Who doesn’t like a sweet jam or jelly on a hot buttered, homemade biscuit (check out the recipe)? Seriously. It’s that extra goodness that makes a biscuit that much better. Of course, you could go out and buy some jelly, but why not make it at home? It’s easy, affordable and tastes even better using fresh ingredients. So, for that reason, J is for jams and jellies!
Fun Facts For Ya’:
- Jams contain the pulp from the fruit – like a strawberry or peach jam.
- Jellies contain only the juice from fruit – like grape jelly.
- Now, let me throw you a curve ball – marmalade contains the rind and the pulp. Marmalades are usually citrusy – like lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges.
- In order to “set” (you know – firm up), all three (marmalades, jams and jellies) need pectin. Pectin is naturally found in some fruits. It’s found in the rind in citrus fruits and in the skins of grapes. Other fruits need help with setting so a powdered pectin is needed (like SureJell).
- Never double or triple a jam/jelly/marmalade recipe. It won’t set properly. Trust me. I’ve tried. It’s best to just be patient and make one batch at a time.
- To avoid using powdered pectin, you can cook the fruits longer and they’ll thicken up. It takes longer, though, but it is possible – especially with jams.
- Most jellies and jams use as little as two ingredients: fruit and sugar. You can’t get much simpler than that.
- You can make jam with just about any fruit: peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, apricots, cherries.
- And, you can make jelly with just about any juice: grape, apple, pomegranate, cherry, cranberry, etc.
Here are a few jam/canning recipes that we use. They are delicious and easy! Instead of canning them you can also simply store them in the fridge. They’ll set just as well. You might need to give some of them away so they don’t go bad before you can eat all the jars, but they’re super tasty. Each of these recipes makes anywhere from 6-8 jelly jars.
One thought on “J is for Jams and Jellies”
Comments are closed.