Browsing Category

Preserving Know-how

Preserving Know-how/ Winter

Freezing: Facts and Fiction!

The weather outside is making me think about freezing! Most foods can be frozen with a few exceptions like mayonnaise or shelled eggs. Freezing is so common we think we know all about it. Today, I’m going to focus on the science along with some facts, fiction, and tips.

The Science: Freezing at 0 degrees F (-18C) does two things: It halts the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. This is known as microbial stasis. Freezing also retards the enzymatic processes that are responsible for reducing quality. As foods freeze, crystals are formed. When freezing occurs quickly, the crystals are small but when freezing is slow the crystals are larger and can puncture the membranes of food causing a mushy texture. When ice crystals evaporate on the surface of foods, evaporation happens (sublimation). This is what we know as “freezer burn”.

Optimal freezing Conditions:

Freezer temperature at zero F

Freeze as quickly as possible which means cooling food first, putting food in smaller, flatter containers or freezer bags

FIFO: Label and date all frozen foods and follow the “first in, first out” rule

Use food-grade freezer bags, butcher paper, freezer containers, Mason jars or silicone molds as well as vacuum sealing. The right containers will maintain quality and safety.

Optimal Thawing Conditions

Best option is to thaw in the refrigerator. The rule of thumb is one day for every 5 lbs of food. So, a 15 lb turkey will take about 3 days to thaw in the fridge.

Thawing food under cool running water or in the microwave are acceptable if the food is cooked immediately after thawing.

Never thaw frozen foods at room temperature (no counters, garages, decks). As freezing does not kill microbes, when thawing occurs bacteria begin to multiply. If food enters the temperature danger zone of 40-140 degrees F, microbes replicate at an astounding rate which is unsafe.

Always slash holes into vacuum sealed frozen foods during the thawing period. While vacuum sealing preserves the quality of food during freezing, it also creates an anerobic environment (no oxygen) which is the environment that is needed by some of the worst pathogenic bacteria. So, give vacuum sealed frozen foods some air during thawing.

Facts & Fiction

Freezing Kills Bacteria: False. It halts the growth but does not kill bacteria and other microbes.

Frozen Food Lasts Forever: False. Well, technically it will but the quality diminishes over time. Soups, left-overs, prepared foods should be used in 3 months. Raw meats, poultry etc. are generally good for up to 12 months. Always label and date frozen foods.

Frozen Vegetables and Fruit are Less Nutritious: False! When fruits and vegetables are blanched and frozen at their peak (including commercially frozen foods), they are more nutritious than those we buy fresh in the grocery store.

You Can’t Refreeze Frozen Foods: False! It is possible to refreeze frozen food if it has been thawed in the fridge for no more than 3 days. This includes meat, fish, poultry, fruit, and vegetables.

Foods expand during freezing: True! Always leave at least 1 inch of headspace to allow for expansion.

Exposure to air causes crystallization: True! Keep air out during freezing. Press air out of freezer bags, double wrap meats, if using plastic containers, leave headspace but scrunch parchment paper or wax paper and place on top of liquid beneath the lid thus reducing air and crystal formation.

I am a big fan of freezing. I always have lasagnas, pot pies, meatballs, meatloaf, chard, or spinach in bechamel sauce, pesto, ice cream, lemon or lime curd, egg whites for a pavlova, and meats, fish, and poultry at my fingertips. An impromptu meal with friends or a quick supper, something is always available in the freezer. Just one of the many food preservation methods at our disposal.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

www.thevalleypreservery.ca

0
Preserving Know-how/ Summer

Mystery Mint Jelly

Mystery Mint Jelly

As you will recall, spring had a slow and cool start this year. The nights were chilly, but the warmth of the days brought forth flowers and perennial herbs. In the chill of early spring, my various mint plants were growing beautifully so I decided to get a head-start on some mint jelly. Every year I make a few batches of mint jelly to accompany lamb or fresh garden peas. It is also great in savoury thumb-print cookies. Sometimes I use peppermint, sometimes the more intense spearmint and sometimes a combination. This year I encountered a surprising and mysterious outcome when my mint jelly turned pink – bright pink!

If you make mint jelly, or any herb jelly for that matter, you know that when you steep the herbs in boiled water (as you would for a tea), the liquid turns sort of tea-like in colour. Most of the time my mint jelly, even the jelly I made later in the season from the same plants is a golden colour. But pink? How did that happen?

The only other time I have witnessed a tea-like liquid dramatically changing colour is when making rose petal jelly. When acid is added to the rose petal liquid, an instant transformation occurs changing the liquid to bright pink. Was there a similar reaction happening with the mint and why? With my researcher hat on, I took a dive into the literature. Here’s what I found.

Many plants, including roses, contain anthocyanins which are pigments found in many fruits, vegetables, and flowers. They are responsible for red, purple, blue (think blueberries, strawberries, black berries, or purple sage). They are powerful antioxidants and are pH sensitive so when exposed to acid, they turn pink/red; when exposed to a base, they turn blue. It turns out that mint plants contain anthocyanins that are visible in the stems and veins of the leaves, and which significantly accumulate during cold weather! 

It seems the mint jelly mystery has been solved. My eagerness to get started on mint jelly early in spring meant I was using “high octane” mint with lots of anthocyanins! Therefore, the first batch of jelly turned bright pink and the second batch, made a few weeks later, was its typical golden colour (no added food colouring in my kitchen although my husband continues to insist mint jelly should be green!). Pink or golden, mint jelly is great to have on hand.

Preserving, like nature itself, is always presenting mysteries. Pink mint jelly is one of those mysteries that can be understood and explained by chemistry!

Have you encountered this phenomenon? Share your experiences.

presrvingwithmartha@gmail.com

www.thevalleypreservery.ca

 

0
Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Winter

Fruit Butters: History, Methods and Uses

Fruit butters are creamy, slow cooked fruit pulp combined with sugar or cider that turns dark and thick due to caramelization. Think about what would happen to apple sauce if you cooked it long and slow for hours and then you will have a sense of apple butter. Many fruits can be used for butter like peaches, grapes, quince, or strawberries, but generally fruit butters are made with Fall fruit like apples, pears, or plums.

Fruit butters were believed to have been introduced to North America by the Pennsylvania Dutch who settled in Pennsylvania and Ontario as early as the 1600s. Despite the name, these folks were not Dutch but of German-speaking countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium. References to fruit butter making are recorded in Canada and the US around the mid 1800s. In the early days, large copper pots were put over a fire beginning with cider which was cooked until it was reduced to a third of the volume. Then apples were added and slow cooked for 12-15 hours. It was a family affair, with each person taking a turn at stirring the pot with a large wooden paddle to prevent scorching.  The purpose of the enterprise, of course, was to preserve fruit for the winter season.

There are many modern recipes for fruit butter. According to Oregon State University extension, any amount of fruit can be used. The basic process is:

  1. Wash, peel, and core fruit. Chop.
  2. Place in Dutch oven or large heavy bottom pot and add water or cider to just cover fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook stirring frequently until the fruit is very soft. If desired, add spice to the cooking liquid like star anise, cinnamon, or cloves. For pear butter, you can use orange juice and zest as the cooking liquid instead of cider.
  3. Run the soft fruit through a food mill or fine sieve to obtain pulp.
  4. For each cup of pulp, add ½ cup of sugar.
  5. There are two options for cooking the pulp: One, is stove-top on low heat constantly stirring. The other is to cook the pulp in the oven at 275 degrees for about 3 hours stirring occasionally. Use a pan lined with parchment or foil.
  6. Check for doneness: The pulp will become dark and very creamy. Remove a teaspoon and put it on a cool plate. If no liquid appears around the edges of the pulp, it is done.
  7. The butters may be frozen but for long-term storage, process 250 ml jars in a water bath or steam canner for 10minutes adjusting for altitude. Rest for 5 minutes before removing from the canner.

Fruit butters are spreads that can be used like jam. They are also great as fillings between cake layers or sandwich cookies. For low-fat baked goods, use fruit butter to replace the fat in the recipe. As was historically the case, fruit butters provide an intensely flavoured spread, preserving autumn’s bounty for the winter months.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

www.thevalleypreservery.ca

0
Preserving Know-how/ Winter

What’s Up Doc? Bugs Bunny Reporting on Carrots

The cartoon figure Bugs Bunny made famous the phrase “what’s up doc?”. The carrot-loving bunny lives on in the hearts and minds of many of us who watched this Saturday morning show. Carrots, of course, aren’t just popular with rabbits! Humans have been eating carrots for 2000 years. In Canada, the farmers of the Holland Marsh grow enough carrots to feed every Canadian 4 pounds per year. Carrots are tasty but also an excellent source of beta-carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A necessary for healthy skin and eyes. A fun fact: carrots were the first commercially canned vegetables.

Besides cold storage, carrots can be preserved by freezing, dehydrating, pickling and pressure canning. Here are some tips.

Varieties: For preserving, Nantes or coreless varieties are recommended. If you are harvesting your own, allow them to remain in the ground until the first frost to maximize their sweetness. If you are using multi-coloured carrots for pickling, avoid the dark red ones as their colour will weep into the brine causing the liquid to become brownish.

Freezing: Carrots freeze well. Blanch whole small carrots for 5 minutes or 2 minutes for sliced or diced. Cool quickly and pat dry. Package in containers with ½ headspace or in freezer bags. For freezing carrot soups, chill the soup. Freezer vessels may include Mason jars (1 inch headspace), freezer containers such as Bernardin’s, good quality freezer bags which may be flattened, frozen on a cookie sheet and stacked in the freezer. There are also cubes that can be purchased such as Soupercubes. The soup is frozen in rectangular or square cubes. They may be frozen as is or removed from the ‘cubes’, vacuum sealed and stacked in the freezer. Always label and date frozen foods. “First in, first out” is the way to keep inventory rotating for quality and safety.

Pickling: I have written before about my family’s passion for pickled carrots. I am partial to adding dill and coriander seeds but there are many recipes for pickled carrots. Use only those from authoritative sources like Ball, Canadian Living, or Bernardin to ensure sufficient acidification and adequate processing times.

Dehydrating: Drying carrots is easy, efficient, and makes for quick additions to soups, stews and braises. As carrots are dense, slice them thinly at 1/8 inch or dice finely. Blanching by simmering the carrots for 3 minutes is recommended. Once cool and dried, place them on the racks of your dehydrator. Set the temperature to 125 degrees F for 6 – 10 hours. Once they are crisp, cool and place in a jar. Check the jar daily for 5 days, shaking to see if there is any clumping or sticking. If the carrots remain crisp, store in an airtight container. Vacuum seal if you prefer. For excellent coverage of all things, dehydrated, see www.thepurposefulpantry.com  

Pressure Canning: Carrots are low in acid so they must be pressure canned. If you are pressure canning carrots, you will need about 8 pounds of carrots for 9, 500ml jars. Hot packing is recommended. This means simmering the sliced carrots for 2 minutes before packing into jars. For up-to-date information about pressure canning, refer to the National Centre for Home Food Preservation.

Thanks Bugs Bunny for drawing our attention to your favourite food!

PS: I recently made and froze a carrot and parsnip soup with thyme and cumin. It froze beautifully because it is made without cream. To view the recipe, check out my website.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

www.thevalleypreservery.ca

0
Fall/ Preserving Know-how

No Root Cellar? No Problem!

This is the time of year to stock up on pesticide free root vegetables and fruit. Some of the lucky ones have root cellars designed specifically for preserving the harvest through winter. Others of us might not be as lucky. But there are alternatives to help preserve the bounty. Do you have a closet with an outside wall or a room where the baseboard heater can be turned off? Do you have a mudroom, porch, cellar, attic, shed or barn to use for storage? Do you have picnic coolers to insulate produce, garbage bins or food-grade plastic containers as preserving vessels? All of these are options to help retain the quality of fruit and vegetables.

The key to preserving the Fall harvest is understanding what fruits and vegetables need in terms of temperature, air circulation and moisture. Once you have that knowledge, many creative root cellar substitutes can be used.

Cold and Moist (0-4.5 degrees Celsius) with 90% humidity)

Beets, carrots, turnips, radishes .

Store in dampened sand or sawdust. Choose your container and moisten the sand or sawdust layering vegetables. Carrots go straight down into the sand.

Cold and Dry (0 – 4.5 C with 60 – 70% humidity)

Apples, pears, Brussel Sprouts, potatoes.

Store apples separately as they produce ethylene gas. Even in the refrigerator store apples away from other fruit and vegetables.

Potatoes need a dark environment to prevent the development of greening and related toxins. Note: Do not refrigerate potatoes as this will cause their starch to convert to sugar.

Cool and Dry (0 –10C and low humidity)

Onions, garlic, shallots.

Braid garlic and hang. Place onions or shallots in breathable mess bags or use a pantyhose leg tying a knot between each onion. Snip off the stocking below the knot to release the onion one at a time. For larger quantities, use a bushel basket, orchard rack or cardboard box with holes. Moisture is the enemy for onions, so they need lots of circulation.

On the Warmer Side and Dry (up to 15C and dry)

Pumpkins, squash, and sweet potatoes.

Many vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkins, squash, and onions benefit from a curing phase before storing. Allowing them to sit on a porch for 10 days when temperatures are moderate allows the skins to firm up and readies the vegetables for winter storage.

So, understand what your vegetables and fruit need – temperature, moisture, air circulation. Choose a location and a vessel. And remember that many root crops can stay in the earth until needed if they are well covered with stray or hay. In fact, vegetables like parsnips and carrots benefit from a frost. The chill sweetens the flavour!

Even without an official root cellar or cold room, it is possible to store vegetables and some fruit for many months during the winter. Even one container of beautiful potatoes kept in the garage or chilly room will bring plenty of great taste to a winter meal. It’s simple to preserve good, healthy food!

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

www.thevalleypreservery.ca

0
Preserving Know-how/ Summer

Scarlet Runner Beans

Scarlett Beans

There is nothing like the beautiful flowers of the Scarlet Runner Bean plant. The beans climb around any trellis or arbour producing the flowers that are transformed into beans. To be honest, I grow these plants for the flowers, but the beans themselves are delicious in summer and dry beautifully for winter. They are also so much fun for children to plant.

The beans are rich in protein, high in fibre and add essential minerals to the diet. Scarlett Runner Beans can be eaten raw when very young, but they need to be cooked as they mature. When mid-size in summer, they can be cleaned, strings removed and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces, then tossed into salted boiling water for three to four minutes depending on size. Drain and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Simple and good.

As summer progresses the beans get quite large. I harvest them and remove the beans inside. These beans of a mottled dark and lighter pink can be dried for later use. I put them on my dehydrator trays to naturally dry in a dry and covered space. Once dry I store them in a mason jar.

Dried Scarlet Runner Beans should be soaked in water for 6 hours before use. They are unique because they retain their firmness as they are cooked turning creamy in texture but not disintegrating. Soaked, drained beans can be added to salad, stewed with tomatoes, added to chili, made into a vegetarian casserole, or used as a base for a bean salad.

Scarlet Runner Beans are beautiful, adorning any trellis, and are great in their young form but excellent dried and saved for the winter. There are many applications of their use, both raw, blanched, and cooked in stews, soups, salads, and casseroles. Try them if you don’t already have them in young garden.

Newsworthy

I recently bought the USDA Guide to Home Canning (2024). It is an excellent resource that is based on the most recent research related to high and low-acid canning. The book includes how-to’s and many recipes that are tested and dependable. This book is priced reasonably at $25.00 CDN and is available on Amazon. If you are looking for a great resource book, check it out.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

0
Preserving Know-how/ Summer

A Focus on Steam Juicing

Steam Juicing

A steam juicer is a stacked cooking vessel that looks a bit intimidating but is very simple to use. The bottom chamber holds water, the middle chamber collects juice which then flows through a plastic tube, and the upper chamber holds the fruit and/or vegetables you are juicing. As the water boils, steam is created causing the fruit/vegetables to release juices. The juices then flow into the collecting chamber. The collected juice is ready for canning, freezing, and making into a jelly. And the residual pulp can be put through a food mill, sweetened, and dehydrated making great fruit leathers!

Preparing Fruit:

Wash all fruit. You don’t need to remove smaller stems, but in the case of apples/crab apples, it is best to remove the hairy end, so the littles hairs don’t end up in your juice. Large fruit can be quartered, but smaller fruit may be left whole or simply halved with pits removed. The upper chamber can be filled to the top as long as the lid fits firmly.

Boiling and Juicing:

Fill the lower chamber with water according to manufacturer’s instructions. It’s about 3 inches of water. Bring the juicer to the boil. In general, it takes one to two hours to extract the juice depending on the density of the fruit/vegetable. The process is complete when the juice coming out of the plastic tube diminishes and when the fruit appears pale and compressed. Most juicers have a metal clamp on the plastic tube that can be turned on and off when you are ready to put the juice into a heat proof container (8 cup Pyrex measuring cup for instance). I find the clamps get very hot, so I let gravity do the work. I place my Pyrex measuring cup on a cutting board sitting on a stool that is lower than the stove. I simply open the metal clamp and watch the juice come out. My method avoids burns but you do have to watch the pot!

Preventing Crystals

Some fruit and vegetables are prone to producing tartrate crystals which appear as sediment. Grapes are particularly inclined to do this. To ensure a clear juice, allow the juice to cool and place in the fridge overnight. The crystals will sink to the bottom. Decant the juice avoiding the sediment or pour juice through a dampened coffee filter.

Preserving Juices

Pasteurization: Even juices you will be immediately consuming should be pasteurized by heating the juice to 160F. This avoids risk of E-coli or salmonella that have been associated with extracted juices.

Freezing: Juices can be frozen. Ensure you use a freezer container and leave a 2 inch headspace for expansion.

Jelly-Making: The extracted juices can be used to make jelly. Use a reputable recipe to determine sugar, lemon juice, need for pectin and processing times.

Long-term Storage: Juices should be water-bath or atmospheric steam canner processed. For a 500 ml jar leave a ½ headspace. Process jars for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude. Rest for 5 minutes. Label and enjoy all winter long!

The steam juicer makes quick work of juicing almost any fruit and vegetables. Cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, blueberries, cranberries, apples, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the list goes on. Create your own preservative-free juices, jellies, and leathers. The steam juicer can also be used for steaming or blanching vegetables by removing the centre section of the appliance for this purpose.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

0
Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Summer

Focus on Lavender

Focus on Lavendar

Almost every year I add another lavender plant to my gardens. They are planted everywhere! I simply can’t resist this herb with all its culinary, medicinal, and crafty applications. I dry the blossoms and leaves for sachets that can be tucked under a pillow to aid sleep or scattered in drawers and closets not only for fragrance but also to deter pesky moths. Bath salts made with lavender flowers and essential oil are a wonderful year-round gifts. In fact, the name lavender is derived from the Latin verb “to wash”. Through the centuries, this herb was used in baths to cleanse and purify the body, mind, and soul. Of course, lavender has also been used in cooking both sweet and savoury dishes. Fresh or dried it can be used to flavour salads, custards, drinks, added to cookies or mixed with other herbs to season poultry or meat (Herbes de Provence). Lavender is a beautiful, fragrant perennial herb with countless uses.

I’m always on the lookout for new lavender recipes. Recently I made a wonderful Honey Lavender Jelly (Canadian Living) and a delightful, refreshing Lavender Infused Lemon Spritzer drink (University of Michigan).

Lavender Infused Lemon Spritzer (2 drinks but this recipe is easily expanded)

½ cup water 2 tsp honey

1 TBSP lavender buds (4 sprigs) ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Sparkling water

In a saucepan stir together lavender, honey and water. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and steep the mixture for 10 minutes. Strain and cool completely. Add lemon juice and refrigerate. To serve, pour mixture over ice in 2 glasses. Add sparkling water. Garnish with lemon zest or lavender sprig.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

Print Recipe

Honey Lavender Jelly (yield 5 cups)

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Ingredients

  • ½ cup dried lavender (unsprayed of course)
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 packet powdered pectin
  • 3.5 cups sugar
  • ½ cup liquid honey

Instructions

1

In a saucepan bring 3.5 cups water to the boil. Stir in lavender and return to boil. Turn off heat and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a dampened cheesecloth lined sieve (no squeezing!). It should yield 3 cups. It may take up to 2 hours.

2

In a Dutch oven or large pot, bring the lavender infusion, lemon juice and pectin to the boil. Stir often. Once boiling, add in the sugar and stir. Bring back to the boil and boil hard for one minute. Remove from heat and skim if necessary.

3

Fill 1 cup hot Mason jars leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Affix lids and rings and tighten to ‘finger-tip tight’. Process in boiling water or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes. Rest for 5 before removing jars. Allow jars to sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check seals, label, and store.

4

Join the lavender fan club and grow, harvest, cook with and dry this beautiful, fragrant and versatile herb.

0
Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Summer

Variations on the Rose

Variations on the Rose

Last summer I made Wild Rose Petal Jelly for the first time and loved the gorgeous colour and floral flavour. When recently making another batch, I started thinking about the history, uses and preservation of the glorious rose.

Roses appeared in drawings dating back to 10,000 BC and were described in Sanskrit writings with recipes for use for complexion, eyewash, and digestive aids. Recent research has confirmed that roses have been shown to not only have lovely fragrance, to also have sedative, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, digestive and other health benefits.

As food, rose petals and hips have been extensively used throughout history. In Europe today, rose petal jams, jellies, and cordials are common. Tisanes (teas) made with petals or hips are frequently enjoyed. Rose water has long been used as a mild perfume, a skin tonic and as an essential ingredient in Middle Eastern recipes like nougat and Baklava. Adding rose water to puddings, yogurt, drinks, ice cream adds a lovely floral note. Petals added in salads, ice cream, honey or butter are delicious. Candied rose petals are often used for cake decorating. And the list of uses goes on….

If you are using roses for culinary purposes, make sure they are unsprayed, washed and allowed to dry. Let’s explore some variations on the theme of roses.

Drying Rose Petals

Rose petals can be dried in the oven with the door ajar (200 degrees for 3 – 4 hours) or in a dehydrator at 115 for 4-6 hours. The petals can be added to loose tea for a hot drink, mixed into softened butter or a floral butter or added to sugar. Of course, dried rose petals are often used for craft projects.

Rose Petal Tisane

A tisane or tea can be made with 15 petals per mug and 1 cup boiling water. Allow to steep for 4 minutes. Strain and enjoy hot or cold.

Rose Hip Treatment

Rose hips can be harvested, washed, and dried with stem and blossom ends removed. They can be frozen, used as a tisane or the juice may be extracted to make a Rose Hip Jelly. Hips are very high in Vitamin C, A,B,E,K and trace minerals.

Rose Hip Juice Extraction

Combine 3 cups water and 6 cups rose hips stems and blossom ends removed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Pour through a dampened cheesecloth lined sieve or jelly bag and allow it to drip.

Leo Buscaglia wrote “A single rose can be my garden”. So true. In my exploration of roses, I have come to understand how little attention I had given to the flower that has blessed our gardens, kitchens, medicine cabinets and art for many centuries.

For the recipe on Rose Petal Jelly and references, see my website: www.thevalleypreservery.ca or contact me at:

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

Print Recipe

Rose Hip Jelly

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Ingredients

  • 4 cups rose hip juice
  • 1 package powdered pectin
  • 6 cups sugar

Instructions

1

Measure sugar and set aside. Measure rose hip juice and put in a large pot. Whisk in pectin. Bring to a boil. Boil hard 1 minute. Add sugar all at once. Bring back to the boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Ladle into hot 250ml jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude, plus additional 5 minute resting period.

0
Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Summer

Giving Strawberry Jam a Pectin Boost

Strawberries and Apple

When plump strawberries appear, it means summer is here and jam-making is underway! There is no doubt strawberry jam is a favorite and there are countless recipes for “my favorite” strawberry jam. Some prefer traditional long-boil methods, and others prefer to use commercial pectin. There are many ways to approach strawberry jam but let’s look at how to boost pectin content without commercial pectin.

Strawberries are low in pectin which is, of course, responsible for the setting of the jam. The first consideration for boosting pectin is to have ‘just-ripe’ berries which contain the highest levels of pectin. It is not advisable to buy “jam grade” berries as pectin levels dramatically drop in over-ripe berries. So, aim for nicely ripe berries.

If you are a fan of making jams without commercial pectin, the long-boil method is appealing. This means crushed fruit is combined with sugar and lemon juice and boiled until it reaches the set point. The long-boil method is traditional, but the downside is that it requires a lot of fruit, and the long cooking period diminishes the fresh taste of the berries. But there is a way to boost pectin, lower the cooking time and improve the fresh taste and texture of strawberry jam!

Test Kitchens of America provides a recipe that enhances pectin by adding grated Granny Smith apple which is naturally high in pectin. The grated fruit is undetectable in the jam, but it speeds up cooking time and helps to create a nice structure. It still takes a lot of fruit compared to the amount used for recipes with commercial pectin, but if you want to avoid commercial pectin this is a good way of keeping tradition, lowing sugar, and improving taste.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Jam with a Pectin Boost

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Boosting the pectin in your strawberry jam can be done naturally. First, choosing the right fruit and second by adding a higher pectin fruit like grated Granny Smith apple. It’s tradition with a twist!

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds just-ripe strawberries (10 cups) crushed
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups peeled, grated Granny Smith apple
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice (bottled)

Instructions

1

Put 2 saucers in the freezer to check set point after cooking.

2

Crush fruit and measure. Place fruit in a large pot/Dutch oven with sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil stirring. Boil for about 20 to 25 minutes.

3

Check temperature with an instant read or candy thermometer. It should reach about 217. Put a teaspoon on the frozen saucer and wait one minute. Then check the set by running your finger through the jam. If it leaves a clear path, the jam is ready. If not, continue cooking for 1-3 minutes. Check again.

4

Once the set is achieved, skim and ladle jam into 4 250ml hot jars. Clean the rim and attach lids and rings to “finger-tip” tight. Process jars in a water-bath or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude.

0