gel point makes a difference in your final product.
It’s a good idea to have two candy thermometers. They are inexpensive and critical for perfect jelly making. If one breaks, you’ll have a second one for backup during canning.
The spoon, or sheet, test (see Figure 6-2): Dip a cool metal spoon into your cooked fruit and hold it so the fruit runs off the spoon. When the temperature of the fruit approaches the gel point, it falls off in a couple of drops. When it slides off the spoon in one sheet, the fruit’s done. Proceed with your next step.
This test takes a bit of practice to master. Until you master it, use a candy thermometer in conjunction with this test. When the temperature of the fruit climbs toward the gel point, you’ll be able to see the changes in the liquid and compare it to the sheeting from the spoon.
The plate test (see Figure 6-2): Place about 1 tablespoon of cooked fruit onto a chilled plate. Put the plate in the freezer and cool the spread to room temperature. If the fruit is set and doesn’t roll around on the plate, the mixture is done. Proceed to your next step.
Figure 6-2: Gel testing your food: the spoon test and the plate test.
The Road to Sweet Canning Success
The only method for safely processing your sweet spreads, as approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is water-bath canning. The harmful bacteria and microorganisms living in high-acid foods are destroyed at the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees at 1,000 feet or lower above sea level) by sterilizing the food and vacuum-sealing the jar. For that reason, the recipes in the following sections all use water-bath canning. For complete details on water-bath canning, refer to Chapter 4.
Here are a couple of other tips to help you ensure your canning success:
Stick with tested recipes. They’re always the best. Don’t experiment with different quantities of ingredients in any canning method. Quantity adjustments to your fruit or your sugar can seriously change the acid (pH level) in your food. And if the acidity changes, you may not use the correct home-canning method to produce a safe product, free from microorganisms.
Always practice safe food-handling procedures. Complete each recipe, start to finish, without interruption. Any break between cooking your fruit to filling the jars and processing them may produce a product of inferior quality and one that may be unsafe for eating.
Jamming and canning
Jam is fun to make. It takes me (Karen) back to my childhood days when I created my own daily specials from crushed leaves, flowers, dirt, rocks, and water. I’ve grown up, but I still love playing with food. My husband is pleased to report that I now use real food instead of dirt and rocks!
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
Strawberries and rhubarb go together famously. This jam is a great way to get your family to try rhubarb, and it makes a great gift. You can make it throughout the year because frozen rhubarb works just like fresh.
Preparation time : 45 minutes
Processing time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 pints
4 cups strawberries, crushed
2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup lemon juice
One 1.75-ounce package pectin powder
6 cups sugar
1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
2 Hull and crush the strawberries. Clean the rhubarb; trim the ends and remove the leaves. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces.
3 Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, and pectin powder in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full, rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Skim any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer, if necessary.
4 Ladle the boiling-hot jam into your hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Release any air
It’s a good idea to have two candy thermometers. They are inexpensive and critical for perfect jelly making. If one breaks, you’ll have a second one for backup during canning.
The spoon, or sheet, test (see Figure 6-2): Dip a cool metal spoon into your cooked fruit and hold it so the fruit runs off the spoon. When the temperature of the fruit approaches the gel point, it falls off in a couple of drops. When it slides off the spoon in one sheet, the fruit’s done. Proceed with your next step.
This test takes a bit of practice to master. Until you master it, use a candy thermometer in conjunction with this test. When the temperature of the fruit climbs toward the gel point, you’ll be able to see the changes in the liquid and compare it to the sheeting from the spoon.
The plate test (see Figure 6-2): Place about 1 tablespoon of cooked fruit onto a chilled plate. Put the plate in the freezer and cool the spread to room temperature. If the fruit is set and doesn’t roll around on the plate, the mixture is done. Proceed to your next step.
Figure 6-2: Gel testing your food: the spoon test and the plate test.
The Road to Sweet Canning Success
The only method for safely processing your sweet spreads, as approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is water-bath canning. The harmful bacteria and microorganisms living in high-acid foods are destroyed at the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees at 1,000 feet or lower above sea level) by sterilizing the food and vacuum-sealing the jar. For that reason, the recipes in the following sections all use water-bath canning. For complete details on water-bath canning, refer to Chapter 4.
Here are a couple of other tips to help you ensure your canning success:
Stick with tested recipes. They’re always the best. Don’t experiment with different quantities of ingredients in any canning method. Quantity adjustments to your fruit or your sugar can seriously change the acid (pH level) in your food. And if the acidity changes, you may not use the correct home-canning method to produce a safe product, free from microorganisms.
Always practice safe food-handling procedures. Complete each recipe, start to finish, without interruption. Any break between cooking your fruit to filling the jars and processing them may produce a product of inferior quality and one that may be unsafe for eating.
Jamming and canning
Jam is fun to make. It takes me (Karen) back to my childhood days when I created my own daily specials from crushed leaves, flowers, dirt, rocks, and water. I’ve grown up, but I still love playing with food. My husband is pleased to report that I now use real food instead of dirt and rocks!
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
Strawberries and rhubarb go together famously. This jam is a great way to get your family to try rhubarb, and it makes a great gift. You can make it throughout the year because frozen rhubarb works just like fresh.
Preparation time : 45 minutes
Processing time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 pints
4 cups strawberries, crushed
2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup lemon juice
One 1.75-ounce package pectin powder
6 cups sugar
1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
2 Hull and crush the strawberries. Clean the rhubarb; trim the ends and remove the leaves. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces.
3 Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, and pectin powder in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full, rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Skim any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer, if necessary.
4 Ladle the boiling-hot jam into your hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Release any air
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