What a better way to start off the day then making something with apples. I like the idea of this recipe because it has many uses! You can thicken more and use as a pie filling with pecans, warm and pour over french toast or pancakes, drizzle onto or into your Fall or Holiday desserts and even top onto baked brie as a wonderful warm appetizer. I likes that this "jam" wasn't SUPER gelled and had just the right amount of "give" - just thick enough to consider it 'jam' and thin enough to scoop and use in so many other dishes! As a bonus, your house smells wonderful when making this! Enjoy - Diane. **updated New & Improved! 9/2017
The Best Caramel Apple Jammy Stuff Ingredients: 6 cups diced peeled apples (1/8-inch cubes) 1 cup apple juice, preferred (or water) 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 package powdered fruit pectin ** 2 cups white granulated sugar 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 dash of vanilla bean paste *optional Directions: Combine apples, apple juice *or water and lemon juice in a large sauce-pot or dutch oven. Simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Stir in all but, 1/4 cup of sugar and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently. Add in pectin mixed with remaining sugar. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring frequently. Once thickened, remove from heat; stir in cinnamon, nutmeg & vanilla. Taste to see if jam needs any more cinnamon or nutmeg. Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Waterbath Canner 5 minutes, adjusting for your altitude. (add one minute for every 1,000 foot rise in elevation) Yield: 6 half-pints. Recipe Note: ** I like using (Pink Box) Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin in this recipe. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to reduce foaming. TRY DIFFERENT FLAVOR PROFILES: Apple Pie Jam I - use all white sugar: Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Allspice (or Mace) Apple Pie Jam II - use all white sugar: Ginger & Cardamom Salted Caramel Jam: Kosher Salt, to taste & Vanilla Bean Paste Recipe adapted from: NCHFP Apple Preserves Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home
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Canned Blue Ribbon Strawberry Orange Jam Yield: 6 half pints Ingredients: 2 pints strawberries 6 medium Valencia oranges 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 6 Tbsp powdered pectin 1/2 tsp unsalted butter to reduce foaming 1 tsp Mrs. Wages® Fresh Fruit Preserver 6 cups sugar Directions: Pour boiling water over jar lids in small kettle. Sterilize jars. Discard stems, quarter and crush strawberries. Measure 2 cups crushed strawberries. Finely chop sectioned peeled oranges. (Do not include any orange membranes or white pith.) Measure 1 1/2 cups orange pulp. Combine strawberries, orange pulp, lemon juice, pectin, butter and "Mrs. Wages Fresh Fruit Preserver" in saucepot. Bring to a boil. Add sugar and return to a full rolling boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Let rest for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle into jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process jars for 10 minutes in hot water bath (USDA Guidelines). Recipe adapted from: Gary Johnson, Columbia Heights, MN Photo by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Canned Fall Fiesta *(end of summer garden pickles) 1 pound zucchini, 1/4"slices 1 pound green beans, trim ends 1/2 pound carrots, 1/4"slices 1/2 pound peeled pearl onions 2 large sweet green peppers, cut into 1/2"strips 1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1/2"strips 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbs dry mustard 2 Tbs mustard seed 1 1/2 Tbs salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 3 cups cider vinegar Mix vegetables, set aside. Combine all spices in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Add vegetables. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot sterilized jars. Remove air bubbles, leave 1/4-inch head-space. Process 15 mins in a boiling water canner (or according to canning standards for your area) Recipe Adapted from: Ball Blue Book of Canning Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Butter - for Canning I love making this in the slow-cooker!!! and if you don't want to water-bath can, you can refrigerate the butter for 2-3 months, or freeze for up to a year. One of my most popular recipes and people love it. I use this fruit butter to top warm oatmeal and homemade ice cream, top off cakes and cobblers, blend into baked goods - like my Apple Galette dessert. A lot of folks comment that they love this so much, they eat it directly from the jar with a spoon. Any way you spoon it - this stuff is GOOD! ~Enjoy! Diane Yield: About 6 half-pints or 3 pint jars. Ingredients: 6 pounds apples, cored and peeled, cut into quarters ** 2 cups apple cider 4 cups water 1 cup sugar (you can use 1/2 white 1/2 brown sugar if preferred) 1/2 cup honey 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract, optional 2 star anise 2 cinnamon sticks **A word about Apples: keep in mind - the sweetness or tartness of the apples you choose, will flavor the finished product significantly. (see below) Spiced "Sweet" Apple Butter I prefer using "sweeter" apples such as Braeburn, Red Delicious, and Honeycrisp with Gala and Fuji. being the sweetest apples and my most requested combination. Spiced "Tart" Apple Butter. Use Granny Smiths and Cripps Pinks for a tart finish to your product. Directions: Start on the stove top: Put the peeled, cored apples in a 6- or 8-quart heavy-bottomed pan. Add the cider and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat (Add in the cinnamon sticks and star anise, these will be removed after boiling) Keep mixture at a medium-high boil, stirring occasionally, until the apples are completely broken down and the apples are soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Into the slow cooker: Carefully remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise with a slotted spoon. Pour the softened apple mixture from your pot into a 6-quart slow cooker, and stir in the sugar and spices. Puree with immersion blender. Cook on the "Low" setting with the lid propped up or set askew to allow the liquid to evaporate for 9 to 12 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and dark.(Keep in mind different slow cookers cook at different temperatures.) My motto is - "You know your apple butter is ready when you can stand a large spoon up in it without the spoon falling over - otherwise, you just have applesauce." Onto canning: Place the slow cooker on high for 10-15 minutes, ladle hot apple butter into sterilized, hot canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch head-space. Apply a new lid and tighten down with band, process for 10 minutes in a boiling water-bath canner (or according to your altitude) Carefully remove the jars from the canner to a draft free spot (I place mine on a towel lined cookie sheet on my counter top) and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 2-3 hours, check to see that the lids have sealed, and immediately refrigerate any jars that haven’t sealed. After 24 hours, remove bands, wash jars, label and store in pantry for up to 1 year. Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Sweet Cherry Jam 4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 3 lbs. fully ripe sweet cherries) 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin 5 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl 1/4 tsp. almond extract 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. STEM and pit cherries. Finely chop or grind fruit. Measure exactly 4 cups of the prepared cherries into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice. STIR pectin and lemon juice into fruit mixture in sauce-pot. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and extract. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off any foam with metal spoon. 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 10 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.) To reduce foaming, add 1/2 tsp. butter to the sauce pot along with the pectin & lemon juice. 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. Recipe Adapted from: SurJel/Kraft Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home |