{less sugar} black raspberry jelly

I have been SO very happy with my {less sugar} strawberry jam recipe thatI figured finding a {less sugar} black raspberry jelly might be worth a try. I was right.

I have 2 versions of this recipe, and haven't decided which I like better, so I'm putting them both down here.

[less sugar] black raspberry jelly
VERSION 1

Ingredients:
12 c. Black raspberry (aka 6 pints)
1/2 c. Water
1 package less sugar Sure Jell pectin
3 c. Sugar, divided
1/2 t. Butter

Directions:

1. Wash and crush berries. Add berries to soup pot. Add 1/2 c. Water. Boil. Drain with cheesecloth. This should produce 4 1/2 c. Juice. (You can add 1/2 c. Water to get enough juice but no more.)
2. Mix 1/4 c. Sugar (from 3 cups measured sugar) with pectin. Add to juice in soup pot, along with butter. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add remains 2 3/4 cups sugar. Stir constantly and boil 1 minute. Then remove from heat.
3. Process for 5 minutes in water bath or steam canner.

[less sugar] black raspberry jelly

VERSION 2

Ingredients:

8 cups berries (aka 5 cups crushed)

2 cups water

2 T lemon juice

1 package less sugar Sure Jell pectin
3 c. Sugar, divided
1/2 t. Butter

Directions:

1. Wash and crush berries. Add berries to soup pot. Add 2 c. Water, 2 T lemon juice. Simmer and strain into cheese cloth. Let sit in cheesecloth 1 hour. This should produce about 4 1/2 c. Juice.
2. Mix 1/4 c. Sugar (from 3 cups measured sugar) with pectin. Add to juice in soup pot, along with butter. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add remains 2 3/4 cups sugar. Stir constantly and boil 1 minute. Then remove from heat.
3. Process for 5 minutes in water bath or steam canner.

black raspberry jelly

Pap picked us a BUNCH of black raspberries from the back fencerow. Woohoo! We were OUT of our Black Raspberry Jelly. Look at my 2 cute helpers. :)

Levi washing the berries and putting them up to be mashed.

And here's one of my mashers. 

BLACK RASPBERRY JELLY
Recipe from Sandy Holmes

To make the *juice:
5 c. crushed black raspberries
2 c. water
2 T. lemon juice

To make the jelly:
3 1/2 c. *juice
2 T. lemon juice
1 box pectin
5 c. sugar
1/2 t. butter

Directions:

1. Fill water-bath canner half-full with water. Bring to a simmer.
2. Wash lids, screw bands and jars in hot soapy water. 
1. *I usually run my jars through the dishwasher. When they're finished in there, I put them on a cookie sheet and put them in my oven on WARM. This helps keep them warm until I'm ready to use them.
3. Wash berries and crush to get 5 cups crushed black raspberries.
4. Place crushed berries, water and lemon juice in a 5-8 quart sauce pot. Bring to a boil. 
5. Place 2-3 layers of damp cheesecloth of jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit (from #4) into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drop into bowl until dripping stops (about 20+ minutes). Press gently.
6. Measure exactly 5 cups of sugar into a bowl. Set aside.
7. Measure 3 1/2 cups of your juice and place back in your big saucepot, along with the lemon juice, pectin, and butter. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
8. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.
9. Remove jars from the oven. Ladle your jelly mixture quickly into your jars, filling to within 1/8" of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2"; add boiling water if necessary. Cover. Bring water to a gentle boil.
10. Process jars 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration in necessary.) Let stand @ room temp for 24 hours. Store unopened jellies in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerated jellies should be used within 3 weeks.

{less sugar} strawberry jam

We went berry picking because we wanted to each some fresh strawberries, but also because we are ALMOST out of our strawberry jam from last year. Luckily we picked a BUNCH so we were able to do 2 batches of jam.

It's quite the process. Here's a peak.

Clean jars keeping warm and sanitized in the warm oven...

YES! I made 16.5 jars of jam. That should last us a while. :)

In the past I've used this Strawberry Jam recipe, but last year I also made THIS less sugar strawberry jam recipe. We really like the flavor of this less sugar recipe so I decided to do ALL my jam with this recipe. Less sugar and still tasty, SCORE!

Less Sugar Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

6 pt strawberries (to make 6 cups crushed berries)

4 c sugar 

1 box Sure-Jell For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Fruit Pectin
1 t. Butter (if desired)

Directions:

1. Bring water bath or steam bath canner (filled with water) to a simmer. 

2. Put jars in dishwasher or wash in hot soapy water. No matter what method you use once your jars are clean move them to a baking sheet and place in oven on "warm" or low setting. 

3. Wish screw bands and lids in hot soapy water. Rinse. Place them in a saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to steaming but not boiling then turn to low. 

4. Prepare strawberries by washing, taking off the stems and mash with a potato masher 1 cup at a time for a total of 6 CUPS CRUSHED BERRIES 

5. Measure exact amount of fruit in to a 6-8 qt soup pot. 

6. Measure exact amount of suave into a separate bowl. Set aside. 

7. Mix 1/4 cup sugar from measured amount and 1 box Sure-Jell For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Fruit Pectin. Stir this mixture into strawberries in pot. Add butter to reduce foaming. 

8. Bring mixture to a rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. 

9. Stir in remaining sugar quickly and stir constantly .  Once it reaches a full boil start timer and boil, while stirring, exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. 

10. Ladle quickly into prepared warm jars, filling to with 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. 

WATER BATH CANNER:

A. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches. Add boiling water (from sauce pot with lids) if needed. Bring water to a gentle boil. 

STEAM CANNER: 

A. Place jars on rack. Put on lid.

11. Process jams 10 minutes. Adjust processing time according to altitude chart. Remove jars and place right on towel to cool completely. 

12. After jars are cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back the lid is not sealed and you need to refrigerate and use within 3 weeks. 

13. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in a cool,dry, dark place for up to 1 year. 

black raspberry jelly

Before I lived in PA I'd never had black raspberries, at least not that I can remember. Well, they are a BIG HIT back here. My in-laws have a big patch of wild black raspberries near the back of their property and 3 years ago I was blessed with a big container of freshly picked berries.

If you know black raspberries, you know the seed in them are bigger and coarser than the seeds in red raspberries, so when I considered making jam with these berries, I decided I'd enjoy it most if it was seedless jam, or jelly instead. I called up my sweet lady friend who is a CANNING EXPERT and asked if she had a black raspberry jelly recipe I could try. She sure did! And here it is! It's delicious! I was able to make a double batch then and again this year.

BLACK RASPBERRY JELLY
by SH

Ingredients:
5 c. crushed black raspberries (about 8 c.) **need 3 1/2 c. juice 
2 c. water
4 T. lemon juice (divided)
1 box pectin (aka Sure Jell)
5 c. sugar, premeasured and waiting in a bowl
1/2 t. butter

Directions:

1. BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.
2. To make the berry juice: Add crushed berries, 2 c. water and 2 T. lemon juice to a large (soup) pot. Bring to a boil then pour into 2 layers cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed and hang to let drip about 1 hour, or until it stops dripping. Press gently. 
3. Wash out large pot. Measure 3 1/2 c. juice exactly (or add up to 1/2 c. water to make your amount, but no more than that) and add to large pot. Stir in 2 T. lemon juice, 1 box pectin & 1/2 t. butter. Bring to a full rolling boil (which means the boil doesn't stop when you stir it) on high heat. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil. Boil exactly 1 minute (while stirring constantly). Remove from heat. Skim off foam with a metal spoon.
4. LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min.. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

kraft kitchens tips

HOW TO MEASURE PRECISELY

To get exact level cup measures of sugar, spoon sugar into dry metal or plastic measuring cups, then level by scraping excess sugar from top of cup with a straight-edged knife.

ALTITUDE CHART

At altitudes above 1,000 feet, increase processing time as indicated. 1,001 to 3,000 feet - increase processing time by 5 min.; 3,001 to 6,000 feet - increase processing time by 10 min.; 6,001 to 8,000 feet - increase processing time by 15 min.; 8,001 to 10,000 feet - increase processing time by 20 min.

JAM OR JELLY DIDN'T SET?

Every once in a while, you may find that your jam does not set the way you expected. If your efforts resulted in a runny batch, try our Remake Directions to improve your finished jam. If your jam still doesn't set, you can always use it as a glaze or syrup.

{LOWer sugar} strawberry jam

After picking strawberries, we had SO many I was able to make a 2nd batch of jam, so I thought I'd try this one with a bit less sugar. It is TASTY!

I bought the SURE JELL (for less or no sugar needed recipes) and followed the recipe here.

LOWer sugar Strawberry Jam

Yield:

About 8 (1-cup) jars or 128 servings, 1 Tbsp. each

Ingredients:
6 c. crushed strawberries

4 c. sugar

1 box low sugar pectin

1/2 t. butter

Directions:

1. BRING boiling-water canner (or steam bath canner like me), half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

2. STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 6 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-quart saucepot.

3. MIX 1/4 cup of the sugar (from the measured amount in bowl) and pectin in small bowl. Add to fruit in saucepot; mix well. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 3-3/4 cups sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

4. LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

For more instructions on how to can strawberry jam, see my other recipe.

kraft kitchens tips

HOW TO MEASURE PRECISELY

To get exact level cup measure of sugar, spoon sugar into dry metal or plastic measuring cup, then level by scraping excess sugar from top of cup with a straight-edged knife.

ALTITUDE CHART

At altitudes above 1,000 feet, increase processing time as indicated: 1,001 to 3,000 feet-increase processing time by 5 minutes; 3,001 to 6,000 feet-increase processing time by 10 minutes; 6,001 to 8,000 feet-increase processing time by 15 minutes; 8,001 to 10,000 feet-increase processing time by 20 minutes.

strawberries galore

One beautiful Spring morning my little helper and I went strawberry picking. We had a delicious fun time. (Note to self: Do not dress berry pickers in WHITE shirts.) ;)

Here's the stats of our trip:

4 hands 

1.5 hours

14 lbs

$1.75/lb = $24.50

1 Good Samaritan* (Story to follow)

Double batch of strawberry sauce

Single batch strawberry jam

Single batch low sugar strawberry jam 

(which I REALLY like- may make this my EVERYTIME strawberry jam recipe)

Here's the story of the Good Samaritan- before we left, I guesstimated we'd pick maybe 10 lbs of berries, so I brought enough cash for just that. (Side note: The night before I'd cleaned out my wallet and decided I didn't need to carry my checkbook around with me ALL the time because I only used it SOMETIMES.) On with the story, Levi had picked/eaten about as many berries as he could handle and our time was about up (before we had to get back to pick Jackson up from school) so we brought our berries to be weighed. I was a few dollars short, HOW EMBARRASSING! I scrounged up a couple more dollars in change from my car (SO EMBARRASSING) and was STILL a bit short. I said I'd need to leave whatever berries I needed to. (Here I am SO mortified and EMBARRASSED. Sheesh! Where's my checkbook when I need it?!) Luckily the sweet older woman who'd just finished paying overheard my ordeal and asked, "How much do you need?" Then she said "Oh I can get the rest." Talk about a lesson in humility. I thanked her again and again and asked for her address so I could repay her. She emphatically said it wasn't necessary; she just said, "I pray the Lord will bless you", to which I responded, "and I know the Lord will bless you for your generosity. Thank you so very much!" And she drove off in her Volvo and I said a little prayer for the modern-day Good Samaritans. 

And there you have it, picking berries can be more than just picking berries; it can be a lesson in humility and a chance to "pay it forward". Now go and do just that!

{canning} roasted marinara sauce

Back in August...

My in-laws have a pretty BOUNTEOUS garden (or they did during the peak of the season) and they had TOMATOES coming out their ears! A few different times, I brought enough home to make some salsa. And MAN is fresh homemade salsa (or pico de gallo) tasty!

Pap & Grandma went on a little trip for a few days so they asked me if I'd come over and pick their tomatoes every 2-3 days. And so I did. (Jackson liked helping too- he thought it was a treasure hunt searching all under and around for the RED ones ready to pick.) Each day time I went to pick I brought home almost a whole grocery bag filled with them!

What am I going to do with ALL of these tomatoes?! So, I thought I'd try my hand at making Marinara Sauce to can. It was an experience, a lot of prep and work but it is also VERY yummy. I did these 2 pans of tomatoes, onion, garlic, etc. and it only made almost 2 quarts. Sheesh. That part makes me crazy.

Below is the recipe I used, with some of my own alterations. I also consulted with this recipe, which I really like because she separates her sauce making into 2-3 days. This blog has great visuals for sauce newbies (like me.) I may try her recipe next time, but I think it's pretty similar to this one I used.

Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce with Garlic and Oregano

Although 10 pounds of tomatoes sounds like a lot, roasting concentrates that into 6-7+ cups, enough for 3-4 pint jars. (I learned that picking tomatoes @ Pap's house can get you 5 lb. in 1 day.) One jar will serve 4 for dinner over pasta. This sauce will keep fresh in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it or pressure-can it. To roast this many tomatoes at once, you will need to use two roasting pans so as not to crowd the ingredients while roasting. That may require two ovens or roasting in two batches. This recipe is easily halved.

Yield: 7-8 cups (approximately 2 liters)

Ingredients

• 10 pounds (4.5 kilos) fresh, organic tomatoes
• 16 whole, peeled, large, plump organic garlic cloves
• ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ c. dry red wine  (or use chicken or vegetable broth)
• 6 T. fresh oregano leaves (or 6 sprigs of fresh oregano from 3/4 oz. package fresh oregano)
• 3/4 oz. package of fresh basil
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 1 T. kosher salt or sea salt
• 2 t. ground black pepper
• lemon juice, divided

Tools: large roasting pans and a food processor

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees (218C). Get out  two large roasting pans. I use a big stainless steel All Clad (like for roasting a turkey). If you don’t have roasting pans, use large heavy (or doubled) disposable aluminum pans. I used my big rimmed cookie sheets.
2. Wash the tomatoes. Depending on the type of tomato, you may need to cut out the core first, as with large Beefsteak or Heirloom varieties. Then, cut tomatoes into large chunks. Don’t cut the pieces too small. Big chunks are good. The smaller the pieces are the faster they will roast.
3. Place tomatoes in the roasting pan; add garlic cloves, oil, broth, oregano, basil, onion, salt and pepper. Toss with your hands.
4. Place pans in the oven (s) and roast until tomatoes have reduced and are starting to get a few black edges. The pan should still have some juices, not be dry.  Depending on your oven it should take 45-60 minutes. Stir half way through. If the tomatoes are really juicy, it may take longer.
5. Remove pan from oven, set on the stove top and allow to cool a few minutes until you can handle it. Carefully transfer the roasted tomatoes into (a Victorio Strainer- see notes below) or a food processor with a steel blade and pulse 5-6 times. (You'll need to do this in batches- won't all fit in your blender. When it's blended, put it in a big pot or bowl. Continue adding and pulsing tomatoes.) You can also use an immersion blender (stick blender) in a deep pot or bowl to minimize splattering.
6. The sauce it ready to serve, or cool completely to refrigerate,  freeze or process for canning.
7. IMPORTANT NOTE: To can, add 2 T. lemon juice to each quart immediately PRIOR to filling with sauce (use 1 T. lemon juice for pints). Next add the tomato sauce, until you have 1/2" of headspace left. Using a plastic (not metal...it can damage the jars) knife, poke it along the sides of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Re-fill a bit if necessary. 
8. Take a small piece of the paper towel, wipe the rim. Using the magnetic wand, get a lid out of the pot and place it on your jar. Hand-tighten a metal ring around the top, and it's ready for the canner.
9. I like to quickly prepare two jars at a time, and add them to the canner simultaneously. As the jars are added to the canning basket, it's important to keep it balanced, or the jars will topple over.
10. Keep preparing jars two at a time, and add them until the canner is full. Carefully lower the basket. When the canner is full, make sure you have a couple inches of water over the jars. If you don't, add more water. Bring the water to a full boil, replace the lid, and set your timer (PROCESS 35 minutes for pints; 40 minutes for quarts*). Remove the canner lid, wait 5 minutes, and then remove your jars, placing them on a counter/table lined with a towel. Repeat until all the jars have been processed.
11. Leave the jars untouched for 24 hours. After that time, you can take off the band (some keep it on) clean the bottles, label the top, and place in your pantry.

I ended up making 2 different batches (same recipe) of sauce, and ended up with a GRAND total of 5 quarts. Seems so chinsy for ALL the time and work I put into it, but the sauce is REALLY good and I think I'll even do it again next year.

A few things I learned on my new adventure making marinara sauce: 

   1. You MUST use a water bath canner when canning tomatoes (no steam canner allowed). Canning tomatoes or tomato sauce is very delicate and you have to be sure you do it right so you and your family don't get food poisoning. No pressure. :)

2. I was SO glad I had access to a Victorio Strainer. The 1st batch of sauce I made, I just scooped my roasted tomatoes, etc. into my food processor and pulsed it a bit. I kind of like the look of the chunks of onion and garlic, etc. in my sauce. However, the 2nd batch of sauce I made I borrowed a Victorio Strainer and it was SO easy. I scooped the roasted goodness into the top and Jackson cranked on the handle and voila! Yummy, smooth marinara sauce like that from an italian restaurant! I think next time I'll stick with the strainer because it was SO easy! (And the kids had fun helping with it too.)

{canning} pears, pears, pears!

It's that time of year again! One of my favorite! Fall! The cooler temps, the need for a sweatshirt and jeans, the crunchy colorful leaves, apple crisp and of course, pears!

Apparently, pears were not as plentiful this year so it took some work to track them down, but I found some! Whew! We'd eaten all of the pears I canned last year and needed to get some more into storage.
So, over the course of 2 days I processed these 116 bears into 24 quarts. That's the most I've ever done but I'm so excited about them! They are so delicious and everyone at my house LOVES them!

Here's the pear recipe I use.

Pears

Prep time: approx 20 minutes PER quart
Processing time: 30 minutes, water bath canner OR steam canner
Yield: makes 2.5 to 3 lbs pears per quart

Note: You know your PEARS are ready when they are firm, but yellow with some green spots.

Prep work:

1. Fill steam canner to reach the grate, put on lid and bring to a simmer. 
2. Wash lids and rings in hot soapy water. Rinse. Assemble lids and arrange in a small saucepan. Fill with water until 1" above lids. Heat on med/low until you see steam coming off them (they should NOT boil), then turn them on LOW until you need them.
3. Run jars through the dishwasher and leave them there until you need them (to keep them sanitary). OR, wash them, then place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven on LOW or WARM until you need them.
4. Wash pears, and lay them out on a towel on your counter to dry. (Jackson was a HUGE help with this. I think he liked helping me with our afternoon of pears. It was a lot of good time together. He's such a sweet good boy. I enjoyed the company with this task. We make a great team!)
5.  Make your syrup.

Light syrup: 
2 1/4 c. Sugar
5 1/2 c. water

Directions:

1. Combine sugar and water in a stockpot. 
2. Stir occasionally. Once it boils a little, turn it to low until ready to use. 

Prep work, continued:
6. Continue prepping your pears. Fill a BIG bowl with cool water. Add 1 t. Fruit Fresh to water. Peel your pears. (I found using a VEGETABLE PEELER works WONDERFULLY well! That way you keep as much of the pear as possible). Then scoop out the seeds with a melon baller (GREAT TRICK TOO!), cut out stem and blossom end with knife. Cut in half, and place in your water bowl. Depending on the size of the pear, you made need to quarter your pears so they'll fit in the jars.
7. When you are ready to pack your pears, remove them from this water bowl. (Don't add this liquid to your canning syrup. This fruit fresh water they've soaked in will turn your pears snowy white when you process them.)

NOTE: When this water bowl is empty of pears, add another 1 t. fruit fresh as you continue prepping your next batch of pears. Do this EACH time, with each batch of pears, to keep them snowy white. (I learned if I DON'T do this, my pears turn a bit pinky.)

RAW PACK:
8. Pack pears gently into hot jars, shaking gently to settle them and make more room at the top of the jar. Leave 1/2" headspace. ladle hot syrup over pears, leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bbble with a non-metallic know or bubble release tool. Wipe screw bands and rim. Adjust 2 piece cap. Process quarts 30 minutes (pints 25 minutes).
9. Turn canner to HIGH. When you see a stream of steam projecting 4" from the vent (steam canner) begin counting. Process then let cool 5 minutes in canner before you remove them to a towel on the counter to cool 24 hours. Cover with another towel to prevent jars from breaking by house drafts or a/c.
10. Once they are cooled, check to make sure they've all sealed. If not, put them in the fridge and DEVOUR within 2 weeks.
11. Store in a cool, dark, dry place. Best taste and color if used within 1 year.


For this batch of 116 pears, I made a quadruple batch of syrup (9 c. sugar to 21 c. water) in my BIG soup pot.

strawberry syrup

Last June (as strawberry season approached) I had the feeling I should make Strawberry Syrup. I'd recently looked more closely at the actual ingredients of the strawberry syrup you get at the store. I was sad to see it's basically made of high fructose corn syrup. So I found a recipe in my Ball Blue Book of Preserving recipe book and it worked great! Here it is!

If you're new to canning or need a refresher of how to prep your jars, lids, etc. read up over on this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 quarts strawberries
3 c. water, divided
1 2" strip of lemon peel
2 1/2 c. sugar
3 1/2 c. corn syrup
2 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Wash strawberries; drain. Stem and crush strawberries. (I LOVE tossing them in my food processor and giving them a whirl. SO easy!) 
2. Combine strawberries, 1 1/2 c. water and lemon peel in a medium saucepot. Simmer 5 minutes
3. Strain through a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth laid out over a sieve. After about 30 minutes of straining, I gather the cheesecloth up and twist it so I can get out ALL of the juice.
4.  Combine sugar and 1 1/2 c. water in a medium saucepot; boil to 230*F (took approx. 25 minutes to get to this temp. for me; may need to adjust for altitude). Add strawberry juice and corn syrup to sugar syrup. Boil 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. 
5. Ladle hot syrup into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Adjust 2 piece caps. Process 10 minutes in boiling-water or steam canner.

*Note: Fruit syrup is typically thin. If a thicker syrup is desired for serving, combine 1 c. syrup with 1 T. cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cooking until syrup thickens. Do not add cornstarch before canning!

We loved the Strawberry Syrup so much last year we used it all up and I had to make more! We just LOVE it! It's the only way Jackson will eat pancakes or waffles.

strawberry jam

I have been making Strawberry Jam annually since 2008 when I got this tasty recipe!

And yes, the picture above is a pretty color but the fruit is settled at the top or the bottom. I followed someone's advice to keep turning the jars as they cool (after processing) so the berries would be better dispersed throughout. (I may have turned them too many times?) Some of them turned out better than others in that regard but they all taste great!

Strawberry Jam
Prep time: 45 minutes
Processing time: 10 minutes in boiling-water or steam canner
Makes approx 8 c.

Ingredients
4 pints (8 c.) fully ripe strawberries, crushed to make 5 cups
1 box pectin
1/4 t. fruit fresh (or 2 crushed vitamin C tablets)
1/4 t. butter
7 c. sugar, measured into a separate bowl

(If I have some prep time before my actual canning day I'll wash and chop and crush the berries, put them in a plastic container and refrigerate until I'm ready to start. I'll also pre-measure my sugar and put it in a plastic container too. Doesn't seem like much but after cutting and prepping all those berries, I need to turn my time and attention to other things- aka 3 kiddos.) 

Never double a jam or jelly recipe. It will not set. Jams & jellies may take up to 2 weeks to set.

If you are familiar with canning, these canning prep steps are not needed for you- because you already know the routine. But I'll include for my posterity or any others just starting out.

Canning prep:

1. Fill water bath canner half full with water (or your steam canner so it touches the grate.) Bring to a simmer.
2. Wash canning jars & screw lids in hot soapy water. Rinse in warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in sauce pan. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Or do what I do and put them in a saucepan. Place lids in water to cover and bring to a simmer, turn to low and put the lid on. Keep lids in simmering (not boiling) water until ready for use. (Note: over-heating lids by BOILING can result in seal failure.)
3. Place canning jars on a cookie sheet in a 200* oven until ready to use. (This keeps them sterile until you are ready for them.)
4. Place a double layer of towels on your counter for when you pull your hot jars from the oven.

Recipe Prep:

1. Wash berries. Discard stems. Chop or grind strawberries, one cup at a time, into small pieces. A potato masher works well for this. If you use a food processor, PULSE to chop. Do not PUREE. Place in a large soup pot.
2. Stir pectin and fruit fresh into strawberries. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring to a full rolling boil (which means a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in sugar in a "up and down, up and down, around and around, side to side, side to side and around and around" pattern. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute and remove from heat. Skim off foam with a metal spoon and discard in a mug.

Jam to Jar directions: 

1. Remove your cookie sheet filled with jars from the oven and place on your towels. Immediately ladle jam into prepared jars, filling within 1/8" from the top. Wipe jar lip and threads with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot 2 piece lid.Screw bands tightly.
2. Place jars on elevated rack in water bath canner or in the steam bath canner. Lower rack into water bath canner.(I usually just use my steam canner instead of a water bath canner.) Water must cover jars by 1-2". Add boiling water if necessary. (I'll often need the water that was in the saucepan with my lids. Nice that it's there and already hot and I can just add it if I need to.) Cover. Bring water to a gentle boil THEN start your processing time of 10 minutes.
3. Remove jars and set upright on towel to cool completely. Cover with another towel to prevent jars from breaking by house drafts or a/c. After an hour, if strawberry pieces begin to float, gently tip jars upside-down and set for 30 minutes. Then gently turn upright and set on towel to finish cooling. (Avoid air bubbles by turning gently.)
4. Next day, after jars have cooled 12-24 hours, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary. You can now remove the bands. Wipe the sealed jars with a clean, damp cloth. Label each jar with name of contents and date. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. Best taste and color if used within 1 year. (And we always do! No problem!)

mmm mmm good

A couple weeks ago I did some serious canning.
I forgot how MUCH you need to do so little. It makes me crazy.

This fall, I started with canning pears. I had 55 pears and only got 11 quarts from them, so I had to buy another bushel to can a total of 24 quarts. Sheesh! We'll have to be on rations with these, seeing as we can down a whole quart in a day, if we each have 1 serving. What can I say? They're heavenly and we can't resist!

A few days later, I helped my mother-in-law can applesauce. They have 3 apple trees in their backyard and my father-in-law picked at least 3 bushels of apples for us to can.

*The links of "how to can pears or applesauce" are not the links I used, but give you a general idea of how it's done if you don't already know.

After you wash the apples you cut out the horribly bad spots, throw them in a huge pot and cook them until they're mushy. Then you scoop them into the blessed Victorio strainer and it does all the hard work, separating the peel and core from the yummy fruit. From there you just add what sugar you want, put in your jars, and can to seal them. We ended up with 70 quarts! Wow-ie! It was a long afternoon, evening and night but it feels great to be done!

I guess I didn't take any pics of the pears I canned but they look like they did from last year's post, only more in a jar.

What an accomplishment! Feels great to be done and see them sitting on the shelf!

a fruitful endeavor

It all started with-

50 pears

1 bad spot

4 phone calls to Mom

3 pots + 1 big bowl

1 minute + 20 seconds to peel and cut 1 pear, approx.

8-10 t. Fruit Fresh

1 early nap

5 batches of syrup:
>26 1/4 c. water
11 1/4 c. sugar

1 late nap

3 late lunches

14 quarts of PEAR goodness to last until next year...?

**click on the images below to see them LARGER**

Thank you Mom for instilling this LOVE for home-canned pears in me.

The ones you buy at the store come no where CLOSE to your's.

(If i wanted my pear to crunch like an apple, I'd buy an APPLE!)