Comments on: A Jam Primer: Peach, Cherry, and Blueberry

By: dorisandjilly

dorisandjilly — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:05:28 +0000

Sheila: I would not recommend that you double the recipe. Pectin or not, in either case you’re trying to boil down the jam to the right consistency. If you double it, it will take much longer, and you’ll end up with more of a cooked fruit stew than a jam. Happy canning!

By: Sheila

Sheila — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:46:31 +0000

Howdy,

Curious what your opinion is of doubling recipes when you aren’t using pectin? For example, could I double the blueberry lime recipe you have above? Also, could I reduce the sugar in this if I want more of a kick OR should I add more lime?

We prefer less sugar. I’ve made a cranberry apple jam with much less sugar than it called for and we loved it. Then made the same recipe with ALL the sugar it called for with a friend and hers was good too…though much too sweet for most of us!

Thank you, again, for your hard work for all of us fellow canners and cooks!

By: dorisandjilly

dorisandjilly — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:52:00 +0000

@Molly Wild blueberries should be fine. You may need to add more or less sugar, depending on your sweetness preference, but it’s not a safety issue. Happy canning!

By: Molly

Molly — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:13:37 +0000

Hello there -

Just returned from a weekend in Connecticut and have lots of wild blueberries; will I be able to safely use wild blueberries in lieu of the regular blueberries in your blueberry-lime jam recipe? (I’m not sure if the acid content in the berries is different…)

Thanks!

By: David R

David R — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:50:04 +0000

An old post, but for reference: Harold McGee says “The boliling is continued until the temperature of the mix reaches 217-221 deg F, which indicates that the sugar concentration has reached 65%.”

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:10:56 +0000

I had my first taste of hot pepper jelly recently and I’ve been on a mission to figure out the recipe since. Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely let you know if I find a good one.

By: dorisandjilly

dorisandjilly — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:25:41 +0000

Lindsay: for hot pepper jelly you definitely need pectin–in fact, you’ll need liquid pectin. I’ve made it once before but lost the recipe…the online sources vary wildly from 1/2 c to 2 c. of peppers, from 4 to 6 c. of sugar, from 1 to 2 1/2 c. cider vinegar, and either 1 or 2 pouches of pectin. Kraft (manufacturer of pectin) has several on its Web site. So, I can’t offer advice, but would love to hear what you find out!

By: tigress

tigress — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:34:55 +0000

Those jams look absolutely delicious!

By: localkitchen

localkitchen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:53:51 +0000

My, you had quite the busy weekend!! It all looks quite delectable.

228 degrees F for jam seems really high; I usually read 220 degrees, or 8 degrees above the temp of boiling water (depending on your altitude). I even think 220 degrees is too high; like you I usually get to about 215 or so and call it a day.

I’ve overcooked many a jam, trying to get to the elusive 220 degrees; some of them end up like hard candy! I’ve found that a teaspoon or so of water, added to the top, and then 30 seconds in the microwave, loosens the jam up nicely so that you can spread it on toast.

This year I seem to be going in the opposite direction and many of mine are ending up quite soft, but, I agree again; too soft is better. You can always spoon it over ice cream, but a jar full of hard crack candy is a little less useful.

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:31:11 +0000

Awesome.

I don’t suppose you have a good hot pepper jam/jelly recipe laying around somewhere do you?