Christmas Jam Canning Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How runny should jam be before canning? ›

1) The Saucer Test

Once you think that your jam has reached its setting point or has thickened, spoon a bit of the jam on the cold plate and tilt it vertically so the jam runs. You are aiming for a slow descent, not a runny mess. If it runs slow, it's set!

The biggest difference between freezer jam and canned jam is in taste. Both are jams and are great on sandwiches, rolls, biscuits and the like, but freezer jam is never cooked, thus making it taste fresh just like a perfectly ripe strawberry.

Let them cool for a few minutes. Using the measuring cup (and a sanitized funnel, if you have one), fill the jars with the hot jam just until the jam hits the middle line of the top of the jar.

With a simple lemon juice trick, your homemade jam will achieve your desired thick texture. Preparing jam is about capturing the sweet essence of the fruit while simultaneously cooking it down to the perfect syrupy consistency.

I generally add one ounce of lemon juice for every two pounds of fruit when jamming higher-acid fruit (like tart plums, cherries, or raspberries), and about two ounces for lower-acid fruit (like sweet strawberries).

Always leave a little headroom so that the food can expand up without cracking the jar. A good general rule is to fill jars up to the rim (before the screw lines). If the food is really liquidy, then opt to leave more room. More liquid means more expansion and trust us, you are better SAFE than sorry!

If you're making fruit jam at home and skipping the canning process, what is often called quick jam or freezer jam, store in the fridge or freezer to preserve, and be aware that it should be consumed within 10 days if refrigerated and 3 months if frozen. It's not shelf stable without proper canning.

Yes! You can store cooked (traditional) and uncooked jams (freezer) in the freezer. On occasion, I do make a cooked jam like this Easy Strawberry Jalapeno Jam or this Pineapple Habanero Pepper Jelly. I still just pour the jam into jars and pop them in the freezer once the pectin has set.

As soon as the preserves are spooned or poured into the sterilised jars or bottles, they must be correctly sealed to prevent deterioration. Fill the hot dry jars right to the top – preserves shrink slightly on cooling and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Seal the jars while still hot.

What is the saucer test for jam? ›

Spoon a little of the hot conserve onto the cold saucer. Return to the freezer for 2 minutes or until chilled. Touch the conserve. If it wrinkles and feels gel-like, it's ready to bottle.

As long as the seal is sound, jams can be stored in a dark, room temperature place for 12 to 18 months. But that's just a “best by” guideline, clarifies Harris: “If the seal is good, there is no visible mold, and the jam looks, smells, and tastes fine it should be OK to eat much beyond that time frame,” she wrote.

there isn't enough pectin—use a combination of ripe and slightly under-ripe fruit. you didn't heat the jam for long enough which likely means you have too much water in it—it's too dilute. you didn't heat the jam enough to hit the jam setting point (around 104 °C or 220 °F).

What you have is called “fruit float.” When the jars of jam are very hot and there is no jell yet, the pulp, which is lighter than the juice, is able to float to the top of the jar. Strawberries are prone to fruit float although it doesn't always happen.

Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin. Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency.

Sadly, sugar plays a huge role in set. If you cut the amount in the recipe and you don't compensate with a pectin designed for low sugar preserving, your jam may well be runny. Did you check for set while the jam was cooking? Any time a recipe gives you a cooking time, it's simply an approximation.

Once the jam is done cooking, it may look a little thin, but just remember that it will thicken in the fridge as it cools. For a thicker version (good for fruits that are low in pectin, like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and peaches), add a tablespoon of pectin powder.

Give the jam 24-48 hours to set up (because truly, sometimes it can take that long for pectin to reach the finished set). If it still hasn't set, it's time to determine how much jam needs to be recooked. You don't want to remake more than 8 cups (4 pints) at a time.

To test, remove the confection from the heat and carefully transfer a half-spoonful to one of your frozen spoons. Place the spoon back in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove it and tilt the spoon vertically to see how quickly the jam, jelly or marmalade runs.