Jam On

With new summer fruits appearing weekly at the farmers' markets, it's time to make some jam - a surprisingly easy process that promises a sweet and fruity winter.

Active time: Twenty minutes to make jam; about 40 minutes to process it. 

If you invite me to dinner or for an overnight visit, chances are the contents of my hostess gift will contain a jar or two of homemade jam. Strawberry-orange jam, spiced blueberry jam, apricot jam, peach butter, and  cherry-almond jam - they are all staples in my pantry, the products of a summer partially spent stirring pots of boiling, sticky fruit into chunky, sweet spreads. And since I process my jam in a water-bath canner, they stay fresh for at least a year.

But they don't last forever, and I make far more jam than my husband and I could ever finish in the year between one summer to the next, so the little jars of sunshine are the perfect thing to tuck into a bag of goodies to say "thanks for your hospitality." Jam is quite hospitable, especially when it's offered with a loaf of homemade bread.

The process

I make so much because I get bored with one flavor to the next, and frankly, it's really easy to make - something you can whip out in an evening after work. The key is to follow the process to the letter - jam may be easy, but for all of its sweetness, which hints recklessness, it is a thing of precision. Deviate from the timing or the quantity of fruit to sugar and you may wind up with several pints of ice cream topping rather than jam. Which, in reality, is not a total loss.

Start by gathering your tools and ingredients. The fruit, of course, and a box of pectin. I use Sure•Jell, because, well, that's what my mother uses, but there are other brands. The instructions inside the box will tell you how much fruit to buy - although I always err on the side of buying too much. Making half-batches of jam is an iffy process that only sometimes works. So buy the pectin first, or keep an instruction sheet handy. You also need canning jars and their two-piece lids - I use the tiny, half-cup jars and half-pints, but you can preserve jam in any size jar. And you'll need a canner or a big stockpot to run the filled jars through a water bath. But make sure you also have another big stockpot - at least six quarts - for making the jam in. This could require borrowing an extra from a neighbor.

Cleanliness is crucial to canning, so jam starts with sterilized jars, which are easy to do in a dishwasher that can reach a high temperature. Make sure to load both the jars and the metal rings that make up half of the two-piece lids. The flat lids go into a barely simmering, non-reactive pot. I use a CorningWare casserole for this. Fill your canner with cold water and set it to boil. When the jars are ready, you're ready to start the jam, which really only takes a few minutes, so don't start it before your dishwasher is finished.

My basic recipe comes from the Sure•Jell box, and the process detailed there is a good one. I'm doing more and more jam lately with Sure•Jell's low-sugar pectin, but no matter which you use, the basic process remains the same.

The fruit goes in the bottom of your stockpot - whole if it's berries and roughly chopped if it's peaches or other stone fruit. Crush the berries with a potato masher. Add the pectin, lemon juice if needed, and a pat of butter, which old-timey grandmothers say keeps the jam from foaming. Stir that together. Do not add other ingredients unless you're using another tested recipe that calls for something - the jam might not turn out. Measure the required amount of sugar into a separate bowl - do not change the amount. Bring the fruit mixture to a rolling boil you can't stir down, add the sugar all at once, and bring it back up to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for exactly one minute and remove from the heat. Skim off any foam with a spoon. 

Pull your jars out of your dishwasher and fill them - I use a funnel for this process that I got as part of a canning kit from Ball. You can order one using this link. Fill the jars to within a quarter-inch of the rim - the liquid needs some headspace to expand into in the canner. Using a clean paper towel dipped in the simmering water the lids are hanging out in, carefully wipe down the rims of the jars so they're free of jam or other debris that could interfere with the seal. Place the lids on the rims and fit the rings over of them. You want the rings screwed tight, but not so tight the jam can't expand in the canner.

Place the jars in the rack of your canner - or, if you're using a stockpot, use tongs to lower them in the boiling water. If you don't have a rack, place a towel on the bottom of the pot to give the jars a little cushion. The water should come at least two inches over the tops of the jars.

Jam gets a 10-minute steep in the water bath - begin the timer only after the water comes back up to a boil. After ten minutes, use tongs to lift them out, and set them on a dish towel overnight. Do not touch them for at least twelve hours, during which time you should hear a loud pop each time one of the lids clamps down and seals its jar.

The next morning, test the seal by pushing down on the lids. If the lid has any give, it's not sealed. No worries. Just pop that one in your fridge and eat it first. The others are ready for your pantry shelf. And your next hostess bag. People will be begging you to come to dinner.

Photos by Genaro C. Armas