Canning: Concord Grape and Plum Jam
My good friend Marg brought grapes and plums from her garden to share on our trip to the Head of Powell Lake for a weekend of quad riding. We ate a lot, but there were bunches (literally) left. I hate to be wasteful, so I decided to make a batch of jam.
First I processed the grapes. The concords were seedless, so it was easy. I just squeezed the pulp into a bowl.
I put the skins in a pan to simmer until the juice was released. I mashed the skins and strained the liquid into the bowl with the pulp. That gave the mixture a beautiful purple colour.
Next I processed the plums. I washed them, removed the pits, and diced them with the skins on.
I ended up with three cups of combined fruit and juice, so I used the plum jam recipe in the Sure-Jell powdered pectin box and cut it in half.
3 cups concord grape pulp/juice with diced prune plums
½ package Sure-Jell powdered pectin
4 cups sugar
Put the fruit and juice mixture in a pan. Stir in one-half package of pectin. Bring to a rolling boil.
(Save the other half for another small batch of jam or jelly.) Add sugar and bring the mixture back to a rolling boil, then boil it for one minute stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and skim off foam if needed.
Ladle into hot sterilized jars to ¼ inch from the top. Wipe rims and threads and cover with lids and rings.
For complete water bath canning directions, click here.Place jars on a rack in a water bath canner with 1-2 inches of water over the tops. Cover and bring the water to a gentle boil. Process for 10 minutes after boiling begins.
This half recipe made five half-pints. I canned four for later and put one in the fridge to use right away. It makes a firm jam with little pulp.
Thanks Marg for all the fresh treats for our trip and good eats we can enjoy all winter long. -- Margy
Labels:
Canning,
Preserving
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It looks really delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNicely done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda and Jennifer for the visit and nice comments. I like the tangy taste to alternate with my blackberry jam which is much sweeter. - Margy
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious and so much healthier than the store bought version and I am sure much tastier too. My Mother used to make plain grape jelly & jam from the grapes vines we had in our yard when I was a child and we loved it. But as time went on the vines grew old and didn't produce grapes anymore and we all grew up. Thanks for sharing. Sharing!
ReplyDeleteWith the price of grapes these days it would only work with home grown. Good thing I had a friend willing to share. - Margy
DeleteOh, wow, Margy, this brought back so many memories of my childhood when my grandmother made jam. It wasn't as easy then, because the grapes weren't seedless, but there were lots of them in the yard, as well as plums, pears, apricots and peaches. There would be a winter's worth of "preserves" as Nanny called them, down in the cellar. There was also an outbuilding she called a "root cellar" which, I finally figured out as I grew older, was for root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, and the dreaded parsnip!. It was another time, another age, and I'm grateful your blog post brought back the memories.
ReplyDeleteHugs, K
My grandmother was the canner, but not my mom. Guess things sometimes skip a generation. Wish I had a root cellar, but my float cabin would make a pretty wet one. I have thought about putting things in plastic bins under the cabin but I worry about freezing in winter and hungry critters. - Margy
DeleteI used to do this! Not any more. My daughter doesn't, though!!! Too busy.
DeleteAha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes to stuff a large zucchini. My husband thinks I've lost my marbles, but he is willing to buy some ground beef for me, and await the results. If the results can be photographed, you can be sure I'll do it.
ReplyDeleteKay again
Looking forward to it. I hope I've solved my blossom end rot problem with calcium supplements in time to get a few more before winter weather sets in. - Margy
Delete