Chapter 6

Sweet Spreads: Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and More

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Exploring the world of preserves

Bullet Unlocking the mystery of pectin

Bullet Firming up your jams and jellies

Bullet Satisfying your sweet tooth with tasty spreads

RECIPES IN THIS CHAPTER

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Herb Tea Jelly

Kumquat Marmalade

Lime-Ginger Marmalade

Apple Butter

Any-Time-of-the-Year Strawberry Preserves

Grape Jam

Sweet spreads are my most favorite items to can. Think outside of the box for ways to serve your homemade creations. For some of my favorite serving ideas, check out the introductory notes in the recipes. I hope you’ll come up with even more ideas. You can make combinations of ingredients that aren’t commercially available. Sweet spreads aren’t just for toast anymore!

In this chapter, I include a variety of my favorite recipes with unique flavor combinations. The recipes utilize a variety of preparation techniques that take you step by step through each process. In addition to fresh fruit, some recipes use frozen fruit and fruit juice.

Introducing Your Sweet Spreads

Making sweet spreads is basic chemistry, using exact proportions of fruit and sugar, cooking the two, and sometimes adding acid or pectin (check out the upcoming section, “Getting Up to Speed with Fruit Pectin,” for more on this important ingredient). Don’t worry if chemistry wasn’t your strong suit in school. Good recipes do the homework for you. Your responsibility is to follow the recipe exactly, using the correct ingredients and measuring them accurately.

Never double a sweet spread recipe or adjust the sugar amount. Recipes are balanced to achieve a specific consistency and texture. Any alteration or adjustment to the recipe upsets the perfect chemical balance and adversely affects your spread by producing inferior results. If you want more of the same recipe, make it twice. If you would like to use less sugar, find another recipe that uses your desired amount.

Sweet spreads, generically referred to as preserves, come in many forms and textures. The various types of sweet spreads are as follows:

Jam. Jam is a combination of fruit (crushed or chopped), sugar, and sometimes pectin and acid, cooked until the pieces of fruit are soft and almost lose their shape. Common uses for jam include bread spreads, cookie and pastry fillings, and a topping for cheesecake.
Jelly. This mixture combines fruit juice, sugar, and sometimes pectin. It’s transparent with a bright color and should be firm, yet jiggly. If you use fresh fruit, you may be instructed to strain it. Use jelly as a bread spread or as a filling for cakes and cookies.
Marmalade. These are soft jellies with pieces of fruit rind, usually citrus fruit, suspended in them. In addition to bread spread, marmalades are great as a glaze on a baked ham (use your favorite flavor!).
Preserves. In addition to the generic term representing all sweet spreads, preserves have a definition of their own. They contain cooked fruit, sugar, and sometimes pectin and have a jamlike consistency, but with whole or large pieces of fruit. The fruit maintains its shape during the cooking process.
Butter. This smooth, thick spread is made from fruit purée and sugar cooked for a long period of time. The results are a thick spread. Butters normally use less sugar than other sweet spreads and may have spices added to enhance the flavor of the fruit.
Conserves. These usually contain two fruits mixed with sugar and nuts and cooked to achieve a consistency similar to jam. Traditionally, conserves were used as a spread on biscuits and crumpets.

Choosing Fruit for Sweet Spreads

Always select the freshest fruit available to you. Know when your favorites are in season for the best selection, the highest quality, and, usually, the most reasonable pricing. (For detailed information on selecting fresh fruits, check out Chapter 5.)

Local growers are good indicators of the types of fruit grown in your area. Check out your local farmer’s markets and ask the sellers about their fruit. People love to talk about their passion, and who better to learn from than the person who grows the food you’re buying? Ask questions about the fruit you see, how they determine ripeness, and how a particular fruit tastes. If they’re not passing out samples, they’ll probably be happy to cut you a taste.

Carry copies of your favorite recipes when you’re visiting local growers or farmer’s markets. That way, you’ll always buy the right amount of fruit for your favorite recipe.

Getting Up to Speed with Fruit Pectin

Pectin is a natural, water-based substance that’s present in ripe fruit. It’s essential for thickening jams, jellies, and other types of preserves. Some recipes add commercial fruit pectin when more than the naturally occurring amount of pectin is needed (like when you want to thicken a fruit juice into a jelly). If your recipe does include such an ingredient, you’ll see the kind of pectin (powdered or liquid) listed.

Never alter the amount of sugar your recipe calls for or use sugar substitutes. Exact amounts of sugar, fruit, and pectin are a must for a good set — that is, a consistency that isn’t too thick to spread or too runny.

Commercial pectin basics

Commercial pectin is available in most supermarkets or where canning supplies are sold. Pectin may be in short supply in the spring and summer months because these are such popular times of year for canning. So be sure you have enough on hand before you start preparing your recipe.

Inspect the pectin container for water stains, holes, or any other sign that it’s come into contact with food (like food stuck to the package). Check to make sure the package is sealed and that it’s not past the use-by date.

Using pectin after the date on the package may affect your final product because the quality of the pectin may have deteriorated. Pectin wasn’t always marked with a date. If your pectin container doesn’t provide an expiration date, don’t use it; it may be a sign that your product is extremely old. Leave the sentimental feelings for Grandma’s dishes. She would scold you for using an ingredient that doesn’t give you the best results.

Types of commercial fruit pectin

Pectin is available in two forms: liquid and powdered (dry). Although both products are made from fruit, they’re not interchangeable. Be sure to use the correct type and amount of pectin your recipe calls for.

Using liquid fruit pectin

Liquid pectin is usually made from apples. Today, a box contains two 3-ounce pouches. The most common brand is Certo.

Liquid fruit pectin was originally sold in 6-ounce bottles. Older recipes may call for “one-half of a bottle.” If you read a pouch of liquid pectin today, it states, “1 pouch equals ½ bottle.”

Because you have to add your liquid pectin at the specified time and temperature, have it at the ready: Cut off the top of the pouch and stand it in a measuring cup or other container to keep it from spilling (see Figure 6-1). Then, when it’s time to add the liquid pectin, add it all at the same time, squeezing the pouch with your fingers like you do to get the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.

Schematic illustration of adding a pouch of liquid pectin. — FIGURE 6-1: Adding a pouch of liquid pectin.

Using powdered (dry) fruit pectin

Powdered pectin is made from citrus fruits or apples. It comes in a box similar to a gelatin- or pudding-mix box and contains 1¾ ounces (the most commonly used size) or 2 ounces. Use the size stated in your recipe ingredients, and add it before you heat the fruit mixture.

In addition to different sizes, powdered pectin comes in two varieties: fruit pectin for homemade jams and jellies, and fruit pectin for lower-sugar recipes. Use the variety your recipe calls for; they’re not interchangeable.

Setting Up without Adding Pectin

Not all recipes require the addition of extra pectin. Some recipes cook the fruit mixture for a long period of time, which reduces the liquid in the mixture to achieve the desired consistency.

For this process, you need patience and the knowledge of what to look for when testing your cooked product. Basically, you need to know what the spread’s gel point is. (Gel point is the cooking point at which jelly is considered done.)

The gel point temperature is 8 degrees above boiling at an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea level or lower (220 degrees). If you’re at an altitude higher than 1,000 feet above sea level, you can determine the temperature of your gel point by bringing a pot of water to a boil. When the water boils, check the temperature on your thermometer and add 8 degrees. This is the gel point for your altitude.

Use one of the following methods for testing the gel point:

A candy thermometer. This is the most accurate method for testing the gel point of your spread. Use a thermometer that’s easy to read. One degree over or under the gel point makes a difference in your final product.

It’s a good idea to have two candy thermometers. They are inexpensive and critical for perfect jelly making. If one breaks, you’ll have a second one for backup during canning.
The spoon, or sheet, test (see Figure 6-2). Dip a cool metal spoon into your cooked fruit and hold it so the fruit runs off the spoon. When the temperature of the fruit approaches the gel point, it falls off in a couple of drops. When it slides off the spoon in one sheet, the fruit’s done. Proceed with your next step.

This test takes a bit of practice to master. Until you master it, use a candy thermometer in conjunction with this test. When the temperature of the fruit climbs toward the gel point, you’ll be able to see the changes in the liquid and compare it to the sheeting from the spoon.
The plate test (see Figure 6-2). Place about 1 tablespoon of cooked fruit onto a chilled plate. Put the plate in the freezer and cool the spread to room temperature, which takes roughly 5 minutes. If the fruit is set and doesn’t roll around on the plate, the mixture is done. Proceed to your next step.

Schematic illustration of Gel testing your food: the spoon test and the plate test. — FIGURE 6-2: Gel testing your food: the spoon test and the plate test.

Water-Bath Canning: The Key to Sweet Spread Canning Success

The only method for safely processing your sweet spreads, as approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is water-bath canning. The harmful bacteria and microorganisms living in high-acid foods are destroyed at the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees at 1,000 feet or lower above sea level) by sterilizing the food and vacuum-sealing the jar. For that reason, the recipes in the following sections all use water-bath canning. For complete details on water-bath canning, refer to Chapter 4.

Here are a couple of other tips to help you ensure your sweet spread canning success:

Stick with tested recipes. They’re always the best. Don’t experiment with different quantities of ingredients in any canning method. Quantity adjustments to your fruit or your sugar can seriously change the acid (pH level) in your food. And if the acidity changes, you may not use the correct home-canning method to produce a safe product, free from microorganisms.
Always practice safe food-handling procedures. Complete each recipe, start to finish, without interruption. Any break between cooking your fruit to filling the jars and processing them may produce a product of inferior quality and one that may be unsafe for eating.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

PREP TIME: 45 MIN | PROCESSING TIME: 20 MIN | YIELD: 3 PINTS

INGREDIENTS

4 cups strawberries, hulled and crushed

2½ cups chopped rhubarb

¼ cup lemon juice

One 1.75-ounce package pectin powder

6 cups sugar

DIRECTIONS

1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2 After you hull and crush the strawberries, clean the rhubarb; trim the ends and remove the leaves. Cut the rhubarb into ½-inch pieces.

3 Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, and pectin powder in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full, rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Skim any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer, if necessary.

4 Ladle the boiling-hot jam into your hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more jam as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5 Process the filled pint jars in a water-bath canner for 20 minutes from the point of boiling. (Note: It doesn’t matter if you have a less-than-full canner. Simply arrange the jars so that they’re evenly spaced, if possible.)

6 Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals. If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks.

PER 1-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 53 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 1mg; Carbohydrates 14g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.

Herb Tea Jelly

PREP TIME: 30 MIN | PROCESSING TIME: 20 MIN | YIELD: 5 HALF-PINTS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups water

12 tea bags of your favorite herbal tea

3 cups sugar

1 cup apple juice

One 3-ounce package of liquid pectin

DIRECTIONS

1 Bring the water to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and steep the tea bags, covered, for 30 minutes.

2 While the tea is steeping, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

3 After your tea has steeped for 30 minutes, remove the tea bags from the water and stir in the sugar and apple juice. Boil the mixture for 2 minutes; then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pectin. Boil for 2 more minutes.

4 Fill the prepared jars with boiling liquid, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more liquid as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5 Process the filled half-pint jars in a water-bath canner for 20 minutes from the point of boiling.

PER 1-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 41 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 11g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.

Kumquat Marmalade

PREP TIME: 30 MIN | COOKING TIME: 30 MIN | PROCESSING TIME: 10 MIN | YIELD: 7 HALF-PINTS

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds kumquats, unpeeled

1½ cups water

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 to 3 lemons)

5 cups granulated sugar

One 3-ounce pouch liquid fruit pectin

DIRECTIONS

1 Slice the kumquats in half lengthwise; then slice each half into fourths lengthwise. Discard the bitter seeds. Place the kumquats into a 6- to 8-quart pot. Add the water and the baking soda. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

2 While the kumquats are cooking, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

3 Stir the sugar into your cooked fruit. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil over high heat. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pectin, stirring to combine. Remove any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer.

4 Ladle your hot marmalade into the prepared jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more marmalade as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes from the point of boiling.

6 Remove the jars from the boiling water with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals. If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two months.

PER 1-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 40 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg; Carbohydrates 10g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 0g.

Lime-Ginger Marmalade

PREP TIME: 20 MIN | COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR | PROCESSING TIME: 10 MIN | YIELD: 4 HALF-PINTS

INGREDIENTS

3 to 4 limes, cut in half lengthwise and sliced crosswise (about ⅛-inch thick), to measure 1½ cups of fruit

½ cup grated lemon zest (about 2 to 4 lemons)

5 cups water

¼ cup finely shredded fresh ginger (about a 5- to 6-inch piece)

4¼ cups granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

1 Place the lime slices, lemon zest, water, and ginger in a 5- to 6-quart saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and boil rapidly until the fruit is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

2 While your fruit is cooking, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

3 Measure the hot mixture into a heatproof measuring cup and return it to the pan. For each cup of fruit, add 1 cup of sugar. Return the pan to the stove and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Cook the marmalade about 30 minutes until it sheets off of a spoon (see Figure 6-2) or registers 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the mixture for 5 minutes. Remove any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer.

5 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes from the point of boiling.

PER 1-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 53 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 14g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.

Apple Butter

PREP TIME: 20 MIN | COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR, 10 MIN | PROCESSING TIME: 15 MIN | YIELD: 6 HALF-PINTS

INGREDIENTS

3½ cups apple cider

8 large apples (about 4 to 4½ pounds), peeled, cored, and sliced

1½ cups granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher or pickling salt

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

One 3-inch cinnamon stick

DIRECTIONS

1 Place the cider in a 5- to 6-quart pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the apple slices and reduce the heat. Simmer the fruit, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir the fruit every 10 to 15 minutes to prevent sticking.

2 Stir in the sugar, salt, and the ground and stick cinnamon. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 20 to 25 minutes. (The consistency should be like applesauce.) Remove and discard the cinnamon stick.

3 While the fruit cooks, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

4 Ladle your hot fruit into the prepared jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more fruit as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes from the point of boiling.

PER 1-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 23 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 7mg; Carbohydrates 6g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.

NOTE: This spread is a cross between a jam and homemade applesauce. The rich flavor will almost make you feel guilty when you slather it on a toasted bagel or a biscuit warm from the oven.

Any-Time-of-the-Year Strawberry Preserves

PREP TIME: 10 MIN | COOKING TIME: 5 MIN | PROCESSING TIME: HALF-PINTS, 10 MIN | YIELD: 6 HALF-PINTS

INGREDIENTS

Three 10-ounce packages of frozen, sliced strawberries, thawed

¼ cup water

1¾-ounce package powdered fruit pectin

6 cups granulated sugar

⅓ cup orange liqueur

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2 Combine the strawberries with the water and pectin in a 5- to 6-quart pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the pectin. Boil hard for 1 minute. Stir in the sugar and return the mixture to a full, rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the liqueur and the lemon juice. Cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer.

3 Ladle your hot preserves into the prepared jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more preserves as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes from the point of boiling.

5 Remove the jars from the boiling water with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals. If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two months.

PER 1-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 53 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 14g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.

Grape Jam

PREP TIME: 30 MIN | COOKING TIME: 15 MIN | PROCESSING TIME: HALF-PINTS, 10 MIN | YIELD: 6 HALF-PINTS

INGREDIENTS

8 cups stemmed grapes

6 cups granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

2 Remove the skins from the grapes and place the skins in a 5- to 6-quart pot, and set aside. Place the pulp of the grapes in a second 5- to 6-quart pot and bring to a simmer, or until the pulp breaks down. Run the pulp and seeds through a food mill or fine strainer to separate the seeds and combine the pulp with the skins.

3 Heat the pulp-and-skin mixture until it comes to a rolling boil. Then continue to boil for 15 minutes, stirring often or until the mixture thickens. (For more information on how to tell if your jam has gelled properly, refer to Figure 6-2.)

4 Ladle your hot jam into the prepared jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more jam as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes from the point of boiling.

PER 2-TABLESPOON SERVING: Calories 104 (From fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 28g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.

TIP: If your grapes don’t burst out of their skins with slight pressure, dip them in hot water for one minute first, and then give them a gentle squeeze.

VARY IT! Use any type of grape you like for this recipe. Typically, the Concord grape is the preferred grape for jams and jelly, but it is highly seasonal. A table grape also works, or even wild grapes that grow in your yard.

NOTE: This recipe does not require the addition of pectin.