Week 27 Jams and Jellies

Week 27 Jams and Jellies!  Sure-jell, Certo, Parafin, etc. or buy the jams and jellies.  Be sure you have a supply of canning jars.  Not the large mouth, and check to be sure check to make sure you have all the lids and seals.  Not sure how to tell you how much you will need per person with this week jams and jellies post.  It's pretty much up to you and your family.  So enjoy!

This is what I have found out:

The consensus is that an unopened jar of jelly, jam, or preserves has a shelf life of at least a year if kept in a cool,  dry place.  How long will it remain safe and appealing once it’s opened?  Answers vary from  1 to 12 months.  Why so much variation?  The  shelf life of the product is affected by many factors including these: the type of fruit, the amount of sugar and preservatives, whether it is a homemade or a store product.

Jelly, Jam, and Preserves Shelf Life 

	Pantry	Refrigerator

Jellies, opened		6-8 months
Jellies, unopened	1 year
Jams, opened		6-8 months
Jams, unopened	1 year

Handling Tips: 

Cover tightly.

Refrigerate after opening.

Examine an opened product frequently for signs of mold, yeast growth, off-odors, or off-colors. 

An open jar of homemade jelly, jam, or preserves may last only about a month.

Properly sealed homemade jams and jellies will last indefinitely, but the color of red fruits may darken and the flavor fade over time if no "artificial" flavors and colors are added. 

 

Since strawberries are in season at this time I thought I would give you a good strawberry jam easy to make recipe.

Gather everything you need to get started, including some helpers. Chop off the tops of the berries and any gross parts (2 quarts = 1 batch).  

 

Chop up the berries. 

Pour the beautiful chopped berries into a large pot and start cooking (if you like chunkier jam you can mash the berries with a potato masher first).

Pour in 1/4 c. lemon juice (some recipes don’t call for this).

Add the pectin. 

Add 1/2 tsp. of butter to reduce the foaming.

If you like smooth jam, puree it 

While you wait for the strawberries to come to a boil, measure out 7 cups of sugar into a bowl. (Yes SEVEN!)

Dump the whole bowl of sugar in at once. Bring back to a boil and stir for 1 minute while it boils.

Meanwhile, sterilize your jar lids on the stove.

Remove the pot from the stove and pour the delicious jam into sterilized jars. One batch makes about 4 small jars.

Add the lids and rings and wait for them to pop to know they are sealed.

While I didn’t include this part, you should make sure to water bath can your finished jars according to the directions on your pectin package or in your canning guide. This will make sure your jam is properly preserved for long term storage.  

 

We have peaches coming in at our house!  Yum!  I can't wait for them to be ripe enough to eat and make jam out of.  So I thought I would share a peach jam recipe.

 

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Peach Preserves

 12 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped

 4 1/2 cups white sugar

1 (2 ounce) package dry pectin

Directions

1. Crush 1 cup chopped peaches in the bottom of a large saucepan. Add remaining peaches, and set pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil, and cook for about 20 minutes or until peaches become liquid (my family likes a few bits of peach left) .
2. Pour peaches into a bowl, and then measure 6 cups back into the pan. Add sugar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Gradually stir in dry pectin, and boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat after 1 minute, and transfer to sterilized jars. Process in hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. Let cool, and place on shelf.

I like this recipe so much more - not so much sugar!  Plus it helps that I really enjoy peaches!!!