Food in Jars (7 page)
Authors: Marisa McClellan
W
HEN IT COMES TO CANNING, BLUEBERRIES WERE
my gateway fruit (although they didn't usher me through the doorway into total canning preoccupation until I reached adulthood). Growing up, I'd often pick them with my family, but I always left the jam making and canning to my mom, participating only when it came time to squish the berries into jammable shape with my fingers (there's something so deeply satisfying about crushing those juicy little blue orbs into pulpy bits).
6 cups smashed blueberries (about 3 quarts/1.7 kg whole blueberries)
4 cups/800 g granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 (3-ounce/85 ml) packets liquid pectin
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Combine the smashed blueberries and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the jam is shiny and thick looking. Add the pectin and return to a rolling boil for a full 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see
page 11
).
Note:
It's important to mash your berries before combining them with sugar and putting them in the pot. Without the juice from inside the blueberries, the sugar won't break down as quickly and could easily scorch before it has a chance to dissolve.
T
O ME, DAMSON PLUMS HAVE ALWAYS CONJURED
images of old-fashioned elegance, like something Anne of Green Gables would have helped Marilla put up during her young, orphaned years. I've learned that they are a marvelous, modern tasting little fruit, full of zip and pucker that create a most tasty and complicated jam. If you can't find them, ask one of the fruit growers at your local farmers' market: they just might have a stash that they'll be willing to share.
8 cups damson plum pulp (from 4½ pounds/2 kg plums, prepared as directed below; see
note
)
4 cups/800 g granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 (3-ounce/85 ml) packets liquid pectin
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat
Combine the damson plum pulp with the sugar in a large, nonreactive pot and bring to a boil. Cook at a boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the jam begins to look molten and syrupy. Add the lemon zest and juice and liquid pectin. Return to a boil and cook rapidly for 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see
page 11
).
Note:
Because they are both tiny and firm fleshed, I've found that damson plums aren't fun to chop by hand. Instead, I recommend simmering them in 1 cup of water, until the skins pop and then pushing them through a colander, so that only the pits and a few wisps of skin are left behind.
S
EVERAL SUMMERS AGO MY FRIEND AMY GAVE ME
a jar of tomato jam with the recipe attached and now I can't go back to a life without it. I use it in place of ketchup, as well as in places where ketchup wouldn't dare to tread. (Try it with a soft, stinky cheese. It will change your life.) For those of you who are accustomed to preserving tomatoes, you'll notice that this recipe does not call for you to first peel them. This is not a mistake. The first time I made it, I thought I could improve on things and peeled and seeded the tomatoes prior to cooking them down. However, without those bits, the finished jam was too sweet and entirely without texture. It needs the skin and seeds to keep things interesting.
5 pounds/2.3 kg tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
3½ cups/700 g granulated sugar
½ cup/120 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients in a large, nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the jam, stirring regularly, until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This will take between 1
½
and 2 hours.
When the jam is nearly done, prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (see
page 11
).
T
HERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH THAT FIG JAM CAN'T DO.
It goes incredibly well with an array of cheeses, from mild to stinky. It's a dream on roast pork. And don't even get me started on homemade Fig Newtons. It's no wonder that this is one of my favorite jams to have in the pantry. Depending on where you live, figs can get a little bit expensive. If they're beyond your budget, see if you can't find someone with a fig tree who would be willing to share their figs in exchange for a cut of the jam. It always seems like a fair trade to me!
6 cups coarsely chopped fresh figs (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg whole figs)
4 cups/800 g granulated sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
1 (3-ounce/85 ml) packet liquid pectin
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Combine the figs and sugar in a large pot and stir well to help the sugar pull the juice from the figs. When the mixture starts to look juicy, place the pot over high heat and bring to an active simmer. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the figs have started to break down and the liquid starts to look syrupy.
Add the lemon juice and liquid pectin and return the figs to an active boil for 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see
page 11
).
