Strawberry-Kiwi Jam for a Jam Exchange

It’s time once again for Steph Chow’s Jam Exchange.  I always enjoy participating in this jam exchange because I get to make some new jams and try some new jams that somebody else made.

This is my third year participating in this jam exchange. In 2010, I made Cherry Preserves and Cantaloupe Preserves with Cinnamon, last year I made Spiced Wine and Peach Jam and Mango Raspberry Jam.

This year, I made Peach Orange Marmalade for the exchange, but I still needed one more jam. I had a hard time deciding which one to make. Then I remembered I had some frozen strawberries from my strawberry-picking adventure this past May. I wanted to make something unique and I finally found this tasty recipe for Strawberry-Kiwi Jam.

 

This is a beautiful and delicious jam. The kiwis blend really well with the strawberries to create a rather exotic flavor, and the little black seeds add eye appeal and crunchiness to the jam.

 

Strawberry-Kiwi Jam

Makes: About 2 pints or 4 cups

Recipe from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound hulled strawberries
• 1 pound peeled fuzzy kiwis
• 3 cups sugar

 

Directions:

1) Place the fruit in a large non-reactive preserving pot. Crush the fruit with a potato masher. Then still in the sugar.

 

2) Heat the mixture over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat to medium-high, then boil the jam until a drop mounds in a chilled dish.

 

3) Ladle the jam into clean, sterilized, half-pint (8 oz) canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles if necessary with a bubble remover and headspace tool. Wipe the edges clean with a clean, wet paper towel. Center lid on jar.  Screw the band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. Process for 10 minutes in a water-bath canner.

I ended up with enough jam for 3 1/2 jars so I processed 3 jars and put the remaining 1/2 jar in the refrigerator to enjoy.

If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

 

4) Turn off the heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.  Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours.  Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

 

 

Here are the jams I sent my jam partner. Strawberry-Kiwi Jam and Peach Orange Marmalade. I hope my jam exchange partner enjoys them.

 

Happy Canning!

Cathy

Spiced Wine Peach Jam and Jam Exchange

I’m excited to be participating in Steph Chows Jam Exchange again this year.  The neat thing about the jam exchange is that I get to give away some of the jam I’ve been busy canning this summer and I also get to sample some jam made by another jammer.  Can’t beat that!

 

 

I had a hard time deciding what jams to make.  I wanted to make at least one jam with peaches, but I also wanted to make a jam I had never made before. I ended up doing both.

The first jam I made for the jam exchange is this Mango Raspberry Jam.  I think it tastes great!  I hope my jam exchange partner likes it. I posted about the Mango Raspberry Jam a couple of months ago. You can find the directions here.

 

Then I found this Spiced Wine Peach Jam.  It is a sophisticated jam…fun to make and a great jam for a jam exchange. The alcohol is cooked off when you boil the wine so all that’s left is the delicious flavor it imparts to the peaches.

 

 

Spiced Wine and Peach Jam

Makes: about 6 cups (1.5 L)

Recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) golden raisins
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) dry red wine or pineapple or orange juice (I used dry red wine)
• 4 cups (1 L) finely chopped peaches (about 5 to 6 medium peaches)
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) lemon juice
• 1 box dry fruit pectin
• 5 cups (1.25 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) ground allspice

 

Directions:

1. Bring raisins and wine to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat, drain and discard liquid.

   

    

2. Combine raisins, peaches, lemon juice and pectin in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.

   

    

3. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Add sugar, return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

   

    

4. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and allspice.

   

    

5. Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes.If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

   

    

6. Turn off the heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.  Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours.  Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

   

    

   Thanks to Steph from http://stephchows.blogspot.com for hosting this wonderful Jam Exchange again. 

    

   I’m sending some of this Spiced Wine Peach Jam and some Mango Raspberry Jam to my jam exchange partner, Connie. I hope she enjoys it!

   

    

   Happy Canning!
   Cathy

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation

Cantaloupe Preserves with Cinnamon: Jam Exchange

What's that you say?  You didn't know you could make jam out of a cantaloupe.  Neither did I... that is, until I saw this recipe in one of my canning books. Too bad I didn't find this recipe when we canned melons for the Tigress Can Jam.

Not to worry ...

I'm participating in Steph Chows’ 2nd Annual Jam Exchange so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make some.  I just hope my Jam Exchange Partner is as excited about receiving these preserves as I was making them.

Cantaloupes belong to the subspecies -- C. melo reticulatus (also know as C. melo melo var. reticulatus) and C melo Cantalupensis.  These juicy fruits make thick, but not firmly gelled, jams and they keep their flavor and aroma even after long cooking times.


Here's how you make these unique preserves:



Cantaloupe Preserves with Cinnamon
Makes: 2 Pints
The recipe is from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich

The combination of flavors works surprisingly well in these preserves.  Like the recipe author, I wasn't too sure about the cinnamon in this recipe, but it definitely brings out the flavor of the cantaloupe.

Ingredients:
2 pounds peeled and seeded cantaloupe, cut into 1-inch square pieces
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons strained lemon juice

Directions:

In a preserving pan, layer the cantaloupe pieces and sugar.

Bury the cinnamon stick in the mixture and pour the lemon juice over the top.  Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Cover the pan and let it rest for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature, until most of the sugar has dissolved.  I let the mixture sit for twelve hours overnight.

I got up early the next morning before work to do this next stage.  Over very low heat, dissolve the remaining sugar, stirring gently and occasionally.

Simmer the contents until the cantaloupe pieces are partially translucent, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon.

Bring the syrup to a boil and let it boil until it reaches the thread stage or 230 degrees F.  I used a thermometer and I also performed the thread test.  I just couldn't seem to take a photo and do the thread test at the same time.

Remove the pan from the heat, return the fruit to the syrup, and cover the pan with a towel.

Let the preserves stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.  I let the preserves stand at room temperature for 12 hours.
 

That evening, I finished the process.  Bring  the preserves to a boil.

Remove the cinnamon stick from the pan and let the preserves cool for 5 minutes.

Give them a stir and then ladle them into pint or half pint mason jars.

Add lids and rings.

Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

These cantaloupe preserves go really well with pound cake or vanilla ice cream.  Or both! 

I dressed up a jar of these Cantaloupe Preserves and shipped them to my Jam Exchange Partner.  I hope she likes them.  Just in case, I also sent some Cherry Preserves and some Peach Lavender Jam.

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy


Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation