Let’s Put Up Some Jam!
Yes I can! At least occasionally. My enthusiasm to put up jam, kim chi and (someday) pickles tripled when I walked into a room full of local rock star food bloggers and cookbook authors last Tuesday night. These groovy ladies started the website Canning Across America. I mean they’re not just setting their sites on the greater Seattle area, they’re persuading all 50 states to join their CANtastic obsession.
I don’t know about you but I always like to read the mission statement or “Who We Are” of any website I think I might frequent. I want to know if we are pretty much on the same page if I’m going to add to their traffic stats. Like anyone who reads our mission statement knows right away that the Cookus Interruptus gang is into humor and healthy food. If that’s not their cup of green tea, well then move on right? Here’s the Canning ladies MO:
“Canning Across America (CAA) is a nationwide, ad hoc collective of cooks, gardeners and food lovers committed to the revival of the lost art of “putting by” food. Our goal is to promote safe food preservation and the joys of community building through food. We believe in celebrating the bounty of local and seasonal produce and taking greater control of our food supply. Together, we can.”
That sings to me.
The time is ripe for canning. I’m bugging my produce manager secret agent almost daily about that extra flat of just a little bit too ripe organic apricots that he’s willing to slip me on the sly. Are you ready to jam too? Canning Across America has recipes and resources for canning (like videos, blogs, book and even music to can to!) providing all the direction and inspiration you might need to get your can in gear.
This one gets my juices going.
Deluxe Apricot Raspberry Jam
This recipe was shared with us by CAA member Rebecca Staffel of Deluxe Foods, a Seattle artisan preserves company, in honor of our third Can-A-Rama, starting August 14th, 2011.
Ingredients:
3 cups pitted and sliced apricots
4 cups sugar, divided
2 lemons
3 cups raspberries
Method:
In a bowl, combine the apricots with 2 cups of sugar and the juice of lemon, cover with plastic, and let rest for one hour. At the same time, in a second bowl, combine the raspberries, 2 cups of sugar, and the juice of a lemon, cover with plastic, and let rest for one hour.
Place the apricot mixture and the raspberry mixture in two separate large pots and bring each to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the fruit has come to a full boil, cook for 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Pour the raspberry jam into the pot with the apricot jam and stir together gently. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the jam has come to a full boil, cook for 5 more minutes and then remove from the heat.
Ladle the jam into sterilized half-pint jars, add lids and rings, and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes about 5 half-pint jars.
Quick canning supply list
Tags: apricots, Canning Across America, canning resources, Deluxe Apricot Raspberry Jam, jam, Kim O'Donnel, putting up jam, Rebecca Staffel
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Greetings from the beautiful Skagit Valley just north of you! I had to reply to this post because it so very perfectly fits my plans for the day. We (my 4 boys ranging in age from 16 months to 13) will be making freezer jam (with unrefined, organic, fair trade sugar). Just yesterday, we spent the afternoon picking luscious strawberries and raspberries at a friend’s little organic farm. My taste buds are convinced that freezer jam captures the essence of summer better than any of the processed canned jam that I have made or tried, so I spend my precious “putting by” time making several batches of it (using a no-heat method to fully keep the fruit as close to it’s natural flavor as possible) to take us through the winter. I’ve been making this for years and there is no other preserved item that meets my mouth with greater anticipation.
Comment by Amy — July 11, 2012 @ 9:52 am
Sorry, I cannot share in the joy of canning. I grew up in Central Pennsylvania and my mother, aunts and grandmothers canned fruits and vegetables and around this time of year, corn was the main topic of conversation. It was hot, humid and sticky work. Even when the jars were cooling and we waited on baited breath for the “pings’ of the Mason lids, we were cleaning up the sticky mess in the kitchen knowing that we were going to do a repeat the next day.
To be fair, the canned goods tasted pretty good when the winter winds blew.
When my husband and I married back in PA., he was amazed at the jewel like jars of beets, tomatoes, peaches, pears, jams and all and wondered if I was going to continue the tradition.
Sorry no.
Comment by Judy — July 11, 2012 @ 9:07 pm
I love the feeling and soul that brings us back into what is real and experiential!
Comment by Chrissy Bernard — July 12, 2012 @ 9:25 am
Rebecca Staffel of Deluxe Foods, is the coolest! And her jams rock! So glad to see her get the recognition she deserves. Oh, andI love Cookus Interruptus too! What a great combo!
Comment by Jerri Andreasen — July 12, 2012 @ 11:35 pm
I have been interested in canning, but the thing that holds me back is — is it healthy? This recipe sounds so yummy though!
Comment by Jaclyn — July 19, 2012 @ 2:07 pm
Jaclyn,
Tell me what your concern is. “Healthy” is such a slippery term. Eating a big serving of sugar-laden jam would not be such a great idea but having a teaspoon on some whole grain toast or mochi - that’s cool, right?
Comment by Cynthia Lair — July 19, 2012 @ 2:14 pm
I’m concerned about loss of nutrients — for example, would I be ‘destroying’ all the wholesome goodness of these fruits/veggies — are there certain vitamins that are lost as a result of the canning process?
Comment by Jaclyn — July 19, 2012 @ 8:39 pm
Thanks for clarifying Jaclyn.
You would reduce or lose any heat-sensitive vitamins like vitamin C but you would retain fiber and (I’m pretty sure) most of the phytonutrients that give berries their color.
Comment by Cynthia Lair — July 20, 2012 @ 8:03 am