Does anyone make their own jam/preserves?

[femmocrat]

We have tons of wild black raspberries right now. I would love to make jam from them, but I have never tried it.

I would appreciate your advice:

Should I make freezer jam, or in jars? Do I need special jelly jars?

What about pectin.... easy to use? What is the best kind to buy?

Should I strain out the seeds? Do I need some kind of special strainer? I just have a wire mesh one.

Thanks so much. :hi:

[hippywife]

1. I make preserves every year

from blackberries, blueberries, and our wild black raspberries. Get the pectin, a box of pint mason jars, follow directions in the leaflet in the package of pectin. You only have to do a 10-15 min. hot water bath and not pressure canning. Really very easy. I never strain the seeds.

Enjoy! Nothing like home made preserves. :hi:

On edit: You may need some lemons, too. I can't remember if these berries require lemon juice or not. Haven't started this year and haven't read the instructions since last year. It may be just for peaches.

[kfred]

2. All true, the lemon is for flavor

If you want jam, then no seed straining.

If jelly, then it is seed straining.

While I've never made blackberry jelly or jam, I have made raspberry jam AND jelly (and strawbery and marmalade, etc.).

The lemon just picks up the flavor of the berry and don't skip the tad bit of butter at the end because it truly DOES cut the foaming. Otherwise it's a pain in the rear (so saith the kid who did this when she was nine for my mom).

[hippywife]

4. The lemon is not just to pick up the flavor.

It is a required acid for canning certain foods and I've never heard of using butter which adds fat to the canning process which will then require pressure canning rather than a hot water bath method. I leave the foam, of which there is usually not very much because it has no effect on the flavor or longevity at all.

[kfred]

8. Surejell instructions

Have you add about a tsp of butter at the end to cut the foaming. And it's hot water bath canning used as the method. Mom used to used melted paraffin (pain in the rear) to seal the jars and they kept for months in the pantry. Now you have me puzzled.

[hippywife]

9. I've never noticed that instruction in there before.

Last year, Target had a clearance sale on their canning jars and pectin (Ball brand) and I bought some which is good through March 2011. I just read the sheet and it does say that, and the internet site for Surejell/Certo (Kraft Foods :eyes: ) says the same thing, but I swear I've never seen it before now.

However, I still would not do it for water bath processing only.

This is a very good site for canning info:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#5

Although mostly fat, butter is a low-acid food. Meat, vegetables, butter, cream, etc. are low-acid products that will support the outgrowth of C. botulinum and toxin formation in a sealed jar at room temperature. Low-acid products have to be pressure-canned by tested processes to be kept in a sealed jar at room temperature. It is not clear what the botulism risk is from such a high-fat product, but to store a low-acid moist food in a sealed jar at room temperature requires processing to destroy spores. A normal salted butter has about 16-17% water, some salt, protein, vitamins and minerals. Some butter-like spreads have varying amounts of water in them. We have no kind of database in the home canning/food processing arena to know what the microbiological concerns would be in a butter stored at room temperature in a sealed jar. In the absence of that, given that it is low-acid and that fats can protect spores from heat if they are in the product during a canning process, we cannot recommend storing butter produced by these methods under vacuum sealed conditions at room temperature.

Also cooked jams and preserves should keep at least a year or more rather than just months.

[Mojorabbit]

10. I wouldn't use butter either

I was always taught to be real careful of the acidity and to only use bottled lemon juice unless you had ph papers to guarantee the correct acidity. It would seem butter would add to the risk of botulism. Perhaps the amt is so minuscule it wouldn't matter. I don't know.
I am dying to try this recipe and will do so in the next few weeks and it also calls for butter.
Darlene's Black Forest Cherry Jam

6 cups prepared black sweet cherries (you can use any cherries)
3 unsweetened chocolate squares
4 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp Amaretto
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 box pectin
1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter

Pit the cherries if necessary, then chop them up. Crush the remains thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. If using frozen berries, use both liquid and solids; they all were part of the original fresh berry.

Measure 6 cups of crushed fruit and lemon juice into 6 or 8 quart heavy
saucepan. Break the chocolate squares into smaller pieces and add them to
saucepan. Measure sugar into separate bowl.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar from measured amount with pectin in small bowl. Stir pectin
sugar mixture into fruit in saucepan. Add remaining sugar. Add butter. Bring
quickly to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Skim foam and ladle into pint or half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace and
process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.

[hippywife]

11. That does sound good.

I'm guessing microorganisms that cause botulism wouldn't need very much of the low acid fats to take off, tho.

For years now I've used no butter and only fresh lemons without any problems. So I'm really puzzled on why they would even suggest using the butter at all.

:hi:

[ginnyinWI]

3. I'm a freezer jam person.

I've never wanted to hassle with jars or canning, and truthfully have been afraid of it because of botulism. That doesn't have to do with jam, but that's where I'm at with the idea of canning.

So I've always preserved things in the freezer. Jam is easy--I get little plastic containers, fill and freeze. I suppose glass would freeze okay too. It's usually strawberry-rhubarb jam. I'm wondering if I even need pectin: I made some rhubarb sauce this year that got very think, so I decided to call it preserves. :)

[hippywife]

5. It is extremely risky to freeze glass.

I don't know that I would attempt that.

[ginnyinWI]

6. I think you're right about that. I don't normally freeze it.

What I do is this: I have one pretty jam jar, and when it's gone I wash it and refill with the next plastic container of jam from the freezer.

Frozen jam doesn't really freeze into a solid block--it's more fluid and is able to be scooped into another container.

But on the subject of glass--I think you can freeze Pyrex glass without worry--the kind that says it goes from freezer to oven. I have leftover bowls made of it. Just not the ordinary jar.

[pleah]

7. Looks like you've got some of the best advice.

I prefer canning.

I just had to tell everyone that I just picked a bucket of large rose hips from my Rosa Rugosa bushes and haven't decided on jelly or puree or syrup. It all sounds so good!:9

[femmocrat]

12. Thanks everyone for the great advice.

I'll let you know how it turns out! :hi:

[yellerpup]

13. Because some of my teeth are a little loose

I strain the seeds out half of the berries when I make wild blackberry jam. I use a simple strainer and a wooden pestle, but it takes a bit of time and wrist strength to get it done. Better than getting gobs of seeds stuck between your teeth, though. Good luck!

[lizerdbits]

14. I always water bath can

Just so it doesn't take up room in the freezer. Plus I can make smaller jars for christmas gifts, as long as I'm thinking 6 or more months ahead. I don't use additional pectin unless I'm using something that doesn't have enough of its own pectin (the usual rule is 1/3 of your fruit to be underripe since they have more pectin).

I have my mom's late 60's Joy of Cooking which has really good information on jams and jellies (except using an asbestos pad under your pan to distribute heat evenly :scared: ).

[TankLV]

15. My mom did and my sister still does...

Strawberry, grape, peach, raspberry/blackberry, cherry...

Our pantry in the basement was always full...

[kestrel91316]

16. Yum. If you don't want them and jam is too much trouble,

just mail them all to me.