LET'S CAN SOME JAM!

Directions

1. Here are some tips to follow to make your own jam. 

   Pick or purchase high quality fruits at their peak ripeness—jam isn't made well with overripe or mushy fruit!

   

2. Next you want to wash the fruit, but you want to be careful when it comes to delicate fruits such as raspberries and strawberries. For those fruits you want to fill a bowl with cold water and slosh the water on the fruits. This way the water pressure from the sink won’t damage the fruits.

   

3. Also, wait to wash your fruit until you are ready to preserve it to keep fruit from spoiling. Make sure your jars are sanitized and you have your Denali Lids and Rings ready! After that you should remove any stems or cores. Peel if required, for fruits such as peaches and pears. And, also be sure to cut up or mash the fruit, depending on the recipe!

4. Sanitizing your jars in the oven will leave valuable stove space available for jamming and prevents water from collecting in the jars .Preheat the oven to 250. Take any lids and rings off the jars (set them aside upside down) and place them in the hot oven until you’re ready to fill them.

   Make sure to prepare only a single batch at a time. Doubling the recipe may cause your spread not to gel, or have a soft set.

   

5. For the perfect gel to your jam, use 3-parts fruit that is fully ripe to one-part fruit that is slightly under-ripe. If all your fruit is fully ripe add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. The acid from the lemon juice will help the jam or preserve thicken.

   Jam is made up of fruit and sugar. Usually for every cup of fruit you use, add ¾ cup of sugar. You always want to measure the full amount of sugar listed in the recipe. Too little and the jam will not adequately gel nor preserve the fruit.

   

6. To prevent scorching, (with the heat on medium high) stir your mixture often to constantly for 15 to 40 minutes depending on the fruit’s cook time. Scorching can ruin an otherwise delicious jam or preserve, but is very easy to prevent. 

   Remove your jars from the oven and fill the jars with your jam to the middle spiral; if you turn the jars, you’ll notice three lines- the middle one is where you want to end. Too little jam and you increase the oxygen in your jar, too much and the jam can spill over and break the seal.

   

7. Lastly you want to close the jars and process them in a water bath. You need at least 2″ of water above the top of the lids, and once the water returns to a boil, leave them in, boiling for at least 10 minutes (20 if you’re at high altitude).

   Remove the jars from the water without tilting and wait for the sweet sound of popping these lids will make! Now, you can store the sealed jars for up to 6 months!

   So what are you waiting for? Let's get canning!