If your jam/jelly comes out too runny or too thick, you can fix it without wasting your batch.
For thick jam/jelly, you simply need to heat one or two cups of fruit juice to boiling and then gradually pour into the jam/jelly until the desired consistency is reached. Then you simply go about the canning process.
If your jam/jelly is runny, then you will need to have a few more steps to fix the problem. Consider the instructions below for solving this issue.
Ingredients:
Jam/jelly to be remade.
No sugar needed pectin.
Lemon juice.
Sugar.
You are also going to need new lids for your jars. You can reuse the rings and wash out the jars.
Directions:
- You need to determine how much jam/jelly you need to remake. Measure the amount to be recooked. It is best to only work with four to six cups at a time. Add up the volume of all jars to be reworked to determine the size of your batch in quarts. Once you know how much you can open all the jars and dump them into a large pot. You can place the emptied jars in the dishwasher, so they'll be ready to reuse later.
- For each quart of jam/jelly, you need to fix you should mix 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water or white grape juice, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin in a large pot.
- Mix the jam/jelly into the pectin mixture and bring to boil over high heat while stirring constantly. You should never make a batch of jam/jelly over six cups of crushed fresh or frozen fruit and never remake a batch over 2.5 quarts. This is because it can cause non-uniform heating resulting in some pectin getting over cooked and others undercooked. This is the main reason why jam/jelly doesn't set. After the mix is boiling, cook for 1 minute.
- To test for the thickness, you should leave a metal tablespoon in a glass of ice water Shake off the water and then scoop a half spoonful of the mix. Allow it to cool to room temperature in about a minute or so. If it thickens to a consistency you like, then the jam/jelly is ready. If not you may need to add more pectin and bring it to a boil for another minute.
5. Remove from the heat and quickly skim the foam off the top. Fill your sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Adjust new lids and can according to instructions.
Before you go out and start canning food, take a look at the following tips to help you have a smooth and successful process.