| United States Department of Agriculture, Extension Service2
Wash and rinse all fruits thoroughly before cooking. Do not soak. For best flavor, use fully ripe fruit. Remove stems, skins, and pits from fruit; cut into pieces and crush. For berries, remove stems and blossoms and crush. Seedy berries may be put through a sieve or food mill. Measure crushed fruit into large saucepan using the ingredient quantities specified in Table 1
.
Add sugar and bring to a boil while stirring rapidly and constantly. Continue to boil until mixture thickens. Use one of the following tests to determine when jams and jellies are ready to fill. Remember to allow for thickening during cooling.
Temperature test: Use a jelly or candy thermometer and boil until mixture reaches the temperature for your altitude. For more information see "Making Jelly Without Added Pectin," (FCS 8323).
Refrigerator test: Remove the jam mixture from the heat. Pour a small amount of boiling jam on a cold plate and put it in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator for a few minutes. If the mixture gels, it is ready to fill.
Remove from heat and skim off foam quickly. Fill sterile jars with jam. For more information see "Jars and Lids," (FCS 8255). Use a measuring cup or ladle the jam through a wide-mouthed funnel, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process. Recommended process times are listed in Table 2
.
Tables
Table 1.
Table 1. Ingredient Quantities
|
Fruit
|
Cups Crushed Fruit
|
Cups Sugar
|
Tbsp Lemon
|
Yield (Half-pints)
|
Apricots
|
4 to 4-1/2
|
4
|
2
|
5 to 6
|
Berries*
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
3 to 4
|
Peaches
|
5-1/2 to 6
|
4 to 5
|
2
|
6 to 7
|
* Includes blackberries, boysenberries, dewberries, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
|
Table 2.
Table 2. Recommended process time for Jams without Added Pectin in a boiling-water canner.
|
|
Process Time at Altitudes of
|
|
Styleof Pack
|
JarSize
|
0-1,000 ft
|
1,001-6,000 ft
|
Above6,000 ft
|
Hot
|
Half-pints
|
5 min
|
10
|
15
|
Footnotes
1.
This document is FCS 8324, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: June 1998. First published: February 1993. Reviewed: June 1998. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. It was originally published on CD-ROM as part of HE 8153, Guide 7: Preparing and Canning Jams and Jellies. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu
2.
Reviewed for use in Florida by Mark L. Tamplin, associate professor, Food Safety, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.
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Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences /
University of Florida / Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean
Copyright Information
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