I have a recipe for raspberry and strawberry jam but it says it will only kepp a week and has to be stored in the fridge. There is a footnote saying to get a longer shelf life process the jars in a boiling-water canner. Is there another way to do this or do I need to spend some money - it sounds expensive!
cgvl,
Feb 9, 9:59pm
What is your recipe! My jams all have a shelf life of around 1 year, takes that long to eat them.
ace441,
Feb 9, 10:07pm
6 cups Raspberries, 3 cups Strawberries, 4 cups sugar, 1/4 cup each fresh orange juice and lemon juice and 1 tablespoon each of orange and lemon zest. Boil about 40-45 minutes until reaches 105 degrees celsius and bottle.
daisyhill,
Feb 9, 10:53pm
Canning seems to be an American favourite but hasn't really taken off elsewhere - maybe because it often uses expensive equipment. I'd just use a different recipe and make ordinary jam that can be put in to a hot glass jar (sterilised in the oven) and sealed.
Our jam goes into reused jars with metal pop tops. Never had a problem with it going funny in storage, and it's easy to tell if the seal has worked properly because the top will be popped in.
cgvl,
Feb 9, 10:54pm
ok it should be fine if you bottle it into clean hot jars. I do notice it has less than half the amount of sugar that a normal recipe would contain. It sounds as if it would have quite a bite to it, I would probably add an extra cup of sugar. You want to boil it until setting stage otherwise a runny jam will ensue, and nothing worse than your jam running off your toast.
cgvl,
Feb 9, 10:57pm
Normally I weigh my fruit eg 1kg fruit to 750g sugar, although all my recipes state kg fruit to kg sugar, and I add lemon juice or a stalk of finely chopped rhubarb to mine to help it set.
malcovy,
Feb 10, 12:50am
I am now freezing jam that I make.I use ice cream containers or smaller pottles.Using a clean spoon each time the jam easily scoops out, it's marvellously lazy yet perfect.
uli,
Feb 10, 1:47am
You will need to properly bottle (= waterbath) that recipe as it has not enough sugar to keep without refrigeration. Other alternative is to freeze it if you have the space.
I have a huge pot with a water heater at the bottom and use it all the time. It has cost me $100 on TM a decade ago and it is in use many months per year. Certainly cheaper than buying another freezer to house all the fruit and veges.
This book is free on Amazon at the moment for Kindle. Might be worth a look. it is American and seems to have some good ideas. 'Canology - A Modern Guide - How To Eat Healthier & Save Money By Preserving Locally-Grown Natural Foods '
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