Strawberry Jam

Photo Credit: Jesse K.

We recently went to a local “pick your own” strawberry farm and had the most wonderful time!  But, the real work began when we got home.  Three baskets of strawberries doesn’t seem like a lot – until you’re washing, trimming and canning them.  With the help of my wonderful family, we were able to can three batches within a few hours.

I first started canning in 2007.  I have the mentality of “I can make that!” when I see something in the store.  So, I made a mental determination that I would conquer my fear of canning and learn how.  It’s really not as hard as it seems and my fears (although real) were unnecessary and a hindrance.  I figured if my grandma could do it, so could I.

I borrowed my mother-in-law’s mega water bath canner (just a big ol’ pot with an inner rack for lifting the jars up and down), read a lot of websites on how to can and just went at it.  The first thing I tried was strawberry jam.

I use the recipe in the pectin box (Sur-Jell) and it turns out good every time.  Other than the strawberries, there are a few other ingredients that are in jam, including sugar, pectin and sometimes lemon juice.  Pectin can come as either “no sugar added” or the regular pectin.  If you use the “no sugar added” recipe, this would probably be good for diabetics.

Here’s the recipe for the plain ol’ strawberry jam:

• 5 cups crushed strawberries
• 1 package of pectin
• ½ tsp. butter (helps to reduce the foaming)
• 7 cups of sugar

Materials needed:

• Waterbath canner (or a tall stock pot)
• large-mouth funnel
• canning tongs (for adding & removing the jars from the boiling water)
• regular tongs (for removing the lids & rings from the hot water)
• Glass measuring cup
• Ball, Kerr or Mason jars (4 oz. jars, ½ pints or pints)
• Lids, rings

Here are the steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (to keep your jars warm).
2. Fill the canner with water (so that it’ll cover the jars by one inch) & turn it on high so that it can start heating to boiling. (This takes awhile).
3. Fill a large pot with water (for the lids and rings)
4. Wash the jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse.  Add the rings & lids to the pot of water (in #3) and bring to a simmer, turn the heat down but keep them hot.
5. Put your clean jars into the pre-heated oven so that they stay clean and hot (they will also sterilize at that temperature).
6. Prepare your strawberries, crushing one cup at a time using a potato masher for best results.  Or, you may use a food processor, pulse to chop.
7. Measure the exact amount of fruit into the dutch oven.
8. Measure the exact amount of sugar into a separate bowl.
9. Stir the box of pectin into the crushed fruit.   Add ½ teaspoon butter to reduce foaming, if desired.
10. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
11. Stir in sugar quickly.  Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim off any foam.
12. Remove your jars from the oven (preferably with tongs so you don’t burn yourself) and place them on a towel on your counter.  Quickly (and safely)  ladle the hot jam into the prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch from the top.  Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean, warm, wet cloth.  Cover with two-piece lids.  Screw bands tightly.
13. Place jars in the boiling/simmering water bath (use the canning tongs and be very careful).  Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches; add boiling water if needed.  Cover.
14. Process jams for 10 minutes; jelly 5 minutes.  If you live at a higher altitude, you’ll need to adjust the processing time.
15. Remove the jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.  After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger.  The lid should not spring back.  If it does, then refrigerate the jam and use it first.

TIP: To prevent hard water deposits on your jars, add a splash of vinegar to the canning water and your jars will come out crystal clean.

Autumn Harvest – Canning Pumpkin

I was lucky enough this year to find ten perfectly good pumpkins next to a neighbor’s trash can after the Thanksgiving holiday. With my own two purchased pumpkins, that gave me a lot of pumpkins to can! If you don’t have a garden of your own, ask around – lots of people by pumpkins for fall decorations with no plans of eating them. I love free food!

From the National Center for Home Food Preservation:
An average of 16 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 10 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints – an average of 2¼ pounds per quart. Pumpkins and squash should have a hard rind and stringless, mature pulp of ideal quality for cooking fresh. Small size pumpkins (sugar or pie varieties) make better products. Wash; remove seeds, cut into 1-inch-wide slices, and peel. Cut flesh into 1-inch cubes. Boil 2 minutes in water. Caution: Do not mash or puree. Fill jars with cubes and cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace.

Autumn Harvest – Cranberry Mustard

Cranberry Mustard

1 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup yellow mustard seeds
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2-3/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 2 12-oz bag)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dry mustard
2 1/2 tsp ground allspice
7 (4 oz) glass preserving jars with lids and bands

BRING vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add mustard seeds. Cover and let stand at room temperature until seeds have absorbed most of the moisture, about 1-1/2 hours

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

COMBINE mustard seeds and liquid, water and Worcestershire sauce in a food processor or blender. Process until slightly grainy. Add cranberries and blend until chopped.

BRING cranberry mixture to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk in sugar, dry mustard and allspice. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until volume is reduced by a third, about 15 minutes.

LADLE hot mustard into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

PROCESS in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Makes about 7 (4 oz) jars

Source: Ball Book Complete Book of Home Preserving

Autumn Harvest – Cranapple Relish

Cranapple Relish
For each pint of relish:

2 apples
1 1/2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
dash hot pepper sauce

Peel, core, and chop apples. Chop cranberries coarsely. In heavy saucepan, stir together apples, cranberries, 3/4 cup water, sugar, onion, raisins, vinegar, cinnamon,
salt, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until thickened and no liquid remains.

Ladle into hot jars and process 20 minutes.

Autumn Harvest – Canning Cranberries

During the holiday season, fresh cranberries are in abundance at the grocery store. Look for sales or stock up after the holidays and can away!

Cranberry Conserve 1 orange (unpeeled), seeded and finely chopped
2 c water
4 c cranberries
1/2 c raisins (optional)
3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c chopped nuts

Combine orange and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, partially cover, and boil until peel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, raisins, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Return to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil hard until mixture thickens, 10-15 minutes. Stir in nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel.

Skim foam and pack into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Makes about 4 8-oz jars.

Autumn Harvest – Sweet Potatoes

Now is the perfect time to can sweet potatoes – they have been on sale for $0.25 per pound! We purchased enough sweet potatoes to do about 30 quarts.

Sweet Potatoes

Method:
Boil whole sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes or just until slightly tender. Drain. Allow to cool slightly. Peel. Cut into large chunks and place in Mason jars. Add 1/4 tsp. Fruit Fresh if desired. Cover with boiling water leaving 1 inch head space. Place on lids.

Process for 90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure or 65 minutes for pints.

Note: I live above 1000 feet so I have to pressure can everything at 15 pounds of pressure. (I do not have the dial guage canner.)

Autumn Harvest – Canning Greens and Roots

Greens – Collards, Mustard, Kale, Spinach, Turnips
I am very excited about canning greens this year! My husband stopped at a roadside stand and purchased collard greens for $0.25 per 1 pound! Then there are the turnip greens and roots – the local Baptist pastor and his wife over planted. I get to pick a whole lot of turnips for free!

Method:
For each 7-quart canner load, you need an average of 28 pounds, or for each 9-pint canner load, you need an average of 18 pounds of fresh spinach or other greens.

Can only freshly harvested greens. Discard any wilted, discolored, diseased, or insect-damaged leaves. Leaves should be tender and attractive in color.

Wash only small amounts of greens at one time. Drain water, and continue rinsing until water is clear and free of grit. Cut out tough stems and midribs. Place 1 pound of greens at a time in cheesecloth bag or blancher basket, and steam 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted thoroughly.

Fill jars loosely with greens, add fresh boiling water and leave 1 inch of head space. Add ½ teaspoon canning salt to each quart jar if desired.

Process in a dial-gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds pressure, or, in a weighted-gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure, pints for 70 minutes; quarts for 90 minutes.

Turnip Roots:
I love turnip roots and this year I get them for free while they are still young and tender!

Method:
Wash turnips, scrubbing well. Peel, slice or dice. Place turnips in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Drain. Pack hot into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts, (or less) if desired. Cover with boiling water leaving 1 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process at 10 pounds of pressure 30 minutes for pints or 35 minutes for quarts.

Note: I live above 1000 feet so I have to pressure can everything at 15 pounds of pressure. (I do not have the dial guage canner.)

Autumn Harvest – Canning Kiwi Jam

Kiwi:
Kiwi is abundant this time of the year. If you know someone (like I do) who has a Kiwi vine or are lucky enough to have one yourself, you should get out your water bath canner! Last year I was given an amazing 200 pounds of kiwi! This year the harvest was not as spectacular, but good enough that I can make several batches of homemade jam. You should try my oh soooo good Strawberry Kiwi Jam – it is one of our favorites. Or you can simply make the Kiwi Jam below. We love this jam and it is the prettiest green color – very festive for the holidays.

Kiwi Jam
This is a very pretty jam – a nice festive green for the holidays!

5 cups crushed kiwi
7 cups sugar
1 pkg. fruit pectin powder

Sterilize 8 half-pint jars. Place lids in a small pot, cover with water and simmer until ready to use. Bring boiling water canner to a simmer. Measure out sugar into a large measuring cup or bowl.

Use a potato masher to crush your fruit in another large bowl. Be sure to measure correctly. (The total cups needed are after crushing, not while fruit is whole.) In a large pot, add fruit. Stir in 1 box of pectin. You may want to add a pat of butter to help reduce the amount of foam that will form on top.

Bring the fruit and pectin mixture to a full rolling boil. This means that when you stir, the bubbling does not stop. You should be stirring constantly as you wait for the fruit to boil to keep from scorching the fruit.

Stir in sugar all at once, quickly. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute. You will probably want to set your timer for this. Over boiling will result in a jam that is tough. Under boiling will result in a jam that is runny. Please be careful – this mixture is very, very hot and can cause serious burns. Keep your little ones away from the stove!

After 1 minute, remove the jam from heat. Skim off any foam. You can put the foam in a bowl and microwave later, allow to cool and then use it as you would your jam – on a piece of toast.

Spread a thick towel on the counter next to the stove and place your hot, sterile jars on top of the towel. Use a wide mouth canning funnel to help make ladling easier. Ladle jam into jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space from the top. Wipe jars rims with a clean damp cloth. Cover with lids and rings. Screw bands finger tight – you don’t want them too tight or the jars could bread during processing – too loose and your jam will bubble out during the processing.

Place jars on an elevated rack in your water bath canner, or on top of loose canning rings placed in the bottom of your pot. It is best to use a special jar lifter to place the jars in and remove from the pot. Add water if needed to cover the jars by about an inch. Cover the pot and bring the water up to a full boil. After the water starts to boil, you can begin timing your jars. For half-pint jars, you will need to process for 5 minutes. If you used pint jars, 10 minutes. If you live in the mountains like I do (or at a higher elevation), you will need to add more time according to your elevation:

1,000 – 3,000 feet – add 5 minutes
3,000 – 6,000 feet – add 10 minutes
6,000 – 8,000 feet – add 15 minutes
8,000 – 10,000 feet – add 20 minutes