Making Jams, Jellies, and Fruit Preserves

B2909 University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series Making Jams, Jellies & Fruit Preserves Barbara H. Ingham Contents Jellies and jams 1 Jams 16 Start with the right ingredients 2 Cooking methods for jam 17 Preserves, conserves Jam recipes 20 and marmalades 3 Jellies 24 Fruit butters and syrups 3 Preparing fruit 24 Getting started 3 Extracting juice 24 Fruit 3 Jelly without added pectin 25 Pectin and other gelling agents 5 Jelly with added pectin 27 Acid 6 Processing jelly 27 Sugar 6 Caution! Adjust processing Equipment and containers 9 for elevation 28 For preparing fruit 9 Cooking methods for jelly 28 For measuring 9 Jelly recipes 31 For cooking 9 Freezer or refrigerator jams For filling jars or and jellies 37 freezer containers 10 Cooking methods For processing 10 for freezer jam and jelly 37 Equipment you will need 10 Freezer or refrigerator jam & jelly recipes 39 Making and storing jams Low- and no-sugar jams and jellies 41 and jellies 11 Low- and no-sugar jam Preparing canning jars and lids 11 & jelly recipes 43 For fresh flavor 11 Preserves, conserves, marmalades, For softer or firmer products 11 fruit butters and syrups 51 Steps at a glance 12 Preserves recipes 52 Processing in a boiling Conserves recipes 54 water canner 12 Marmalade recipes 57 Caution! Adjust processing Fruit butter recipes 59 time for elevation 13 Fruit syrup recipe 61 Elevation map 13 Remedies for jellied Storing jams and jellies 14 product problems 62 Remaking cooked jellied products 14 Index 64 Recook with powdered pectin 15 Resources back cover Recook with liquid pectin 15 Recook without added pectin 15 University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension ipe, juicy berries, Jellies and jams fresh peaches, R Jellies are made by cooking fruit apples, pears and juice with sugar. A good product is other fruits can be clear and firm enough to hold its deliciously preserved shape when turned out of its con- to enjoy all year long. tainer, yet quivers when moved. Fruit jams, jellies, preserves, con- When cut, jelly should be tender yet serves, marmalades, syrups, honeys retain the angle of the cut. Jelly and butters can add zest to meals, should taste fresh and fruity. and provide a good way to use fruits Jams are thick, sweet spreads made not suitable for canning or freezing. by cooking crushed or chopped All these products are preserved by fruits with sugar.They tend to hold sugar, and some are jellied. their shape, but are generally less Characteristics depend on the type firm than jellies. of fruit, how it is prepared, the proportions of ingredients in the Not all fruits have the properties mixtures, and the cooking methods. needed for making satisfactory jellied products. By adding pectin, This publication tells how to prepare you need not depend on the fruit’s fruit, and procedures for making gelling quality for successful results. various kinds of: Follow carefully the pectin package I Jellies and jams with or without directions and research-tested added pectin. recipes. I Preserves, conserves and marmalades with or without added pectin. I Fruit butters and syrups. Follow these research-tested recipes for safe and easy preparation and preservation of your garden and orchard bounty. MAKINGJAMS,JELLIES&FRUITPRESERVES 1 Start with the right ingredients Fruit gives each product its characteristic color and flavor. Use at least some flavorful, just-ripe fruit in each recipe. Pectin is a natural plant substance that causes fruit to gel. Fruits such as apples, crabapples, currants, grapes and some plums contain enough natural pectin to form a gel; others require added pectin. Follow the manufac- turer’s directions or tested recipes for each type of pectin. Acid is essential in jellied fruit products for both gel for- mation and flavor. Acid content varies among fruits, and is higher in under-ripe fruits. Sugar is another essential ingredient in jellied fruit products. Added sugar preserves fruit, helps the gel to form, and contributes to flavor. Use the amount of sugar a recipe calls for, or the product will not form a gel. To make a low-sugar or no-sugar product, choose a pectin or research-tested recipe designed for this (see “Low- and no-sugar jams and jellies,” page 41). Sugar substitutes — also called artificial sweeteners — cannot replace sugar in regular recipes because the sugar is needed to form a gel. Fruit varieties recommended for Wisconsin can be found in these publications, available from your county UW- Extension office or Cooperative Extension Publications (learningstore.uwex.edu): Apple Cultivars for Wisconsin (A2105) Home Fruit Cultivars for Northern Wisconsin (A2488) Home Fruit Cultivars for Southern Wisconsin (A2582) 2 Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series Preserves, conserves Getting started To make a jellied fruit product, you and marmalades need the proper proportions of four Preserves are small, whole fruit or essential ingredients: uniform-size pieces in a clear, slightly I Fruit gelled syrup.The fruit should be tender and plump. I Pectin or other gelling agent Conserves are like jams, but may be I Acid made with a combination of fruits. I Sugar They may also contain nuts, raisins or coconut. Fruit Marmalades consist of small pieces Fruit provides the characteristic of fruit or peel evenly suspended in color, flavor and at least part of the soft transparent jelly.They often acid and pectin needed for success- contain citrus fruit. ful gels. Flavorful fruit varieties are best for any type of fruit preserve. Fruit butters Most recipes call for fresh, ripe fruit, but you can also use processed fruit. and syrups Using canned, frozen or Other fruit products preserved by dried fruit sugar but not jellied include butters You can use canned or frozen fruit or and syrups. juice to make jellied products. If you Fruit butters are sweet spreads use commercially canned fruits, made by cooking fruit pulp with select those without added sugar, sugar until thick. Spices are often canned in their own juice. added. Commercially canned or frozen Fruit and berry syrups are made by products are most often made from cooking fruit juice or pulp with sugar ripe fruits.These are lower in pectin to the desired thickness. than under-ripe fruits, so you need to add pectin. Cook dried fruit in water until tender to make jams and conserves, with or without added pectin. MAKINGJAMS,JELLIES&FRUITPRESERVES 3 Freezing fruit to use later Many fruits used for making jam and Fruit jelly mature at about the same time. Most recipes call for ripe, fresh fruit. Because of this, you may find it hard You can also use processed fruit. If to make as much jam and jelly as you using canned fruits, choose those would like while the fruits are in without added sugar, canned in their season. own juice. Many of these fruits can be frozen in summer and made into jam during Frozen fruits can also be used. fall and winter.Whether used singly Blueberries, cherries, red and black or in combination, the best fruits to currants, and rhubarb freeze well. Pack freeze for later use are blueberries, measured amounts, label and freeze. cherries, red and black currants, and Thaw frozen fruit in the refrigerator rhubarb stalks. before using. Do not add any sugar to fruit being Dried fruit may be cooked in water frozen for making jam or jelly.These fruits freeze well without sugar. until tender and used to make jams and conserves. Accurate measurements are impor- tant in making jam. Pack measured Ask your county UW-Extension office quantities. Label each container with for these publications in this series, or the amount and kind of fruit and the order from Cooperative Extension date, and freeze. Publications (learningstore.uwex.edu): To freeze juice for jelly, pour Canning Fruits Safely (B0430) cooled, strained juice into rigid plastic freezer containers or wide- Freezing Fruits and Vegetables mouth freezer jars. Label with the (B3278) amount and kind of juice and the date, and freeze. When making jam or jelly from frozen fruit, thaw in the refrigerator until only a few ice crystals remain. Follow directions for the type of fruit product you wish to make, using the same proportions of frozen fruit measured before freezing, water, acid and sugar as you would use for fresh fruit. 4 Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series Pectin and other Powdered pectin is mixed with unheated fruit or juice, the mixture is gelling agents brought to a boil, sugar is added, and Pectin is a carbohydrate that causes the mixture is boiled for 1 minute. fruit to gel. Some fruits such as Follow the pectin package directions apples, crabapples, currants, grapes and tested recipes for each form of and some plums contain enough pectin. Liquid and powdered forms pectin to form a gel; others require are not interchangeable in recipes. added pectin. Purchase fresh pectin each year. Old You can add pectin to any fruit to pectin may result in poor gels. ensure a good gel. Here are several advantages of doing so: Low- or no-sugar pectin Low-methoxyl pectin is extracted I You can use fully ripe, flavorful from the inner rinds of citrus fruits fruit. and is chemically different from I Cooking time is shorter and regular pectin. Low-methoxyl pectin standardized. needs little or no sugar to gel, some- I You will have more jars on the times aided by calcium. Look for shelf from the same amount of packages of pectin labeled “light,” fruit. “less sugar” or “no sugar needed.” A disadvantage may be that large Because less sugar is added, low- amounts of sugar added with regular methoxyl gels tend to be less firm, pectin may mask the fruit’s flavor.

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