My family loves this jam served with pancakes and French toast. Pear Jam is easy to make and no pectin is required.
Make this when peaches are plentiful and put it away in the cupboard. Every jar you open in the winter makes the sun come out.
As a child growing up in Nebraska we made Apple Butter every fall. It’s not difficult at all and tastes so much better than store bought, but then again, most everything does. Use apples such as Gala, Winesap, Jonagold, Fuji, or Granny Smith.
Cranberry Jam
You can make this as jam to spread on toast or you can pour over a plain cheesecake. Cranberry Jam says Christmas!
INGREDIENTS
12 Ounces Fresh Cranberries
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Water
Place cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and water into a medium-size heavy-duty saucepan over a medium heat. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes until slightly thickened. Remember that jam will continue to thicken as it cools so you don’t want to overcook it. Remove from heat and force jam through a fine-mesh sieve over a medium-size bowl. Throw away the skins and seeds. Pour into jam jars and cool. Makes about 2 cups.
Ridiculously Easy Grape Jam
Get yourself over to your local farmers’ market and pick up some delicious grapes and make this Ridiculously Easy Grape Jam. You will need some basic equipment: Boiling Water Canner, 5 Half Pint Jars, Food Mill, Candy Thermometer & Jar Lifter
INGREDIENTS
3 Pounds Grapes (I Like To Use Concord Grapes)
1 Cup Water
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Low Sugar Pectin
1/2 Cup Lime Juice
Sterilize jars by boiling them for 15 minutes in canner. Turn off heat. Let jars, lids and rings sit in hot water until ready to fill. Remove all stems and wash grapes. Don’t worry about the seeds as they will be strained out. Add grapes and 1 cup water to a large-size nonreactive, heavy saucepan. Bring grapes and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Occasionally stir and smash grapes until they begin to lose shape and seeds float. Remove from heat. Set food mill over large-size bowl. Pour grapes and liquid through mill until all that is left are skins, seeds, and any stray stems. You should have about 4 cups grape pulp. Add the grape pulp back in the same saucepan. Add sugar, pectin, and lime juice. Bring to a boil over a high heat. Cook until mixture reads 220 degrees on candy thermometer. Turn heat off and skim off any foam with a large spoon. Ladle jam into sterilized jars. Leave 1/4 inch head space. Wipe off any jam from lip of jar. Place lids and rims on jars and seal. Place sealed jars back into canning pot. Make certain water level is over tops of jars by at least 1 inch. Add more water if needed. Turn to a high heat and boil for 15 minutes. Turn of heat. Using a jar lifter, remove jars to a cooling rack. Jars should begin to seal completely while cooling (you will hear little pops). Check to make sure all jars are sealed and if any have not then place in the fridge. Store the sealed jars in a cool place and out of sunlight. Makes 5 half pint jars of Grape Jam.
Jam, jelly or preserves? Often words for fruit spreads are used interchangeably, but the spreads have their own distinct character and personality. Jams are made from whole fruits that have been mashed or processed either before or after cooking and are soft and fairly smooth. Jellies, on the other hand, are made from fruit juice and are clear, and very soft. Preserves are made from whole fruit that is minimally processed so that chunks of fruit are discernible in the finished product.
INGREDIENTS
6 Cups Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries and/or Hulled & Sliced Strawberries
4 Cups Sugar
You will need to have ready 4 half-pint (8 Ounces) jars with 2-piece lids in hot, but not boiling, water and prepare a water-bath canner. In a food processor or with a potato masher, mash the berries until mushed. Pour the mushed berries into a large-size saucepan and cook over a medium-heat for 1 minute. Add the sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to boil. Put a candy thermometer into the saucepan, making sure it is not touching the bottom or sides of the pan. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the thermometer registers 220° F and the jam slides off of a cold metal spoon in one sheet. An exact temperature is important to ensure a good texture, so make sure to watch carefully. Immediately remove the saucepan for the heat. Ladle the hot berry mixture into the hot jars. Leave 1/4 inch of headspace (empty space) at the top of each. Poke the jars gently with a thin rubber spatula to release any trapped air bubbles. Add more jam if necessary to keep the headspace at a 1/4 inch. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth. Place a lid on each jar, seal-side down and secure in place with a screw band. Do not over tighten the screw band. Put the jars in a water-bath canner on a rack and make sure that each jar is covered by 1 inch with water. Cover the canner and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat; remove the lid of the canner and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars from the canner and let cool in a draft-free area, undisturbed for at least 24 hours. Makes about 4 half pints.
I grew up making apple butter. Homemade is much better and is so handy to have around. It’s great to spread on bread, muffins or over pancakes. I like to use firm apples like Gala, Fuji or Granny Smith. By the way, there is no butter in Apple Butter!
INGREDIENTS
8 Large Peeled, Cored & Chopped Apples
3 Cups Apple Cider
2 Tablespoons Grated Orange Rind
2 1/2 Cups Light Brown Sugar
4 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Ground Allspice
1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
In a large size soup pot combine the apples, grated orange rind and apple cider. Cook for 5 hours over a medium-low heat. You will want the apples to be very soft and the mixture to be nice and thick. Remove from the heat and cool completely. In a food processor or blender add the mixture. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture back into the soup pot. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice and cloves. Cook over a medium-high heat for 2 hours with the lid on. Stir often. Remove the lid and cook for 2 more hours. Pour into washed pint mason jars. Don’t fill to the top of the jar. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top. At this point you can put them into a canning water bath or not. If you choose not to then store the filled jars into either the fridge or freezer. Cool the jars completely before putting in the fridge or freezer. Makes approximately 3 Pint Jars – give or take.