RECIPES: Jams, Marmalades, & Chutneys

RETURN TO THE *RECIPES* HOMEPAGE

Amish Christmas Jam

Notes:

Amish Christmas Jam is a low-sugar cooked jam made with Pomona’s Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.

This recipe, originally an Amish recipe, was adapted from one sent to Connie Sumberg at Pomona’s Pectin by Nancy O’Neal of Bedford, Virginia. The original recipe used liquid pectin and a large amount of sugar. Nancy wanted to use Pomona’s and less sugar. Connie, of Pomona’s Pectin, adapted it for her.

Nancy has now made it with Pomona’s Pectin and said, “My sneak taste was wonderful! Used two cups of sugar! Makes a great jam for toast as well as a topping for cheesecake or cream cheese and crackers.

Yield: 4-5 cups

Before You Begin:
Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups whole cranberries
• 1 orange; peeled, seeded, and sections separated
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, from the above orange
• 2 cups frozen, slightly thawed, sliced strawberries
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons calcium water
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

RECIPE:

1. Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
2. Rinse cranberries and combine cranberries and orange sections in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
3. Add strawberries, orange zest, cloves, and cinnamon. Process until finely chopped, but not pureed.
4. Put processed fruit mixture into sauce pan.
5. Cook mixture for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
6. Add calcium water, and mix well.
7. Measure 1 cup sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sugar. Set aside.
8. Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.
9. Add remaining 1 cup sugar once pectin is dissolved. Stir well and return to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat. Skim off any foam.
10. Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil in water bath for 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down.

Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

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SWEET CHERRY-RHUBARB JAM

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

Yield: 4 - 5 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 1¼ pounds sweet cherries
• 1 pound trimmed rhubarb stalks
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons calcium water
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder

RECIPE:

• Wash and rinse jars, lids, and screw bands. Set screw bands aside until ready to use. Place jars in boiling water bath canner with a rack, fill at least 2/3 of the way full with water, and bring to a boil. Boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize (add 1 additional minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level), then turn down heat and let jars stand in hot water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small pan, bring to a low simmer, and hold there until ready to use.

• Rinse the cherries, remove and discard stems and pits, then chop the cherries.

• Rinse the rhubarb stalks, slice them into thin, length-wise strips, then dice. In a saucepan, combine diced rhubarb with the ½ cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft. Remove pan from heat, then mash the rhubarb.

• Measure 2 cups of the chopped cherries, and 2 cups of the mashed rhubarb. If you have extra, save it for another use. Pour the measured amounts of cherries and rhubarb into a sauce pan. Add lemon juice and calcium water and stir to combine.

• In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and the pectin powder. Mix well and set aside.

• Bring the cherry-rhubarb mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the sugar-pectin mixture, then stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, still over the highest heat, to dissolve pectin. Return the mixture to a boil, then remove it from the heat.

• Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with jam, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).

• Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, return the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)

• Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then remove jars from canner.

• Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed. Remove screw bands from sealed jars, rinse off outside of jars if necessary, label jars, and store for later use.

from pomonapectin.com

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Rhubarb- Blackberry Lime Jam with Pomona’s Pectin

Yields 4-5 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 ½  cups blackberries. If using frozen, thaw for 30 minutes.
• 1 ½ cups  rhubarb. If using frozen, thaw for 30 minutes
• 1 Tbs lime zest, minced
• 1/4 cup bottled lime juice
• 1 to 2 cups sugar or ¾ to 1 cup Honey
• 2 teaspoons Pomona’s calcium water
• 2 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

 

 Directions:

 

1. Sterilize 5 @ 8 oz. jars and prepare lids and rings

2. Mix pectin and sweetener together in a separate bowl.

3.  Bring blackberries and rhubarb to a boil, stir till rhubarb breaks down.

4. Measure out 4 cups of fruit mixture and return to pot.  Set aside any extra fruit mixture.

5. Add zest, lime juice and calcium water to fruit

6. Bring fruit, juice, and calcium water back to a boil

7. Slowly mix in sweeter/pectin mixture to pot stirring till dissolved. About 1-2 minutes.

8. Return the mixture to a boil and remove it from the heat.

9.  Ladle the hot jam into your sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 10 minutes in a hot-water bath canner.

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Strawberry- Rhubarb Jam: Two Variations

Strawberry–Rhubarb Jam with Sugar: Ingredients

• 2 cups mashed strawberries (about 4 cups whole)
• 2 cups cooked rhubarb (chop, simmer with ¼ water till soft)
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons commercial lemon juice
• 2.5 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water

Strawberry–Rhubarb Jam with Honey: Ingredients

• 2 cups mashed strawberries (about 4 cups whole)
• 2 cups cooked rhubarb (chop, simmer with ¼ water till soft)
• .75 cup room temperature honey
• 2 Tablespoons commercial lemon juice
• 2.5 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water

Strawberry–Rhubarb Jam: Directions

1. Wash, hull, and mash strawberries, prepare rhubarb
2.  Measure fruit into a kettle
3. Add calcium water and lemon juice, mix well
4. Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl.  Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener.  Set aside.
5. Bring fruit mixture to a full boil.  Add pectin-sweetener mixture stirring.
6. Bring back to a boil.  When pectin mixture dissolved (1-2 minutes) remove from heat. 
7. Feel prepared canning jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
8. Wipe rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes at a rolling boil.
9. After 10 minutes turn off heat and all canner to sit for 5 minutes. 
10. Remove jars from canner and allow jars to cool about an hour then check for seal.
11. Allow final cooling in place for 12 or more hours.
12. Label and store at or below 70 degrees for up to a year.

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Carrot Cake Jam

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
• 
  1 1/2 cups chopped apple, peeled and cored first
• 1 3/4 cups crushed canned pineapple, including juice
• juice of one orange
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons calcium water, comes with Pomona Pectin(it's the reason it always jells!)
• 2 cups Sugar
• 4 teaspoons Pomona Pectin

DIRECTIONS:

1. begin heating water for a boiling water bath in a canner
2. wash 6 half pint jars and matching lid assemblies
3. in a large stainless steel pan combine carrots, apples, pineapple with juice, orange juice and spices bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently
4. reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. stir in the calcium water
6. and return to a boil
7. mix the pectin with the sugar
8. and stir into the jam
9. cook and stir for one minute
10. remove from heat, ladle into prepared jars
11. place in the canner and process for 10 minutes
12. use canning tongs to remove from the water
13. let them set undisturbed until cooled
14. check to make sure the jars are sealed-any unused jars need to be put in the fridge and used first
15. this makes between 5-6 half pint jars, make them in smaller jars if you want to

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Cranberry Pepper Jam

Yield:  about 3 1/2 pints

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups red bell pepper finely chopped, about 1 1/2 peppers worth 2 large jalapeno peppers finely minced, about 2/3 cup worth
• 2 serrano peppers finely minced, about 1/3 cup worth 2 cups plain white vinegar
• 6 cups sugar divided
• 1 tablespoon Pomona's Universal Pectin * 4 teaspoons calcium water *

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the cranberries, bell peppers, jalapenos, serranos, and vinegar in a large deep pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. While the mixture comes to a boil, shake together the calcium water according to the package directions. In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of Pomona's pectin.
2. When the mixture on the stove is boiling, add the calcium water and sugar/pectin mixture. Stir and bring to a boil again. When the sugar and pectin have dissolved, about a minute of simmering, add in the remaining 5 cups of sugar all at once. Stir to combine and bring to a roiling boil. (A roiling boil will continue to boil across the entire surface even while stirring.)
3. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Remove from the heat and pour into sterile jars. Process in a hot water bath and then store in a cool dark place for up to a year. Alternatively, this jam may be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month or alternatively, you can freeze it for up to 6 months. Enjoy!

Notes: Check out the original recipe for additional information

from barefeetinthekitchen.com

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STRAWBERRY JAM

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

Yield: 4 - 5 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups mashed strawberries (about 8 cups whole strawberries)
• 2 teaspoons calcium water
• ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

RECIPE:

• Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a simmer. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.

• Wash, remove hulls, and mash strawberries. Measure fruit into sauce pan.

• Add calcium water and mix well.

• Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.

• Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

• Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

Note: If you’re not sure if your jam is sweet enough, taste it after the pectin is dissolved and jam has come back up to a boil. Not sweet enough? Add more sweetener and stir 1 minute at full boil.

from pomonapectin.com

                                  

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Apple Rhubarb Chutney

Richly coloured and lightly spiced this chunky chutney is delicious on toast but it’s also a tasty accompaniment for savoury snacks like cheese and pork.!

Yield:  Makes about 4 x 250 ml jars  

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups rhubarb, diced
• 2 cups apples, cored, peeled, and diced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• zest and juice of one orange
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon candied ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I used whole, worked just fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

RECIPE:

1. In a large heavy bottomed pan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and hours, stirring every 15 minutes.

2. Once the mixture has thickened and cooked down, ladle the hot chutney into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. If canning, bubbles with a knife and hot water bath process for 10 minutes. You can also let cool and store in refrigerator for use within a week processing. 

Recipe from prairiecalifornian.com

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Strawberry–Rhubarb Jam with Mint and Ginger

Yield: 4-5 8oz Jars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups mashed strawberries (about 4 cups whole)
• 2 cups cooked rhubarb (chop, simmer with ¼ water till soft)
• 1 – 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 – 2 Tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 -2 teaspoons finely chopped mint (your choice)
• 2 Tablespoons commercial lemon juice
• 2.5 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water

RECIPE:

1. Wash, hull, and mash strawberries, prepare rhubarb
2. Measure fruit, mint, ginger into a kettle
3. Add calcium water and lemon juice, mix well
4. Measure sugar into a bowl.  Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener.  Set aside.
5. Bring fruit mixture to a full boil.  Add pectin-sweetener mixture stirring.
6. Bring back to a boil.  When pectin mixture dissolved (1-2 minutes) remove from heat.
7. Feel prepared canning jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
8. Wipe rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes at a rolling boil.
9. After 10 minutes turn off heat and all canner to sit for 5 minutes.
10. Remove jars from canner and allow jars to cool - about an hour then check for seal.
11. Allow final cooling in place for 12 or more hours.
12. Label and store at or below 70 degrees for up to a year.

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Rhubarb- Blackberry Lime Jam with Pomona’s Pectin (updated)

"Fresh Blackberries" from www.publicdomainpictures.net

Yields 4-5 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½  cups blackberries  If using frozen thaw 30 minutes.
• 1 ½ cups  rhubarb. If using frozen thaw 30 minutes
• 1 Tbs lime zest, minced
• 1/4 cup bottled lime juice
• 1 to 2 cups sugar, or 1/2 to 1 cup Honey
• 2 teaspoons Pomona’s calcium water
• 2 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

RECIPE:

1. Sterilize 10 @ 4 oz. or 5 @ 8 oz. jars and prepare lids and rings

2. Mix pectin and sweetener together in a separate bowl.

3.  Bring blackberries and rhubarb to a boil, stir till rhubarb breaks down.

4. Measure out 4 cups of fruit mixture and return to pot.  Set aside any extra fruit mixture.

5. Add lime juice and calcium water to fruit

6, Bring fruit, juice, and calcium water back to a boil

7. Slowly mix in sweeter/pectin mixture to pot stirring till dissolved. About 1-2 minutes.

8. Return to the mixture to a boil and remove it from the heat.

9.  Ladle the hot jam into your sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 10 minutes in a hot-water bath canner. 

NOTES:

Frozen rhubarb  when defrosted is more compact   The following guidelines can help:

• One pound of rhubarb will equal approximately 3 cups of chopped and 2 cups cooked
• A 12 oz. package of frozen rhubarb equal approximately 1 1/2 cups.

It is easier to plan ahead and freeze your rhubarb in 1, 2 or 3 cup fresh chopped packages.

Pomona’s Universal Pectin will work with any sweetener or none at all. Recipes can be doubled, tripled, or halved.

http://www.pomonapectin.com/

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(No Sugar) Triple Berry Jam

No-Sugar Triple Berry Jam is a cooked jam made with xylitol and Pomona’s Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.

Yield: 5 to 6 cups

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with
½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2½ cups mashed strawberries
• 1½ cups mashed raspberries
• 1 cup mashed blackberries
• ½ teaspoon butter (to prevent foaming)
• 3 teaspoons calcium water
• 1½ cups xylitol (can be substituted 1:1 with sugar)
• 2½ teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

RECIPE:

1. Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.

2. Wash, mash, and measure mashed strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Put measured fruit and butter into sauce pan.

3. Add calcium water, and mix well.

4. Measure xylitol into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into xylitol. Set aside.

5. Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectinxylitol mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

6. Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). When time is up, turn off heat and let jars sit in canner for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes is up, remove jars from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down.

NOTE: The USDA now recommends that you skim, as opposed to using butter, to reduce foaming.  This will help extend the shelf life of the final product.

Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

***

Recipe from pomonapectin.com. This recipe was created and contributed by Moníca Pugh, the jam maker behind Níca’s Jams & Jellies in Sioux Falls, SD, and earned Moníca a Blue Ribbon at her local Fair.

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Maple-Vanilla- Peach Jam

Photo "Peaches for sale"  from publicdomainpictures.net

Excerpted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June

2013)

Yield: 4 to 5 cups

Before You Begin:

Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with 1/2 cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water may be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 1/4 pounds fully ripe peaches

• 1 vanilla bean

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 4 teaspoons calcium water

• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 3 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

RECIPE:

1. Wash your jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring canner to a rolling boil, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize them. (Add 1 extra minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.) Reduce heat and allow jars to remain in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan, heat to a low simmer, and hold until ready to use.

2. Peel and remove pits from peaches, and then mash the peaches in a large bowl. (See “How to Skin a Peach” tip below.)

3. Measure 4 cups of the mashed peaches (saving any extra for another use), and pour the measured amount into a saucepan. Using a paring knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla seeds and the bean pod itself to the fruit, along with the lemon juice and calcium water. Mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup and pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

5. Bring fruit to a full boil over high heat. Slowly add pectin–maple syrup mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat. Using tongs, carefully remove the vanilla bean pod from the jam and discard.

6. Can Your Jam: Remove jars from canner and ladle jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, put on lids and screw bands, and tighten to fingertip tight. Lower filled jars into canner, ensuring jars are not touching each other and are covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Place lid on canner, return to a rolling boil, and process for 10 minutes. (Add 1 extra minute of processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level). Turn off heat and allow canner to sit untouched for 5 minutes, then remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly.

TIP: Perfect Peaches!

This recipe requires mashed peaches, so be sure that your peaches are fully ripe and soft enough to mash. If they’re not, however, simply place peeled, pitted, chopped peaches in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes to soften them, and then mash. (There is no need to drain the water after cooking—simply mash the peach mixture as is.)

TIP: How to Skin a Peach

If you are dealing with a small quantity of fruit, slice off peach (or nectarine) skins with a paring knife (pitting and quartering the fruit first). However, if you’re doubling the recipe and are working with a lot of fruit, you may want to blanch them to remove the skins instead. Simply drop peaches or nectarines one at a time into boiling water for about 30 to 60 seconds, then remove and immediately dunk in cold water. You should then be able to slip the skins right off.

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Lisa's Apricot Nutmeg Jam

*Modified to use Pomona's Pectin

Apricot Nutmeg Jam, Photo by Lisa Alba

Yield: Approximately 8 half pints

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups finely chopped apricots (or puree)
• 3 cups sugar
• 2t freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ T powdered pectin
• 2 T calcium water
• ¼ cup Lemon Juice, store purchased

RECIPE:

1. Pit your apricots, chop finely or puree. You may peel them first if you like, it will not effect the quality of the jam.
2. Mix lemon juice and calcium water together and add to apricots on the heat.  Bring to a boil.
3. Add freshly ground nutmeg, or pre-ground if you wish.  The taste won’t be as strong.
4. Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash fruit to desired consistency.  Some like it lumpy, some don’t. Again it will not effect the final jam.
5. Mix sugar and powdered pectin.  Add to boiling apricot/lemon mixture.
6. Boil for 1-2 minutes.
7. Fill prepared jars leaving ¼” headspace.  Wipe rims and attached lids and rings to fingertip tight.
8. Process jars at full boil in waterbath canner for 10 minutes.
9. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 more minutes.
10. Remove from canner, and place on a towel in a location where the product can sit for a day.
11. Check seals, remove rings and store.

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Strawberry-Rhubarb with Honey Jam

Recipe courtesy of Pomona Universal Pectin

Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Nino Barbieri

Yield: 4-5 half pints

Before You Begin: prepare calcium water. 

To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona's pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups mashed strawberries (about 4 cups whole strawberries)
• 2 cups cooked rhubarb (chop rhubarb, add a little water, cook until soft, measure)
• 2 teaspoons calcium water
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

RECIPE:

1. Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a simmer. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
2. Wash, remove hulls, and mash strawberries. Prepare rhubarb. Measure fruit into sauce pan.
3. Add calcium water and lemon juice and mix well.
4. Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
5. Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
6. Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

 If you’re not sure if your jam is sweet enough, taste it after the pectin is dissolved and jam has come back up to a boil. Not sweet enough? Add more sweetener and stir 1 minute at full boil.

Pomona's Pectin is available at natural food stores, food co-ops, and farm stands.  If you can’t find a store near you on our store locator, order from our website or many other online seller                                            
 NOTES:

Frozen rhubarb  when defrosted is more compact   The following guidelines can help:

• One pound of rhubarb will equal approximately 3 cups of chopped and 2 cups cooked
• A 12 oz. package of frozen rhubarb equal approximately 1 1/2 cups.

It is easier to plan ahead and freeze your rhubarb in 1, 2 or 3 cup fresh chopped packages.

Pomona’s Universal Pectin will work with any sweetener or none at all. Recipes can be doubled, tripled, or halved.

                                    ##

Tomato Jam (no pectin)

Makes between 3 and 5 pints, depending on what kind of tomatoes you use and how long you reduce it

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 cups sugar
• ½ cup bottled lime juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon canning salt
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes

RECIPE:

Combine all the ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, more often as it thickens.

Simmer the jam until it reduces to a sticky, jam-like consistency. This may take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, depending on water content of tomatoes and how high and even you can keep your heat.

You can test the “doneness” by drizzling a bit onto a cold plate and tipping it 45 degrees.  If the jam sticks it is done.

Remove from the heat and fill the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel, apply the lids and twist on the rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When the jars are cool enough to handle, test the seals. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year. 

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 Strawberry-Vanilla Jam

Photo from Lisa Alba

Lisa Alba, my fellow instructor, shares this week’s recipe. 

 “I have found that strawberry jam is one of the easiest and most flavorful jams to make, and local fruit is easy to find this time of year.  Making jam from the wonderful local strawberries is one of the best ways to preserve the taste of summer.  

       My son will only eat strawberry jam, so I have tried many different varieties and additives, from basil to vanilla, cocoa to tequila, but this is my family’s favorite.”

Recipe courtesy of  Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving

Yield: 6-8 half pints

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 qts of strawberries
• 6 T classic pectin
• 6 cups of sugar- this is a reduced amount from the original recipe and may effect jelling in some batches
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1 opened and scraped vanilla bean

  
If no sugar and pectin is desired, you can adjust the cooking time to compensate for lack of  pectin and sugar.
   

RECIPE:
        
Wash and prep the strawberries, crush to desired consistency, bigger chunks may result in float.  Not bad, just different in texture.  

1. Combine strawberries, pectin, and lemon juice and vanilla bean and scrapings in a large pot.  
2. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally.  
3. Add sugar stirring until dissolved, bring back to a rolling boil.  
4. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 
5. Remove from heat, and skim any foam, remove vanilla bean. 
6. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and add lids and rings. 
7. Process for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and leave in hot water bath for 5 additional minutes. Remove and let sit overnight.

            Enjoy this flavor of summer all year round!

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Apple Rhubarb Chutney 

Based on a recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Makes  4 - 5 8 oz jars

Ingredients

• Rhubarb 2 cups - diced. 
• 1 lemon
• Cooking Apples - 4 cups peeled, cored and diced 
• Water - ½ cup 
• Sugar - 4 cups 
• Cranberries, dried - ½ cup 
• Cinnamon, ground - 1 tsp
• Nutmeg, ground -½ tsp
• Apple, lemon, or cranberry.juice - 6 Tbsp Optional.

Instructions

1. Wash, dice and measure rhubarb, add to a large pot.

2. Wash lemon. Zest, add to pot

3. Juice lemon,  add juice to pot.

4. Wash, peel, core, dice and measure the apples. Add to pot.

5. Add water and sugar. Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve sugar.

6. Reduce heat and simmer  uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.

7. Add cranberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, and added juice (optional)

8. Simmer until just thick enough to stand up on a spoon (about 5 to 10 minutes)

9. Pack into 8 oz jars.

10. Leave ½ inch headspace.

11. Wipe jar rims

12. Put the lids and rings on.

13. Process in a water bath

14. Process for 10 minutes; increase time as needed for your altitude.

15. Best after at least a month of jar time.

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Sunrise Marmalade

Preserving Method: Water Bath Canning

Yield:  4 to 5 cups

Allison says, “I’m a huge fan of carrot cake, and if it’s possible to have a marmalade version of that delectable dessert, this is it. It’s lightly spiced and lusciously sweet, and spread generously on dark bread with a bit of butter, this delicious marmalade is a perfect way to greet the morning. For canning safety, don’t increase the quantity of the carrots in this recipe, and remember to use bottled lemon juice.”

Before You Begin:

Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium-size oranges
• 1 1/3 cups peeled, grated carrots
• 1 1/3 cups chopped pineapple
• ¼ cup golden raisins
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons calcium water
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash your jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring canner to a rolling boil, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize them. (Add 1 extra minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.) Reduce heat and allow jars to remain in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan, heat to a low simmer, and hold until ready to use.
2. Thoroughly wash the oranges. Peel the fruit and set aside peel from 1 orange, discarding the remaining peels. Remove and discard any seeds, excess white pith, or especially fibrous parts of the membrane from the flesh of both oranges. Finely chop the flesh of both oranges.
3. Using a paring knife, scrape off and discard the inner white part of the reserved peel. Slice the peel into thin strips, about 1-inch long.
4. In a large saucepan, combine chopped oranges, sliced peel, grated carrots, chopped pineapple, golden raisins, and the 1 1∕3 cups of water. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
5. Measure 4 cups of the cooked fruit mixture (saving any extra for another use), and return the measured quantity to the saucepan. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, lemon juice, and calcium water. Mix well.
6. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
7. Bring fruit mixture back to a full boil over high heat. Slowly add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve pectin while the marmalade comes back up to a boil. Once the marmalade returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
8. Can Your Marmalade: Remove jars from canner and ladle jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, put on lids and screw bands, and tighten to fingertip tight. Lower filled jars into canner, ensuring jars are not touching each other and are covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Place lid on canner, return to a rolling boil, and process for 10 minutes. (Add 1 extra minute of processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level). Turn off heat and allow canner to sit untouched for 5 minutes, then remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly.

Keep It Equal: If you have too much fruit and need to get rid of some to meet the required 4-cup quantity, be sure that you remove solids and liquids equally. This is very important in maintaining both the proper consistency and proper acidity of the final product. Don’t pour off the liquid—instead, remove extra solids and liquids from the measuring cup one spoonful at a time, making an effort to remove liquid spoonfuls and solid spoonfuls in roughly equal quantities.

Excerpted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy

(Fair Winds Press, June 2013)

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