Grape Jelly Recipe

Grape Jelly


4 C  100% Concord Grape Juice (unsweetened)
1 C Sugar
1 Pkg Ball no/low sugar pectin

Combine juice and pectin and stir thoroughly.

Bring juice to a hard boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add sugar and stir to dossolve, return jelly to a hard boil that cannot be stirred down.  Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and ladle into prepared jars.

Boiling water bath process for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 1/2 half pints.


06-15-13 -  beautiful set, and a good level of sweetness, but a bit weak tasting, maybe boil it down and concentrate it a bit next time?

Chocolate Syrup Recipe

(not preserving, but worth putting someplace where I won't loose it.)

Chocolate Syrup


1/2 C Cocoa Powder
1 C Sugar
1 C Water
1/8 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Combine cocoa, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan over med heat.  stir/whisk until the cocoa powder dissolves.

Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool a moment before whisking in vanilla.

Pour into a bottle and refrigerate for up to a month. (But it never lasts that long)

for a thicker syrup, simply simmer for longer.

Curried Pickled Cauliflower Recipe

Curried Pickled Cauliflower


3 C White vinegar
1 C Water
1/2 C Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Curry powder
1 Tbsp Salt
1 (2-3 lbs) Cauliflower, cut into 1/2" florets
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Onion, diced

Combine vinegar, water, brown sugar, curry powder, and salt and bring to a boil.

Add cauliflower, bell pepper, and onion and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are just tender: about 2 min.

Fill prepared jars and boiling water bath process for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and let cool 5 minutes before removing jars.

let sit one week before eating.

Makes 3 Pints

(From Put 'Em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton
https://www.inkling.com/read/put-em-up-sherri-brooks-vinton-1st/cauliflower/curried-cauliflower )

Melon Jam Recipes

(it should be noted that these recipes would probably have a higher star rating if I actually liked melon)


Honeydew Ginger Jam


2 1/2 C Melon, chopped
1/2 C 1 Tbsp Honey
1/2 1/3 C Sugar
2 3Tbsp Lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1/4 tsp Ground ginger powder
4 tsp Low sugar pectin

Combine melon, lemon juice, zest and ginger, bring mixture to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, mashing the melon with the back of your spoon as it softens.

Stir in pectin and bring to a hard boil, add honey and sugar bring back to a full rolling boil for 1 minute.

Spoon into prepared jars and boiling water bath process for 10 minutes.

Makes 1 half pint

(Inspired by:
 http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1623,145189-240193,00.html
http://passionfruitgarden.com/2013/03/31/melon-ginger-lemon-jam/ )






Vanilla Cantaloupe Jam


2 C Cantaloupe, chopped
1 C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
Zest of 1/2 1 lemon
1 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
4 tsp 1 Tbsp Low sugar pectin

Combine melon, lemon zest and juice, simmer for about 10 minutes, mashing melon with the back of your spoon as it softens.

Stir in pectin and bring to a full rolling boil.

Add sugar and bring back to a full rolling boil for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.

Spoon into prepared jars and boiling water bath process for 10 minutes

Makes 1 1/2 half pints.

(Inspired by Cantaloupe Jam with Vanilla from Food in Jars)


(05-12-13) forgot to taste the cantaloupe jam before washing the pot, but smelled divine.  Honeydew jam was too sweet, to honey, not enough honeydew and ginger, so I've marked planed changes in blue.
(05-13-13) the small jar of Vanilla Cantaloupe didn't seal so got to try some this morning.  very melon-y but a touch too much vanilla.  once again, alterations marked in blue.
(7-12-13) finished the small jar of vanilla cantaloupe the other day, I have to admit it grew on me, maybe not my first choice, but definitely a good jam.

Apple Pie Jam Recipe

Apple Pie Jam


2 Granny smith apples: peeled, cored and chopped into small chunks
1/3C Apple Pectin liquid
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 C Raisins (optional)
1 C Brown sugar
1/2 C White sugar
1/4 tsp Apple Pie spice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Combine apples and liquids and cook until apples are tender, but not mushy.

Stir in lemon juice and raisins, then add sugars, spice and cinnamon and stir to dissolve.

Bring Jam to a rolling boil and cook until it reaches 220F.

Let sit 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle into prepared jars and boiling water bath process for 10 minutes.

Makes approximately 2 half pints (depending on the size of your apples & weather you use raisins or not).

Recipe can be increased to use up to 6 apples, or anything in between.

(Inspired by:
http://freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=50
http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2009/10/apple-pie-jam-i-fall.html
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Apple-Pie-Jam )

(4-30-13) - first time making this did not add 1/2 c white sugar, or raisins, and apples were on the small side, only got one half pint and one quarter pint. Tasted great in the pot, but as of (05-04-13) still has not set up. (05-10-13) - reprocessed, added a little more pectin and lemon juice as well as white sugar, recipe changed to reflect modifications. Sample in the fridge is more like a thick syrup/caramel than jam and way too sweet,  may need to go back down to just brown sugar and use a low sugar pectin instead of the apple pectin.  kind of disappointing.

Apple/Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

Apple/Pumpkin Pie Spice

9 parts ground cinnamon
3 parts ground nutmeg*
3 parts ground ginger
2 parts ground cloves*
2 parts ground allspice*
1 part ground cardamom (this optional, and you rarely see it in pumpkin pie spice blends, but sometimes in apple pie blends, I really like what it adds in flavor, no matter what the application, so I use it)

mix everything together and enjoy in your favorite recipe

for Spiced Cider: stir 1/8 - 1/4 tsp into one mug of cider, and microwave 1-2 minutes until hot.

* I like to use whole spices and grind them myself when I make my mixes, but if you can't get whole, use the freshest possible ground you can get.

Apple Pectin Recipe

Apple Pectin


Whole apples, quartered or leftover apple bits from other projects
small amount reserved citrus peels
Double the amount of water to apples by weight.

Cover apples with water and simmer for 1/2 to 1 hr. or until everything is mushy.

Strain liquid through a jam bag, or two layers of cheesecloth, let drip for several hours. Discard apple mush, strain liquid again, and return liquid to the pot and boil until reduced by half.

Can be refrigerated for one week, frozen for 6 months.


To Test:
Mix 1/2 tsp liquid to 1 Tbsp rubbing alcohol, good pectin should form a rubbery ball or blob.


To Use:
for jam:
 ~ 1/3 - 1/2 C Pectin liquid to every 2 lbs (4C) low pectin fruit.
1 tsp Lemon juice per 1/3 C pectin liquid
At least equal parts sugar to pectin liquid + approximately 1 - 1.5 c sugar for every lb of fruit.

for jelly:
1/4-1/3 C Pectin Liquid to 1 C juice
1 tsp Lemon juice per 1/4 c Pectin liquid
1:1 sugar to pectin/juice mix


(Inspired by:
http://hungrytigress.com/2010/07/apple-pectin-confiture-de-vieux-garcon/
http://blogs.food24.com/kitchendiary/2009/11/19/homemade-apple-pectin/
http://www.mynewoldschool.com/2010/07/27/make-your-own-pectin/
http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2013/01/how-to-make-your-own-pectin.html
http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/09/making-and-canning-pectin-from-apples.html )


Notes:
first time I made this (4-21-13) I used 4 ziplock baggies of reserves peels and bits (>1.5lbs) plus half a juiced lemon peel. I got a little less than 2 cups of thick pectin liquid that formed a thick gelatinous blob in alcohol.

Strawberry - Lemon Marmalade Recipe

 

Strawberry - Lemon Marmalade

1 lemon
12 oz strawberries (about 2 cups)
1 C sugar


Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin from the lemon and cut it into thin strips, juice the lemon, reserving the seeds in a cheesecloth baggie. Combine peel strips and juice and seeds with 1 C boiling water.

Chop strawberries and mix with 1/2 c sugar



Let strawberries macerate, and lemon peels soak for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.

Throw lemon mix into a pan and bring to a boil, simmer for 20-30 min until the liquid is greatly reduced and the peels are tender. Remove the seed bag, squeezing to get all the juice out.



Puree half the strawberry mix and throw everything into the pan with the lemon mix. Simmer for a few minutes and then add the last 1/2 c sugar, stir until it is fully dissolved and then bring to a hard boil for about 3-5 minutes, until jam reaches 220degrees.


(it must be noted, that I really should have used a much larger pot here)

Spoon into prepared jars and boiling water bath process for 10 minutes.

Makes 3 quarter pints


(a combination of three recipes:
http://www.foodinjars.com/2011/06/urban-preserving-small-batch-strawberry-vanilla-jam/
http://hezzi-dsbooksandcooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/strawberry-lemon-marmalade.html
http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/02/three-citrus-marmalade-recipe/  )

Grapefruit Marmalade Recipe

Grapefruit Marmalade


2 lbs Grapefruit (~2 fruits)
3 C water
3 C sugar

scrub the grapefruit to remove any wax.

Juice grapefruit, reserving any solids and seeds, set juice aside.(you should get roughly one cup of juice per lb of fruit)

Peel internal membrane and pith bits from the inside of the peel shells. Place reserved solids, seeds and membrane into a jelly bag or a pouch made of two layers of cheesecloth - this is your 'pectin pouch'.

Slice the grapefruit peel into thin strips.

Put reserved juice, pectin pouch, peel strips and water into a large bowl. Let sit 24 hours in the fridge.

Place peel and juice mix into a large pot and bring to a simmer.  Let simmer partially covered, for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally and squeezing the pectin pouch with the back of your spoon, until peel is tender.



Remove pectin pouch, squeezing out as much of the pectin full goo as you can.  Be careful not to burn your fingers.

Slowly add in the sugar, and return to a simmer, stirring to dissolve.

Bring the marmalade to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, boil until the temperature reaches 220F.  Remove from the heat, let sit for about 5 minutes stirring occationally.

Spoon into prepared jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Makes 2 pints.