RHUBARB-STRAWBERRY JAM
5 Cups diced, fresh rhubarb
3 Cups white sugar
1 3 oz pkg of strawberry jello
Mix rhubarb and sugar and let them set overnight. The next day, pour rhubarb/sugar mixture into saucepan and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in jello. Mix until gelatin is completely dissolved. (Jam will thicken as it cools.) Pour into sterilized jars and cover with wax. Jam will also keep well in refrigerator.
Yields 6 1/2 pints
GREEN TOMATO JELLY
4 Cups blended green tomatoes
4 Cups sugar
2 pkgs (3 oz) jello-any flavor you like (strawberry or raspberry are great)
Chop tomatoes up and put in blender. Put 4 cups blended tomatoes and sugar in kettle and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Skim foam off. Add jello and stir well. Put in jars and add 1/4 in. melted parafin on top to seal.
MOCK RASPBERRY JAM
4 Cups peeled, crushed TOMATOES
2 teasp lemon juice
4 Cups sugary
6 oz pkg raspberry gelatin (Jello)
Boil tomatoes, lemon juice and sugar together for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin. Pour into clean canning jars while hot. Adjust lids and process 5 minutes in boiling water bath. NOTE: Jam will be loose. Once the jar is opened and refrigerated, it will get firm.
Makes 3 pints
APPLE BUTTER
2 Doz apples, quartered
2 qts sweet cider
1/2 teasp cloves
3 Cups sugar
1 1/2 teasp cinnamon
Cook apples in cider until soft. Pour through sieve. Measure 3 qts. apple pulp and cook until thick enough to round up on spoon. Add sugar and spices. Cook slowly, about 1 hour. Pack in hot jars and process 10 minutes in hot water bath.
14 comments:
Good Morning,
Here are just a few of Jean's recipes for jams. Hope you enjoy them.
Marilyn
These all sound really good. I never made anything with green tomatoes, but we put in a few more tomato plants than usual this year, so the Green Tomato Jelly sounds interesting.
Is Apple Butter used on toast the way Jelly would be?
Doreen
Doreen, apple butter can be used on toast, like jelly. The beauty of apple butter, is that is is a little thicker, so it can be used as a side, next to a meat dish, like you would applesauce, on top of cakes, like a glaze, most anything you can think of...
Green tomatoes are a little "sour"-so you need the sugar..the beauty of green tomatoes, is they provide a lot of "meat" to the jam, and are easily flavored....using the jello is a great idea, it takes the place of pectin, plus you have less boil time and watching the pot time. Makes jam making go quick!
I have some very "novice" questions.
For the Green Tomato Jelly, do the tomatoes get peeled first? If I cut the recipe in half and make a smaller amount, can I just refrigerate the jelly instead of sealing with paraffin? If I seal it with the paraffin, does that mean that it doesn't have to be refrigerated and how long of a shelf life will it have?
Oh, a thought just occurred to me. Maybe these recipes are for someone who knows what they're doing in the 'canning department'!
Doreen
Hi Everyone,
Thank you for the compliments, I will see that Jean gets them. Doreen, I will see if Sue Ann will questions your questions because I am no help there.
Marilyn
Hi Doreen- you do not have to peel green tomatoes....and you can just put your jam in the fridge, and even if you have several half pints..it will last a good long time.
Now..you have been reading where I do not promote wax on jams and jellies...and a lot of that is because you should know a "little" about what is going on. Here is the skivey on it...pour your hot HOT jams or jellies in the jars..leaving the proper head space...then once all the jars are filled..take a long pin- like you get with a corsage...and "pop" the teeny air bubbles that will have risen to the top of the jam/jelly. Pop as many as you can without disturbing the "set" if the jam/jelly-don't need to go deep with the pin. Then,take an old table spoon..use it just for the wax, and ladle wax over each jar, a layer at a time..one jar at a time...make sure the wax touches all edges of the jar...do not make it anymore than 1/4' thick...too thick puts too much pressure on the top...too thin..does not keep the air out. and you let the jars sit...usually overnight..for the wax to set-up hard....then I cut paper rounds, use a jar ring for a pattern, and put the paper rounds over with a rubber band, label the jars and store. The danger with this method..are several...not getting the wax touching all parts of the jar to seal it off...storing it in light, heat, or too damp. If you can do all that...you are going to have a good supply in the winter...heat, light...destroy the seal of the wax, or forces the food to push up and out, from the wax.....and it is spoiled then And a messy clean-up!
I melt the wax in a can, in a small pot of water.....I use a tongs to pick the can up, put it on an old potholder.....and when I am ready, use the tongs to hold the can(tip it), to get wax on my spoon.....it cools quickly..so sometimes you have to put it back in the hot water for a few seconds.
wax is so much easier to say, then constantly typing paraffin all the time!!! LOL!! Any jelly and jam recipe can be halved.And can be frozen too.....
Forgot to answer your shelf life question...most canned foods..ant type you use for canning, hot water bath, pressure can, wax seal..even if you use real cans..which some still do(VERY expensive), even frozen...the recommended shelf life is one year. I have been known to keep some things longer..but for newbies..a year is a good way to start. In the fridge, I would say 6 months, because of the constant open and close..and moisture. In some very hot Summers, I have had a canned jar of applesauce go bad, after it was opened and being used...because a refridgerater can only do so much with outside humidity-and the constant open and close..so when I open something..now, I make sure it is eaten in a few days, rather than a week....I think tho..even most store bought foods will go bad in very hot summers...
Thank you so much, Sue Ann. I couldn't get Jean on the telephone and I knew you would know.
Marilyn
I wanted to add..was thinking of this while I was getting in the Fall veggie planting today..between the rain drops!
There is always a "scum" that forms on top of any jam or jelly you make..in any many..sometimes it is a lot ( if you cook it all on the stove) sometimes it is a little- like the freezer types...but it is there..a thin film..it is the sugars rising.....and that is what will spoil the food if left on when canned or waxed...could make mold if left on and put in the fridge. So..take a tablespoon, and skim it off, put it in a bowl.....you can eat the scum..it is the super sweet part of the jam or jelly. Apple butter does not do this...just jams and jellies....
So..if you are going to use wax, or seals it is MOST important to take the scum off. You can remove it in the pan, and then there will still be some at the top of the jars when you fill them. Do not despair if some goes to the bottom of your jar while trying to fish the scum off!!! It will not spoil the food..being on top....next to the seal, is what does it.
As kids..we all wanted the scum!!! LOL!! It is sooooo sweet!!!!
On the wax, when you put the layers on....even if you are lucky to cover in one swipe of the spoon...look for little pin hole bubbles.....when the wax has set a bit, cover again..those pin holes let air in....use your long pin to "burst your bubbles"! (ever wonder where terms come from? And then cover with more wax.
SueAnn, you said that jam and jelly can be frozen. What kind of container should it be put in, and can this be done without the wax? I have several cute little glass jelly jars, but I don't think they can be put in the freezer. Should I use small Ball jars, or are there special glass or plastic containers that should be used?
Doreen
I would have never thought of using tomatoes with jello to make jam! :) What a fascinating group of recipes!
Laura
Well, Doreen- I have used the 6, & 8, oz. yogurt containers with the lids...for freezer jams. I have many saved from years and years of saving...but our store no longer sells them that way..they all have these tear off aluminim seals.
I did buy some 20 oz glasses years ago..that have plastic lids to them, and I freeze in those..they are a sturdier glass-can drink out of them too! Canning jars can go in the freezer.....but I would only use them as a last resort. See if you can find some plastics that are freezer quality...small square types...with lids...You do not need to do anything beyond just putting the lid over it...just stick to the head space when filling, and removing the scum...and label!
Tomatoes are great for jam as they have a good supply of meat(if green) or juice (if red), and lend themselves to different flavors being added...so you would have a meaty, juicy red tomato strawberry jam, that tastes all strawberry!!! Or you can use raspberry!!!
I have a banana jam for you all, a pumpkin /apricot marmalade, a cantalope jam, watermelon jelly, and pickled watermelon rinds!!!!
Easy for ANYONE to make.....I even have a red wine jelly too~ For fancy times!!! and a rose petal jelly too....if you have roses in your yard..you can make this! Next week!!!
One last thing I forgot! No paraffin in the freezer...it will crack, the food may push out,,,freezer burn,,,ruined...paraffin is only for the fridge or the shelf.
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