Contemporary or Classic?

A little of both, if you please...  I'm working on a line of bakery inspired jams. 

I make the "Carrot Cake Jam" that many people have made and it is delicious.  
 
Carrot Cake Jam

• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups peeled chopped pears
• 1 c coconut
• 1/2 c chopped nuts
• 1 (14 ounce) cans crushed pineapple, undrained
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (scant)
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves (scant)
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 (3 ounce) certo liquid pectin

1. Mix everything BUT sugar and pectin in pan.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Bring down to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every once in while.
4. Add pectin and bring to a  boil.
5. Add sugar bring to a rolling boil.
6. Take off heat.
7. Fill hot sterile jars.
8. Put lids on.
9. Water bath for 10 minutes.

 I found a recipe for banana jam, which is also super yummy.  I added chopped pecans and call it my "Banana Bread Jam."  
 
Banana Jam 

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 1/2 cups mashed banana
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 6 half pint canning jars with lids and rings

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, mashed banana, and cloves. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 45 minutes. Strain to remove cloves.
2. Ladle jam into the jars, screw on lids, and water bath 10 minutes.

 
I've seen recipes for "Apple Pie Jam," which I have yet to make.  My sis makes it and it is a favorite of hers.  

APPLE PIE JAM




6 c peeled, chopped tart apple

2 c unsweetened apple juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ c sugar

Juice and grated peel of 1 large lemon

¾ cup raisins

1 pkg No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin

Combine apples, lemon peel and juice in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until apples begin to soften.  Remove from heat and whisk in pectin.  Add raisins and cinnamon.Return mixture to a boil.  Boil 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar.  Skim off foam, if necessary.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving ¼ inch headspace.  Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

My boss put a bug in my bonnet when she asked if there was such a thing as a "gingerbread" jam.  I once saw a recipe that claimed to evoke this flavor, but I've lost it without having made it.  (insert tears)...I will find again...I will.

So this is one of my current trends - bakery inspired flavors for jams.  It's one delicious experiment after another.

The last time I was making a batch of Carrot Cake Jam, my wee babe (6'2" offensive lineman) said, "Mom, this IS a good jam recipe.  But sometimes the best thing in the world is just a delicious classic jam.  So keep trying the new recipes - that's awesome.  But don't ever stop making me  strawberry jam every spring and peach jam every summer."  

I loved getting this reminder from my wise son not to abandon my old classic recipes.  Just like the Girl Scout Brownies like to sing - "Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other's gold."

What do you like to can best - Contemporary or Classic?

Granny's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Bad Labor Day Weekend

Ever have one of those weekends where everything that can go wrong does?  I was practically giddy Friday at work, anticipating a long holiday weekend of canning some favorite recipes.  I had corn "juice" in the freezer and frozen strawberries in the freezer.  For sure, I was going to make some corn cob jelly and strawberry jam.  :)

In high school, I loved the poems of Robert Burns, particularly "To A Mouse."  And the words (anglicized) haunt me still...
"But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!"

And so went my weekend.  Saturday one thing after another kept coming up and at the end of the day, I had not even begun to can.  I did manage to pick up some lovely cherries and some jalapenos at the market. "No worries," I said to myself - I still have two full days.

Sunday morning there was major communication confusion in the house and I was in a state of frustration.  But by late morning, I was in the kitchen, ready for a little canning therapy.  I put my corn "juice" in the pot, added the pectin, and began to bring it to temperature.  While it was heating up, I began adding water to a pot for heating the jars and water bathing the final product.  The pot doesn't fit under the faucet, so I was filling it quart jarful by quart jarful.  On the last jar of water, I poured it into my pan of corn juice instead of the water bathing pot.  ARGH! Disaster! 




I considered possibilities to remedy the situation, but in the end poured it down the drain (barely holding back the tears).  Undaunted, I immediately went to the freezer and pull out 5 cups of blueberries.  I put them in a pot with the recipe amounts of water and lemon juice.  I chopped up jalapeno peppers and put them in another pot with the recipe amounts of vinegar.  I've made jalapeno/blueberry jelly many times, so this was a no brainer.  Unless this is the weekend you have become the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz (no brain).  I used powdered pectin on auto-pilot without thinking about it.  I should have noticed when the directions told me to add sugar first, then pectin that it called for liquid pectin.  So following the recipe, I made 6 lovely 1/2 pints of jalapeno/blueberry SYRUP!


 
I decided to call it a day and try again Monday.  By golly, I WOULD successfully can something yummy this weekend!  My daughter came over Sunday with these huge, gorgeous brown turkey figs.  So Monday morning I went and bought some figs (as if I didn't already have enough produce to process).  Fig jam CANNOT be messed up and I was in serious need of some canning happiness.  Fortunately, all went well and I ended up with 9 half-pints of yummy Mixed Fruit Fig Jam by late Monday morning.

Encouraged by this success, I made something my friend has been harassing me to try for about a year - Bacon Jam.  It sounded disgusting the first time I heard her say it, but the curiosity grew on me.  So I made Bacon Jam (a pressure canner product, not a water bath product).

 


I modified several recipes, which all asked for these ingredients in varying amounts.  It makes a bacon spread, which was yummy on biscuits with either white cheddar or with grape jam.  It was a big hit at work and I brought home a jar all but licked clean!

Bacon Jam

2 lb bacon

2 lg onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp brown sugar

2/3 c (decaffeinated) coffee

½ c apple cider vinegar

1/3 c maple syrup

·         Cut bacon in 1” strips. Cook until crisp. Crumble and set aside. Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat until translucent, then drain.  Combine all ingredients in pan.  Simmer until the liquid is reduced. As bacon and onions are spooned into hot, prepared jars, tilt spoon to pour off excess liquid. Cooled jars will have bacon grease solidified in top of jar.  To serve, heat jar (without lid) in microwave for 30 seconds.  Grease is easily removed with a spoon prior to serving.

·
Pressure can in 1/2 pint jars at 10 lbs for 75 minutes.

FYI - My sweet hubby loved the jalapeno/blueberry syrup on jalapeno poppers and drizzled over cornbread.  So Granny's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Bad Labor Day Weekend turned out okay after all.  No matter how long you can and jam, no matter how many times you've made a recipe - stuff happens.  Try not to get too worked up.  Just pull some more produce out and try again. :)  Happy Canning!

    

 

Old Dogs and Young Pups

Forget what you've heard - old dogs can learn new tricks.  I'm pretty sure that continual learning IS the trick to not getting "old."  

Not that I am very old, mind you. Yeah, the first computer my hubby and I had was in DOS...and I had a crush on Davy Jones and David Cassidy as a young teen (google them if the names are strange)...and I remember mom paying extra to get a private telephone line instead of a party line in one little town where we lived...okay, fine, I really AM getting old.

It is good to appreciate the old ways, but learn the new ones, too. And in the best of both worlds, the old and young are both enriched by teaching to and learning from each other.

This old dog received a lesson tonight from a young pup on how to set up a blog.  Thank you, Marquesas, for your patience and generosity of spirit. 

I will be sharing some food preservation recipes and skills that many consider "old ways."  I anticipate learning from others older and younger than myself and look forward to the journey.  Whether you are experienced at food preservation, a newbie, or just want to get started, I hope you will join me.

~Leslie