Jams, Jellies, and Preserves
In this section:
Apple Jelly
Apple-Pear Butter
Apple Sauce
Blueberry Jam
Canned Peaches
Cranberry Compote
Cranberry Marmalade
Dried Apricot Preserves
Frozen Berry Jam
Fruit Juice Jelly
Golden Pear Jam
Grape Jelly from Frozen Concentrate
Orange Marmalade
Plum-Tomato Jam
Prune Butter
Tomato Preserves
Apple Jelly
4 c apple juice
2 T lemon juice [can omit]
3 c white granulated sugar
Combine apple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir well. Boil over High heat until liquid begins to jell. Remove from heat. Quickly skim foam. Pour jelly into hot, sterilized glasses. Seal. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.
Comment: Use the same recipe for plum jelly--especially for wild plum and
blue plum jellies. To obtain juice from apples, cook two pounds [to three
pounds] of apples in small amount of water over Low heat. Works out well
for plums, elderberries, wild grapes, and choke cherries. Develop the
liquid. Boil and prepare as outlined above. 
Apple-Pear Butter
Choose Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Rome Beauty apples. For pears, use ripe Bartletts. Or, as we did on the farm, just choose apples and pears--you'll end up with a great spread for biscuits, flat breads, and your morning toast.
8 to 10 c unpeeled apples, cored and chopped
3 to 5 c unpeeled pears, cored and chopped
3 c tap water to start the cooking.
In a large pot, bring to boiling and then reduce to simmer. Cook on simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. No need to drain. Just press the mixture through a sieve of colander. Discard the solids.
2 c white granulated sugar
2 t grated lemon peel
1 t GF cinnamon, ground
1/2 t cloves, ground
Return the sieved mixture to the pot. Add the sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook on low simmer for one and half hours. While hot, ladle into half pint jars. Seal with flats and rims. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Cool and store.
Comment: For a peach-cherry combination, peel the peaches, pit the
cherries, and chop in the food processor; you should end up with three cups of
each fruit; double the amount of sugar and add pectin. Follow the
manufacturer's directions for amount of fruits and pectin and cooking time.
Apple Sauce
Whether to peel and core the apples or not to peel and core the apples was always a part of the discussion when making applesauce. Most times, just wash and quarter the apples, but do not pare or core. Cook apples slowly with just enough water to keep from burning. [Or, for a small batch, cool in a pressure saucepan 5 minutes with 1/4 cup water].
Put the cooked apples through a coarse strainer or food mill. Add a sprinkling of salt. Add sugar to taste. Stir until the sugar melts completely. Add butter, lemon juice and spices. [cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice or any one of the three].
For chunky applesauce, pare and core the apples before cooking and beat only slightly with a fork or wooden spoon when cooked. [Or mash casually with the potato masher]. Add butter and choice of spices.
Pour hot applesauce into hot sterilized jars. Seal. Process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.
Comment: The "falls," the apples that fell from the trees and those that might have had a wasp sting or wormhole, were the apples typically used for applesauce. With both lemon juice and sugar, applesauce kept well when canned. It was for applesauce that we used the Butternut coffee jars and the Miracle Whip mayonnaise jars. While they were made of thin glass and not recommended for canning, I have coffee jars that have been used in our family since 1920.
Making
applesauce was always by a no-recipe recipe. You cooked up what you had
and seasoned as seemed reasonable on that day and had one more batch of canned
goods for the winter larder.
Blueberry Jam
4 c fresh or frozen blueberries
3 c white granulated sugar
1/4 c tap water
2 t shredded lemon peel
2 T lemon juice
2 t shredded orange peel
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 t GF cinnamon
1/4 t allspice, ground
Place all of the ingredients in a large cooking pot or Dutch oven. Bring to boil over Medium High heat. Reduce immediately to simmer. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
Ladle
into hot sterilized half pint jars. Seal with flats and rings.
Process in hot water bath for 10 to 12 minutes. Can be frozen. Will
store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks.
Canned Peaches
Once you have tasted peaches canned with this method, you may never go back to another.
Wash
and stem peaches. Leave the skins on and in place. Cut peaches into
slices. Use either pint or quart jars. Place one half cup white granulated
sugar into each jar. Fill each jar with peach slices up to one half inch
from the top. Fill each jar with tap water up to one half inch from the
top. Seal. Place in hot water bath for 25 minutes. Store on a
cool, dry shelf. Peaches will be ready for use after three
weeks.
Cranberry Compote
2 to 3 cooking apples, peeled, sliced, chopped
1 12-oz pkg fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 c white granulated sugar
1 c golden raisins
1/2 c orange juice [add more orange juice or water if more liquid is needed in the cooking]
1 t grated orange peel [lemon or grapefruit peel]
1 t non-iodized salt
1/4 t allspice, ground
1/4 t GF cinnamon, ground
1 15-oz can peaches, drained, chopped
1 15-oz can apricots, drained, chopped
Combine all ingredients except for the peaches and apricots in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over Medium High heat. At boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, or until apples and cranberries are well done. Add the peach and apricot pieces and cook again up to boiling. Remove from heat. Cool to serve. Can be served hot or cold.
Consider adding chopped almonds or pecans before serving. Great on hot
biscuits, scones, toast, and waffle wedges. Can substitute pumpkin pie
spice for the two seasonings. Canned pears and cherries are options to
substitute for the peaches and apricots. Pears alone are a personal
choice.
Cranberry Marmalade
2 oranges
1 lemon
3 c water
1 lb cranberries, [4 cups]
1 box powdered pectin
7 c white granulated sugar
Peel oranges and lemon; remove the white part or rind. Finely chop or grind. Place in large saucepan. Add water. Bring to boil over Medium heat.
Chop peeled fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe cranberries. Add to orange-lemon mixture. Cook slowly for 10 minutes on Low heat.
To make marmalade. Measure 6 cups of above fruit mixture into a large kettle. Add water to make 6 cups if necessary. Add pectin and allow to set for two minutes. Stir in well. Place on High heat and stir continuously. Bring to a full boil with bubbles over the entire surface.
Add
sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hard
for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim
foam. Fill and seal jars. Process filled and sealed jars in hot
water bath for ten minutes. Will usually make ten half pint jars of
marmalade.
Dried Apricot Preserves
Here is a great recipe to make easy apricot preserves. Several versions are available in various Chinese cookbooks and also was printed in Heloise column in 1974.
1 8-oz pkg dried apricots
1/2 c white granulated sugar
1/2 lemon
4 c tap water
Put the water in a pot, throw in the apricots, add the sugar, cut the lemon into thin slices and add those and give a stir.
Set the timer for 30 minutes. Cook slowly over Low to Low-Medium heat without a lid.
After about 20 minutes, mash the apricots to coarse, but not too good, since you want a few chunks so that it will taste like homemade stuff.
When
the 30-minute timer goes off, check to see if the mixture is thick enough.
If not, cook another few minutes. After coming to room temperature, store
in jars in the refrigerator.
Heloise Column
Frozen Berry Jam
2 10-oz boxes of frozen raspberries [or strawberries]
1 T lemon juice
2 1/2 c white granulated sugar
1 pkg powdered pectin
1 c water
Allow frozen berries to warm to room temperature. Mix in lemon juice and sugar and let stand for 20 minutes. Combine water and pectin in saucepan and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Add pectin solution to the berry and sugar mixture. Stir for two minutes and well combined. Pour jam into jars. Leave 1/2-inch headspace at the top. Seal and allow to stand at room temperature until set. Store in refrigerator for up to one month. Makes five half-pints.
Note: If jam is too firm, stir to soften. If jam is too soft, bring
to a boil; it will thicken on cooling.
Fruit Juice Jelly
If you use orange, grapefruit, or lemon juice, allow two weeks for the jelly to set. This recipe will not work out with the use of low-calorie juices, most of the cocktail juices, and juices which have artificial sweeteners added. It is best to use non-sweetened full-bodied juices to make jellies.
4 c of an unsweetened juice: orange, grape, apple, cranberry, etc.
1/4 c lemon juice [not Real Lemon or the artificial lemon juices]
1 1 1/4-oz pkg powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 c white granulated sugar
In an 8- to 10-qt Dutch oven, stir together the fruit juice and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the powdered pectin. Allow the pectin to stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, stir the pectin into the juice mixture to dissolve it.
Bring the juice mixture to a full rolling boil over Medium-High heat. Stir frequently. Stir in the sugar when juice is at a rolling boil. Return to a full, rolling boil, stirring frequently. Then, turn up heat, boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove Dutch oven from heat. Skim off foam from mixture.
Ladle
the juice mixture into hot sterilized half-pint jars. Leave 1/4- to
1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water for 10
minutes. Remove from water bath. Place on wood or heat resistant
surface. This recipe makes 6 half pints of jelly. Processed jelly
can be stored at room temperature for up to one year. If freezer space is
available, this jelly freezes well and can then be kept for a longer
period.
Golden Pear Jam
8 medium pears, ground or mashed
1 c crushed pineapple
4 cups white granulated sugar
Optional: 1/8 t nutmeg, ground
Peel
and core pears. Grind in food chopper or mash. Measure 4 cups of
ground pears. Add crushed pineapple, sugar, and nutmeg. Cook until
thick, about 30 minutes, stirring often. Pour into hot, sterilized glass
jars. Seal. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Makes 8 6-oz
glasses.
Grape Jelly from Frozen Concentrate
1 box powdered pectin
2 1/4 c water
1 6-oz can of frozen grape juice concentrate
3 1/4 c white granulated sugar
Combine pectin and water in large saucepan and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Lower heat; add grape juice concentrate and sugar and stir until both are dissolved. DO NOT BOIL.
Remove
from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars. Seal. Store in the
refrigerator for a month and in the freezer for up to one year. [Because
very little cooking is required, fermentation or mold may occur if held at room
temperature]. This jam tastes best when freshly made.
Orange Marmalade
Select smooth, unblemished oranges. Wash, remove stem ends. Slice as thin as possible and remove seeds. Measure without draining. To each quart of sliced fruit add one and one half quarts water and let stand overnight.
Cook slowly on Low heat until peel is tender [usually about two to two and half hours.
Measure a second time. Add two thirds as much sugar. Cook rapidly to the jelly stage. Boil on Medium High for 30 to 60 minutes. Makes about ten half-pints finished marmalade.
Comment: my own family recipe was the same with one exception. My
mother measured the juice and put in an equal amount of sugar.
Plum-Tomato Jam
3 c tart plums, pitted, ground
3 c tomatoes, cooked, sieved
1/2 orange, both pulp and peel, ground
4 c white granulated sugar
1 stick cinnamon
1 T lemon juice
Combine plums, tomatoes, orange, half of the sugar and cinnamon stick in large
saucepan. Bring to boil over Medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir constantly. Stir to sides and bottom to prevent sticking and
burning. Add lemon juice, the remainder of the sugar and boil for 20
minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and ladle mixture into hot, sterilized
half-pint jars. Seal. Process jars for ten minutes in boiling water
bath.
Prune Butter
The Czech families who live in Eastern Nebraska often share this special delicacy as a gift item for a special day or to make any day special. Prune butter is excellent on biscuits, muffins, and flatbreads. And is always the choice for first breakfast when we have just toast, juice, and coffee.
3/4 to 1 lb prunes, pitted
2 c tap water
1/2 to 1 c orange juice [or juice of one orange]
juice of one lemon
2 c white granulated sugar
dash of salt
Combine all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan [or iron skillet]. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and process in batches in the blender. Return to the pot. Cook for 20 minutes longer or until mixture is beginning to thicken.
Comment: I spoon this mixture into half-pint jars while hot. Seal with a
flat and rim lid. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. It
keeps well canned and also keeps well not canned kept in the
refrigerator.
In Memory of Olga Stepanek
Tomato Preserves
5 lb firm ripe tomatoes
8 c white granulated sugar
1 orange, sliced thin
1 lemon, sliced thin
Peel
and quarter tomatoes. Cover with sugar and allow to stand overnight in
non-metal container. Drain off syrup into large cooking pot. Heat
syrup to a boil and cook until syrup spins a thread [232 degrees F or 111
degrees Centigrade]. Add tomatoes, orange and lemon slices. Cook
over Low heat until tomatoes are transparent. Ladle into hot, sterilized
jars and process for ten minutes in hot water bath. Makes 12 6-oz
glasses.