I don’t know exactly what I expected to change after
completing the 10-week Master Food Preserver program, graduating, and receiving
my official MFP nametag, but I didn’t expect to have a half dozen back-to-back
failures in the kitchen! Not complete failures (the product’s edible, if not
aesthetically pleasing), but far from the kind of product that receives a blue
ribbon at the Amador County Fair (and isn't this everyone’s goal?). I can assure you, though it
was done by the book and is safe to eat!
I’m calling my strawberry jam (four batches…that’s 24 jars
in total!) Jam on Top, Jelly on the Bottom. The technical name for this
phenomenon is fruit float. After processing and cooling, the solids rise to the
top of the jar leaving the liquid at the bottom. After opening, a quick stir
will incorporate the jelly with the jam; and in spite of the separation
problem, it tastes great. But, give this as a gift? Not a chance! Did I have
this problem last year (prior to my MFP training)? NO! My strawberry jam was
perfection! I’m disappointed to say the least! The only change between this
year’s strawberry jam and the 30+ jars I canned last year is the pectin. Now
that’s another story…
Several of the books I purchased last year after becoming
enamored with “putting foods by,” in particular, canning, used a pectin called
Pomona. It’s rather unique because it uses calcium water to activate the
pectin, rather than sugar. This is appealing, because Pomona allows you to adjust
the amount of sugar in products, whereas the other pectin products won’t set
properly if the sugar is reduced below that specified in the recipe, which is
often a 1:1 ratio of sugar to fruit and in some cases higher. Pomona pectin is
impossible to find in our area, so I ordered a 6-pack on line. Each package
makes about three batches of jam, jelly, or preserves. I’ve got enough Pomona
pectin to can 150+ jars of jam this summer. I WANT to believe my strawberry jam
failure is not due to Pomona pectin. And, I am not ready to give up on it! Not
until I’ve worked my way through my large inventory of the stuff, anyway.
I love buying produce at farmers’ markets or Davis Ranch,
but occasionally our local grocery store receives a shipment of fresh, local
(“local” is anywhere within about a 500 mile radius, so disregard that sign)
red raspberries. I bought enough to make a batch of pure raspberry jam. With
Verne’s help (I don’t know how anyone cans alone…it takes two!) we assembled
all of the equipment, read the recipe twice, and made the jam. Maybe I should
say, “We made the sauce or syrup or topping”…NOT jam. It didn’t set. It’s a
gorgeous color and deliciously sweet, without being sugary. But, it is runny! I
was dumbfounded the next day when I prepared the jars for labels. (Just a note
here: after removing jars from the water bath canner, they need to be left to
cool for 12-24 hours…no disturbing, no touching!) So, that next day was when I
first noticed the runny consistency of my raspberry jam, which is now called
raspberry sauce. Disappointed! Eight more jars to add to my inventory of
“seconds”. Although, I don’t think I can blame the pectin this time. As Verne
and I rethought the steps we’d gone through, we both realized I’d used half of
the amount of pectin called for in the recipe. I had a small amount left in a
package (which I used) and intended to open a new package for the balance
(which I didn’t!). OOPS!
This past weekend we set aside a day for canning some
berries we’d frozen late last year. I should mention…canning frozen produce is
not a bad thing. It’s not always possible to go from the field to a jar in just
two hours. I use that as a standard, because last year at the Portland Berry
Festival Verne bought a quart jar of pie filling from a sweet old lady who
claimed she’d canned the berries within two hours of their harvest. Wow! It’s
hard to compete with that. Our berries were closer to “borderline expired,” but
still useable. Actually, they were mostly dead (that’s an inside joke that only
my family or people who love the movie The Princess Bride will understand.) I
figured canning the berries would breath a bit of life into them. That was my
first mistake. We made a batch of blackberry jam and a second batch of mixed
berry pie filling. As required, I waited overnight before checking the seal and
cleaning the jars in preparation for labels. By the time I’d finished this
process, I’d handled and moved the jars three times and as I closely
scrutinized the jars for a slight difference in color or consistency (which
seemed apparent the prior day), I saw none! They looked identical in color and
both had jelled to the point there was no movement in the jar. I had absolutely
no idea which was the jam and which the pie filling. I took my best guess and
applied the labels and added them to the pantry shelf of seconds bringing the
total to an even 50! Doubly disappointed! **Scream!!!**
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