August 2010
Lip Smacking Fruit Spreads
by Mary Gerlach, R.D.
Registered Dietician
The fresh fruit available at your local farmer’s market and in the grocery stores this month are sweet and delicious. One way to keep enjoying them all year is to make them into homemade jams, jellies, preserves, conserves, marmalades or fruit butter. It is a lot easier to make jam, preserves and conserves than it is jelly. That’s because the whole fruit is used, while only the juice is needed for jelly.
Extracting juice from the fruit takes more time and patience, but the end product is often worth the effort. To extract the juice, the fruit is cooked with a little water and then squeezed through a couple layers of cheesecloth or pressed through a fine sieve to separate the pulp (and seeds in blackberries or raspberries) from the juice.
There are two different types of jam and jelly you can make—quick and easy freezer or cooked jams and jellies. The freezer method takes about half the time as the cooking process. Freezer jams have a softer set (runnier), but retain a fresh fruit taste. Either method requires the use of pectin to help them set.
Nearly any fruit works well for jam, although apricots, blueberries, cherries, peaches, pears, and plums are especially delicious, while grapes, blackberries and apples are more often made into jelly. Be sure to use firm ripe fruit. I make a lot of jam each summer. It isn’t because we eat large quantities of it—I just like making it, and it makes nice gifts for friends and family.
Cooked Pear Jam
Small jelly jars, screw bands and NEW flat lids
4 cups (about 3 pounds) ripe pears
¼ cup lemon juice
7½ cups sugar
1 pouch CERTO (liquid pectin)
1 tsp. butter (to reduce foaming)
Wash jars with hot soapy water; rinse. Heat a large pan of water deep enough to cover the jars; bring to a boil. Heat a small pan of water to boil the screw bands and lids.
Peel, core and chop pears. Measure exact amount of fruit and place in an 8-quart saucepan on the stove top with lemon juice and sugar. Do not reduce the sugar or use sugar substitute or the jam will not set. Try using powdered Sure-Jell for the pectin for less or no-sugar recipes. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring frequently.
Stir in pectin quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add butter to reduce foam and continue stirring 5 minutes to help fruit pieces stay suspended in syrup. Remove one jar with tongs from boiling water and ladle hot jam quickly into jar, filling to within ?-inch of top of jar.
Remove 1 flat lid and 1 screw band from hot water and screw tightly, using pot holders to keep from burning hands. Immediately turn jar upside down on several layers of newspaper. Repeat filling and sealing jars as above. Let jars stand upside down for 1 hour, then turn right side up. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, it is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
Store unopened jam in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jam for up to 1 month. Yield: 8 cups.
Quick and Easy Blueberry Freezer Jam
Plastic containers (1-cup size) withtight fitting lids
2 cups crushed blueberries (do not puree)
4 cups sugar
2 Tb. fresh lemon juice
1 pouch CERTO (liquid pectin)
Wash and rinse plastic containers and lids. Measure exact amount of crushed blueberries in large bowl. Add sugar and mix well (do not reduce sugar or jam will not set). Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In separate small bowl, stir lemon juice and pectin together. Stir pectin mixture into berries; stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Pour into prepared containers, leaving ½-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing; cover with tight fitting lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set.
Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before use. Yield: 5 cups.
Cooked Grape Jelly
Small jelly jars, screw bands and NEW flat lids
4 cups prepared grape juice
7 cups sugar
1 pouch CERTO (liquid pectin)
1 tsp. butter
To prepare grape juice, wash about 3 pounds Concord grapes, discard stems and crush grapes with a potato masher. Place in saucepan with ½-cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place cooked grapes and liquid in 2-3 layers of damp cheesecloth over large bowl; tie cheesecloth closed, hang and let drip until dripping stops; press or squeeze to remove remaining juice.
To prepare jars, wash jars with hot soapy water; rinse. Heat a large pan of water deep enough to cover the jars; bring to a boil. Heat a small pan of water to boil the screw bands and lids.
Measure 4 cups prepared grape juice in 8-quart saucepan; add sugar. Do not reduce the sugar or use sugar substitute or the jelly will not set. (Try using powdered Sure-Jell for the pectin for less or no-sugar recipes.) Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in pectin quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter to reduce foam and continue stirring until foam disappears.
Remove one jar with tongs from boiling water and ladle hot jam quickly into jar, filling to within ?-inch of top of jar. Wipe jar rims and threads, if needed. Remove 1 flat lid and 1 screw band from hot water and screw tightly, using pot holders to keep from burning hands. Immediately turn jar upside down on several layers of newspaper. Repeat filling and sealing jars as above. Let all jars stand upside down for 1 hour, then turn right side up. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, it is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
Store unopened jelly in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jelly for up to 1 month. Yield: 7 cups.