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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Who has made jams/jellies?
I got this wild idea for Christmas gifts this year for some of my studio friends. I wanted to try making jam, but I am a complete moron in the kitchen. I can bake, but I usually avoid making candies and whatnot because they usually came out inedible. I once threw out an entire pot of fudge because the chocolate burned beyond reasonable cleaning.
Anyway: is there an easy to understand, go-to recipe out there for dummies? I mean seriously... step by step.
I was going to use frozen strawberries. I also have no idea where to get good, small, gift size jars. (The Kerr jars are giant!)
Any other supplies I should get?
Thanks!
Re: Who has made jams/jellies?
I made strawberry jam this year, it wasn't that hard. I'm currently planning to make marmalade.
Ball makes smaller jars but I'm guessing various sizes and equipment will be harder to find right now than a couple months ago. I also got a set of jarring equipment that included the lifting tongs and stuff. It made things easier.
I used the Ball website http://www.freshpreserving.com/ for a lot of information. They have some nice tutorials and tried and true recipes. I made their balsalmic vinegar strawberry preserves and they're really good.
I have done it a couple of times. I just perused the internet for recipes for the jam itself. But there is also a recipe that comes on the boxes of powdered pectin that I bought.
Maybe a craft store like Michael's would have jars smaller than the Kerr jars? I found some that weren't very tall, like the smallest of these (I think they are Bell brand):
But I bet you could find some of the really small ones, like the kind that you see in gift baskets or at hotels.
I bought a canning funnel, but it's not an absolute necessity. It does make spooning the hot jam into jars much easier, though!
And you can buy canning tongs to drop the jars into the boiling water bath (and remove them).
You can use regular tongs for this step too, but you want to make sure you can get a really good grasp on the jars as they are hot and slippery from the water.
Another tip is to dip a spoon into the jam after it's been cooking for awhile and then put the spoon in the freezer for a minute or so. If the cooled jam is thick enough to stay on the spoon, it's done cooking and you can put it in the jars. If it's still too liquidy, then keep cooking it for awhile.
And make sure that you sanitize the jars and lid circles before filling them.
HTH, and have fun!
funny you should ask since i just made my first batch of marmalade last night. i love making marmalade... it's super easy. you just have to make sure you have the time and be patient. if you're at all interested in making marmalade, let me know. citrus is in season now and you can probably get some in your neighborhood for free by asking neighbors if you don't have some trees yourself.
try osh for canning jars. they sell ball/mason jars and they come in a range of sizes, from 4 oz up to the huge ones. you can always order them online, too. that link is just to let you see the various sizes. lots of good sites on "how to" for canning.
My other venture was to try making lemon curd since we have a very full lemon tree outside. Don't have any other citrus trees yet.
But, yeah, the canning process is what scares me. Some recipes call for freezing, some call for boiling, others call for both. I'm not really sure what is easier. I tolerate cold better than heat though.
Freezer jams have a shorter shelf life and you're not supposed to use glass unless it's specially tempered for the freezer.
"As the name implies, freezer jam is meant to be stored in the freezer. In fact, it will keep beautifully in the freezer for up to a year. You can also keep freezer jam in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Once you open a container of jam, you should use it within three weeks as well. Just remember never to keep freezer jam at room temperature, or it will spoil."
I was worried about the whole boiling the jars process but it wasn't that bad. You do have to have a big enough pot though.
Well, that won't work since I plan to give these as gifts. Thanks for the tip.
I've had better luck at places like Raleys and True Value, and or Osh, for canning supplies. TV has different sizes of jars, I like the small Kerr jars.
There is a recipe on the package of sure-Jell it's pretty easy. Otherwise I'd just google Strawberry Jam recipe. They are relatively similar and you can just pick the one that seems best.
super easy, really. just make sure you wipe the tops of jars well before putting the lid on. for marmalade i don't do a water bath mostly because it's a complete pain in the a$$. it's not hard, just a pain. all you do is put the jars in the boiling water for 10 minutes and you're done. i flip the jars upside down for 5 - 10 minutes, then flip them upright (you must flip them upright again). that will seal them too, though it's not suitable for all things.