Freezer Jam made with Plain Gelatin

My absolute favorite freezer jam is made with raspberries, rhubarb, and raspberry-flavored Jell-O.  It sounds like a crazy combination, but it tastes amazing.  I love the "set" of the jam, too- it's a soft, spreadable jam that's just perfect.

This year, we had lots of raspberries, but the rhubarb crop failed completely.  I searched for a plain-gelatin based jam for just raspberries, but found very little.

Here is why I like using gelatin in my freezer jams:

1)  Gelatin does not need sugar to gel- you can add sugar to taste.

2)  It is easily adaptable to how much fruit you have on hand.

3)  It is not dependent on certain temperatures to make a successful batch of jam.

Here is why you need to be careful when you use gelatin to set your jam:

1)  It can not be canned safely.  Don't try.  This MUST be a freezer jam.  Gelatin has protein in it, and must be kept frozen or refrigerated to be safe.

2)  If you keep the jam at room temperature, it will turn runny.  It's only firm when it's cold.

3)  This isn't vegetarian.  Nope.  See #1.

I wish I could remember the handful of links I used to cobble this recipe together, but I'm working from a scrap of paper I jotted my cooking notes on.  Use this as a starting point, and a reference for ratios- this recipe would work with any juicy fruit.  The basic equation is 1 cup of sugar and 2 packets plain gelatin per quart of mashed fruit (measure it after mashing to the texture you want the final jam to be.)  The sugar can be to taste. I actually had a bit of cantaloupe leftover from dinner the night before and chopped it up fine before adding it to the pot. See?  Versatile.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

5 quarts of raspberry mash

5 cups sugar

10 packets plain gelatin.

Bring it all to a boil, and boil one minute.  If your fruit isn't very juicy, let it sit in the pot with the sugar for a bit to macerate, and then add the gelatin before bringing to a boil.  Ladle into clean containers, leaving 3/4 inch headspace.  Freeze or refrigerate immediately.  

Pickled Watermelon Rinds

So, watermelon season is drawing to a close. As an homage to my southern roots, I decided to put up a few pints of pickled watermelon rinds this year. Mmmmm. Pickled Watermelon Rinds seems to be an American invention...and an acquired taste. Lo Gung despises these pickles. (Oh well - more for BBJ and me!) They're intensely sweet, and intensely sour, with a sniff of cloves thrown in for a kick.

In other words, they're divine!

I used the recipe from the 75th Anniversary edition of Joy of Cooking, modified just a bit for the amount of watermelon I had on hand. (About half of the watermelon the recipe called for. The original recipe called for 20 pounds of watermelon, to yield 8-10 1-pint jars. I had one 10-pound watermelon.)

First, cut your watermelon into eights, then cut away most of the red flesh. Save it, eat it, juice it...just don't pickle it. Not crunchy = Not tasty here.

Once the flesh cut away, you can hold your watermelon rind in your hand and, using a vegetable peeler, careful pare away the green outer rind. You want to be left with just the white part on the outside. The green part will never get soft during the pickling process.

(Do you love how I'm multitasking here? I fed the kids lunch while I was prepping my watermelon. If I do big cooking projects while they're asleep...they don't stay asleep for long!)

Once your green outer skin is peeled away, you can dice up your rinds. Cut them into pieces that are approximately 1" square. (Incidentally, these pickles aren't really good for anything except snacking. Not as far as I know. Anyone else have any great uses for these fabu little pickles?)

Blanch your little pickle-ettes in boiling water until they are crisp-tender, about ten minutes. Drain and set aside in a large non-reactive bowl or another container you can cover.

Now for the fun part - the pickling!

Gather your materials: white vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and powdered cloves.

Put your ingredients together in a large pot (I used a 5-qt dutch oven) and bring to a boil.

Pour your boiled syrup into your large bowl, just covering the watermelon rinds. Cover and let them hang out in the refrigerator overnight.

On the second day, drain the syrup back out into a large pan and bring to a boil again. Then pour it back over the rinds. Cover and let it chill out, just like the first night.

(That golden wire-y thingy in the bowl up there is called a "spider" and I LOVE it. It's perfect for scooping things out of liquids. We use it for wontons, making pickles, boiling greens...whatever needs to be scooped and drained! I picked mine up at a restaurant supply shop in Chinatown, but I've seen them all over the place. The bamboo handle makes it nice and sturdy - my plastic "spider" tends to bend when I scoop up anything heavy.)

On the third day, put the whole mess into a big pan and bring it to a boil. Remove the rinds to your prepared jars, then add your hot syrup. Process your cans....and you've got pickles that will last the rest of the year!

Pickled Watermelon Rinds

(Adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Day 1: Slice, de-fruit and peel 10 pounds of watermelon. Cut the watermelon rinds into 1" squares and blanch in boiling water until crisp-tender - about ten minutes. Drain and set aside in a large non-reactive bowl.

In a large skillet or pot, combine 3 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. ground cloves.

Bring to a boil. Pour over the watermelon rinds. Cover, cool, and store in the refrigerator overnight to plump the pickles.

Day 2: Drain the syrup back into a large skillet or pot. Bring to a boil. Pour over the pickles. Cool as on Day 1.

Day 3: Prepare 4 or 5 pint-sized jars for canning. Pour the pickles and syrup into a large pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, pack the hot rinds into your prepared (read: warm) jars, then pour in enough syrup to cover the rinds and leave 1/2" of headspace. (Any pickles that lack the proper amount of syrup can be packed away into jars and put into the refrigerator for immediate consumption. Or foisted off onto your friends. Make sure you pick friends that like intensely sweet and sour pickles, otherwise you might lose your friends.)

Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

(For more information on how to can, visit www.FreshPreserving.com)

Orange Vanilla Marmalade

Alright, so I'm totally jumping off from Myrnie's Meyer Lemon Marmalade, but I thought this warranted its own post.




Why? Because my version uses two oranges, makes two quarts of marmalade, and was so dead simple...that's why!



Orange Vanilla Marmalade
Ingredients:
2 naval oranges, washed and sliced into 1/8ths (remove any seeds you find)
Water
Sugar

1) Put your oranges (yes, peel and all) into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (about pea sized chunks). This takes about 12 pulses.

2. Remove chopped oranges to a non-reactive (I used stainless steel) bowl and add enough water to cover them. Add just enough if you like a really chunky marmalade, or more water if you like to have more jelly in your marmalade.

3. Cover with a tea towel, and walk away. Don't come back for 8-24 hours. (Honestly, I left mine a night, and a day, and a night. Oops.)

4. When you do come back, put your orange/water mixture into a heavy-bottomed pot, one cup at a time. You need to measure how many cups of liquid you have so you can...

5. ...add 3/4 cups sugar per cup of liquid. (I added 1 cup of sugar per cup of liquid, and it turned out a bit too sweet.) You can also add a split vanilla bean at this point, or a healthy dollop of vanilla extract.

6. It's time to cook! Break out your candy thermometer if you have one. Stick a small saucer and a spoon in the freezer, too. Bring it all to a simmer - watch it carefully. High pectin fruits like oranges tend to foam up a lot at the beginning. Watch your candy thermometer - you want to cook your mixture until it reaches about 220 F. When it starts to get close, occasionally remove from heat and scoop out a little marmalade with your frozen spoon, onto your frozen plate - this will show you exactly how hard your finished product will be.

7. When your marmalade is as thick as you like it, you can pour it into your prepared jars.

I didn't want to can mine, so I just screwed the lids on and left them to cool on the counter before storing them in the fridge. These will store for about 2 months that way. (In the picture, you can see I had one full quarter jar. There are two other jars, each half full, as I wanted to give part of this endeavor to some friends of mine.)

Alternately, you can sterilize your jars, pour the marmalade in (leaving a headspace of 1/4") and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

My batch, with two good sized oranges made nearly two quarts of marmalade. Not bad for such a small investment! Next time, I'll find smaller jars, can them properly...and hand them out at Christmastime as gifts.

Strawberry Jam

I made quite a few kinds of jam last summer as I stretched my canning-wings for the first time. This strawberry jam was one of my favorites! It has a nice bright flavor, and a loose set. The recipe is from the Herald- my grandmother clipped it for me last Summer. She loved to clip recipes- when I lived across the state from her, it wasn't uncommon to receive little envelopes containing a fist-full of newspaper clippings and a scribbled note "thought you might could make these- Grandma."

The recipe looks long, but here's the gist: roughly chop the strawberries and combine with the sugar and lemon juice and let macerate. Bring to a boil in a skillet with the butter, and boil 7 minutes. Then, process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

The author notes that this is a very soft-set jam, and the fruit will want to float to the top. If you see that happening a few hours after you can them (wait at least 3 hours), try turning the jars over every hour or so to disperse the fruit.

Exquisite Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:
4 heaping cups washed and hulled strawberries (1 pound, 6 ounces; to ensure high pectin content, about a fifth of the berries should be slightly under-ripe)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon butter

Coarsely chop the berries by placing small batches of them into the work bowl of a food processor and hitting the "pulse" button several times (you can also do this by hand, of course, it it goes pretty slow.) You should have 3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped berries.

In a large bowl, combine the berries with the sugar and lemon juice. gently stir the mixture using a rubber spatula until the sugar is evenly distributed and the juices have begun to flow; let the mixture stand, stirring gently every 20 minutes or so, for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 2 hours.

Wash 4 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.

Scrape the mixture into a 12-inch skillet or saute pan. Add the 2 tsp of butter (this controls the production of foam). Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a straight-ended wooded or nylon spatula. Adjust the heat downsward to keep it from boiling over, and boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove the skillet from the burner and let the am settle for about 20 seconds; if any foam remans, skim it off. Ladle hot preserves into 1 hot jar at a time, leavine 1/4" headspace. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars.

At this point, the jam may be stored in teh refrigerator or freezer for up to six months or longer without the quality suffering.

For long-term storage at rom temperature, you will need to process the jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (at 1,000 to 3,000 feet, process for 15 minutes; 3,000 to 6,000 feet, for 20 minutes; above 6,000 feet, for 25 minutes). Using a jar lifter, remove the processed jars from the boiling water and let cool on the counter, undisturbed, overnight.

Makes 4 half-pints.

Meyer Lemon Marmelade

I love marmalade. I know I'm not alone in this, because I see it at the grocery store. Someone else must love it too. And for you, I'm posting this recipe.

I've heard so much about Meyer Lemons, and drooled over meyer lemon trees in my plant catalogs (mostly because I COULD, if I wanted, grow a lemon tree in my living room. Sigh.) but I'd never actually tasted a Meyer Lemon. So, when I found a bag for $5 at my grocery store, I blithely brought it home, where it was stuffed in the fridge and "saved" for something special.

Hello? They're lemons. We don't save lemons for a sentimental occasion to present itself.

So I sliced those 5 lemons whisper thin this morning, plopped 'em in a bowl with enough water to cover, threw a tea towel over the whole thing and walked away until the girls went to sleep.

Now, remember that I only had FIVE lemons. This didn't make a lot of marmalade. In fact, it made one pint, and maybe a 1/4 pint left over after that. So basically, I paid $5 plus sugar, and spent about 2 hours, making 1 jar of marmalade. If you do this, PLEASE start out with more than five lemons or you'll feel like you've lost 3 hours of your life. And marmalade deserves more respect than that.

This recipe is originally from my good friend, and partner in crime/scheming about homeschooling/fantasizing about vegetable gardens/buying way too many seeds and swapping/canning all summer long. We were even pregnant at the same time. She's a good friend, and in this world that can be hard to come by! So enjoy her fantastic marmalade recipe.

One quick note: my favorite way to sterilize jars is to wash them in the dishwasher, and leave it shut until you're ready to fill them. I boiled mine tonight, and they weren't ready when my jam was. Sadly, my marmalade is overcooked. See how dark it turned? It set up really stiff, when I like a looser marmalade. So be warned: have your jars ready! Of course, if I'd been cooking more than 5 lemons, I think the water bath would have been ready in plenty of time. If you're not sure WHAT I'm talking about, go find the Ball Blue Book of Canning at your local library. It's a fabulous resource, and easy to follow. Tons of yummy recipes, too. Since I've only just started canning, I really don't know what I'm doing yet. But, amazingly, it still works. So if I can churn out yummy jams, certainly YOU can too!

Lemon Marmalade

Ingredients:
Lemons
Water
Sugar

Slice off both ends of each lemon, and slice as thinly as possible. Be sure to scoop the seeds out when you see them.

Put all your lemons in a non-reactive bowl and add water to cover. Let stand overnight.

Measure out water and lemons, and pour into a pot. Add an equal amount of sugar to pan. (i.e. if lemons+water= 5 cups, add 5 cups sugar.)

Stir to dissolve sugar over low heat, then raise heat to medium and cook to gelling point.

Ladle into hot jars (leave 1/4" headspace) and process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Nana's Apple Pie Filling

On an Autumn Day in 2006, I was introduced to the wonders of Home Canning. I had never attempted this domestic marathon by myself, but Wonder Woman's mother in law invited me along for a day of Apple Pie Filling. We brought all the jars we had, plus lemon juice and corn starch, and hunkered down for the long haul.

The recipe itself isn't difficult - simmer a syrup for about 20 minutes until it thickens, fill clean jars with peeled and cored apples, cover with syrup and process in a hot water bath for about 25 minutes. If I had to pick the point where our day got "difficult" it was when we decided that we would quadruple the recipe. That makes nearly anything difficult!

Some notes, before the recipe:
A handcrank style apple peeler makes this a much easier process.
I processed my jars in two batches in the largest pasta pot I've got, lined with a tea towel. A standard canning pot, with a rack, would have been much easier to manage!
Canning tongs are, I believe, necessary. I have no idea how I would have removed the finished jars from the boiling water otherwise.

Oh, and you can change the spices to whatever you like in apple pie. Go wild! I have used these apples in both pies and Danishes...both are delicious!

Now, by popular demand (and sweet permission from Nana herself), I give you....


.....Home Canned Apple Pie Filling

Peel, core, and slice about 7 lbs of apples.
Pack in jars.
Mix syrup:
10c. water
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. corn starch
3 T. lemon juice
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt

Boil until it is thick and pour over packed apples.

Process in a water bath for 25 minutes.

Makes about 7 quarts.

Rhubarb-Raspberry Jam

We made a "freezer" jam today, with rhubarb and raspberries from my Mom's abundant and very large garden. (We've also discovered what happens when you never waste a new raspberry cane, but keep planting new rows. It's fantastic!) Ernie and I had a lot of fun picking berries this morning- the brambles were taller than the poor girl, but she still managed to get her fill of berries.

I think this might be my favorite "jam" recipe so far this year- it's not mind-blowingly sweet like other recipes and especially other raspberry jam recipes. The berries and rhubarb make a nice combination, too. I froze it in mason jars, topped with a canning ring and 4-ply plastic wrap. I was afraid to put boiling jam into Gladware containers.

This recipe is from the canning section of the 75th Anniversary Edition of the New Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, a much-loved member of my cookbook collection.

Rhubarb-Raspberry Jam
75th Anniversary Edition New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

6 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened sliced rhubarb
4 cups sugar
3 cups raspberries or one 12-ounce package frozen lightly sweetened red raspberries
1 3-ounce package raspberry-flavored gelatin (NOT sugar-free)

1. In a large heavy kettle combine rhubarb and sugar. Let stand 15-20 minutes or until sugar is moistened. Bring to boiling. Boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add berries; return to boiling. Boil hard 5 to 6 minutes or until thick, stirring often. Remove from heat. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved.
2. Lade into half-pint freezer containers, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Seal;label. Let stand at room temperature until set. Store the jam up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator or 1 y ear in the freezer.
   

Citrus Marmalade

This marmalade is from the Ball Blue Book of Canning- the reigning "Bible" of North American canning, with completely FDA approved recipes (important if you want to have the best chances of avoiding botuslism.)

I've seen similar recipes for this marmalade (also called GLO, for the three citrus ingredients) in other cookbooks.

Since this is only my second time canning solo, a few things didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I started out with one fewer cup of sugar than called for, and was so sternly admonished by a cookbook I was flipping through to "Always use the amount of sugar called for" that I immediately dumped the final cup of sugar into my almost-gelled marmalade, which then seized up into something similar to Jell-O. I guess sugar helps things to gel properly? I have yet to make a recipe calling for additional pectin- both my attempts so far have used fruit high enough in natural pectin to not require additional. I wonder what it would be like to only cook something for 5 or 10 minutes, instead of stirring for an hour?

Also, when I went to take the jars out of the water canner, I realized it had NOT been simmering for the last 10 minutes. So I turned it up and let them simmer for an additional 10...and they'd been in an extra 10 waiting for the water to come to the initial simmer (that didn't last). So, the marmalade got some extra cooking at the end and came out very dark. But, all the jars sealed and nothing broke this time. So we're making progress! (And you can see that I didn't do a good job skimming the marmalade- I just can't stand throwing all that jam away! I saved what I did skim, and have been enjoying it on toast. Mmmm, foamy marmalade!)

Citrus Marmalade
Ball Blue Book of Canning

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced grapefruit peel (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup thinly sliced orange peel (about 1 medium)
3 quarts water, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped grapefruit pulp (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped orange pulp (about one medium)
1/2 cup thinly sliced and seeded lemon (about 1 medium)
Sugar

1. Combine fruit peels and 1 1/2 quarts water; boil 5 minutes; drain.
2. Add fruit pulp, sliced lemon and 1 1/2 quarts water; boil 5 minutes.
3. Cover and let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place.
4. Cook rapidly until peel is tender.
5. Measure fruit and liquid. Add 1 cup sugar for each cup fruit mixture, stirring until sugar dissolves.
6. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Cook rapidly almost to gelling point. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
7. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Cantaloupe Preserves

We tried a new recipe- Cantaloupe Preserves. And yes: Every.Single.Person I mentioned this to has said "I didn't know you could can cantaloupe!"

After our little experiment, I'm not convinced you really can.

I think next time I wouldn't leave the fruit sitting for so long- a LOT of water came out. Also, I'd taste it before adding all the sugar. It's unbelievably sweet- way too sweet for toast or biscuits. It might make a nice layer between cake, or maybe in a thumb print cookie. It's gorgeous to look at.

In general, preserves are created by mixing fruit with an equal amount of sugar and letting them sit till juices come out (enough to dissolve the sugar.) The mixture is then boiled together, and then can be left in shallow pans for the fruit to "plump up" before you can it.

The recipe was taken from the 1970's edition of the Kerr Home Canning & Freezing Book. I'm not even going to put it here, because I can't recommend it...but at least now you know! Cantaloupe CAN be canned. Just do it different than I did.


Next up: Grapefruit-Orange Marmalade