don't stir continuously, the pectin will form lumps in the jam). Boil the fruit mixture for one minute. You'll see and feel it thicken up.
Now comes the fast and furious part. Dip each jar into the boiling water in your canner and then empty it. Ladle the jam into the jar, leaving 1/4" head space (I use the grooves on the rim of the jar to guide me). WIPE THE RIM OF THE JAR (it's easy to forget this), remove one lid from the hot pot and place it on the jar, then screw on the cap firmly but not tightly. Repeat this procedure with all the other jars.
Once all the jars are filled, lower them gently into your pasta pot/kettle. Make sure the water covers them by an inch or so. Bring the water back to a boil, and process the jars for 10 minutes.
My pasta pot will conveniently hold five pints of jam |
Remove the jars from the boiling water bath and place them on the counter to cool. As they cool off, the lids will "pop" to seal the jars. When they are cool enough to handle, you can unscrew the caps, wipe any excess water off the lids, and screw the caps back on.
Label your jars, and store your jam in a dark place to retain color and flavor. They are so pretty, it's tempting not to open them. Spread on fresh bread, a well-made jam will bring back memories of summer, and tea-time is always better with good jam.