Investment Cooking - Canning Jams, Jellies & Syrups

 

When it comes to canning I want to make sure you are all aware that I am not expert on the subject.  I’ve been canning for a very long time, practically my entire life, however there are many opinions and facts on this subject and I encourage you to do your own research.  With that being said I’m happy to share with you how I do things around my house when it comes to home canning and preserving food for my long term food storage.

 

The first time I canned anything it was grape jelly made from Welch’s grape juice in my eight grade Home Ec class.  I love it!  I thought it was so much fun and I was instantly hooked.  Since then I’ve made and canned countless jars of jams, jellies, preserves and butters as well as maple flavored and berry syrups.  It is a simple process for anyone wanting to get started doing their own home canning and a great way to learn the basics.

 

I water bath can my jams and jellies as well as fruit butters and I find the best recipe to use is the one included with your box of pectin.  That way you have the right ratio of fruit or juice and sugar to go with that pectin to yield the best results.  I’m going to link here to a great website for more recipes, tips and instructions.

 

With water bath canning I always start with sterilized jars.  I inspect all my jars to make sure they don’t have any defects, cracks or chips, especially along the rim and then I wash them in hot soapy water.  I also wash the rings in the hot soapy water.  I fill my water bath canner to the level I need to process my jars which is about an inch above the top of your jars.  I use that water to boil my jars in for about ten minutes then remove the sterile jars with a jar lifter to a towel to sit and wait for the jelly.  I also like to place the canning lids in a bowl and pour some boiling water over them to sit until I am ready to can.

 

I usually start the canning season with strawberry jam and find that two quarts of rinsed and hulled strawberries is enough to make a batch of jam.  In a bowl I mash up the strawberries and then measure them into a large pot until I have the right amount suggested by the pectin recipe I am using.  If I’m a little bit short I make up the difference with water.  I then measure the recommended amount of sugar into a bowl so it is all ready to go

 

The pectin I use suggests bringing the fruit to a boil and then stirring the pectin in, bring back to a boil for one minute.  Then gradually adding the sugar and stirring that until it comes back to a boil that cannot be stirred down for another minute.  Once that happens it is ready to ladle into the hot sterile jars.

 

Using a canning funnel ladle the jam into your jars leaving ¼” of head space.  With a clean cloth wipe off the rim of each jar and lay a flat canning lid on top.  Add a ring “finger tight”, don’t over tighten.  Place jars into canner and once the water is boiling set a time for ten minutes.

 

Remove your processed jars to a towel on the counter and allow to cool completely.  They will ping as they cool and the lids seal, which is completely normal.  It is also normal for lids to seal without pinging.  You can press on the center of each lid with your finger to test each cooled jar and the lid shouldn’t have any movement.  If it springs in the center then the lid didn’t seal.  Label your sealed jars with the date and contents inside and store on a shelf in your pantry.  Unsealed jars should go into the refrigerator and be enjoyed right away.  Now, go make some jam or jelly and if you want to make some syrup here is a link to get you started.  Click here if you want to make some apple butter.