Christmas Morning Jam Food

CHRISTMAS JAM

Steps:

• Wash jars, lids, and rings. Fill jars 2/3rds full of water and place in water-bath canner. Fill with water. Put canner on stove over medium-high heat to sterilize jars while you make the jam.
• Place lids in a small saucepan covered with water. Boil over medium-high heat while you make the jam. Set rings to the side, they don't need sterilized.
• Place cranberries and sectioned orange into a blender. You just want them coarsely chopped. My blender has a food chop option, and I use that.
• Add in the strawberries, orange zest and spices. Stir a bit in the blender to make sure they get mixed a little. Blend until everything is chopped fine. You don't want it pureed.
• Stir fruit mixture and water together in a 5 qt stock pot.
• Stir in fruit pectin and add your 1/2 teaspoon of butter (this reduces foaming).
• Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stir constantly.
• Add sugar to the mixture. Return to full rolling boil. Boil exactly 1 minute.
• Remove from heat. Using a metal spoon, skim off any foam.
• Immediately ladle hot jam into prepared jars. Leaving 1/4" headspace.
• Wipe rims and threads. Center lid. Place ring on just finger tight. Place jars back in canner.
• When all the jars are filled, fill canner with water until jars are covered with 2".
• Cover canner. Bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat. Uncover canner. Allow jars to sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove jars to a towel-lined counter and leave undisturbed for 24 hours before checking seal.
• Check for proper seal. If any didn't seal, place in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.

CHRISTMAS JAM

Steps:

• Grind strawberries and cranberries in a food processor or grinder; place in a Dutch oven. Add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. , Cool for 5 minutes; skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

CHRISTMAS JAM

Steps:

• Combine cranberries and sections of seeded orange in a food processor.
• Pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Add strawberries, zest, cloves and cinnamon.
• Continue processing until finely chopped, but not pureed.
• Stir together fruit mixture, sugar and water in a very large saucepan or dutch oven until well blended.
• Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
• Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a full, rolling boil.
• Stir in liquid pectin.
• Stirring constantly, bring to a rolling boil again and boil for one minute.
• Remove from heat and skim off foam.
• Immediately pour into 6 hot, sterilized half-pint jars.
• Carefully wipe clean rims of jars with a damp cloth.
• Place lids on jars and screw on bands just until snug.
• Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Remove from water bath and cool away from drafts until jars seal.

CHRISTMAS DRIED-FRUIT JAM

Steps:

• Place apples in large pot with water, simmer until soft.
• In a large bowl, add all the chopped & pitted fruit.
• Press soft apples with a potato masher, then spoon into a square of cheesecloth (clipped to a footed colander), suspended over the bowl of fruit.
• Let apples drip over fruit WITHOUT squeezing or forcing--overnight.
• Next morning: add remaining ingredients EXCEPT for nuts to a large sauce-pot, adding soaked fruit.
• Stir, then simmer gently until sugar dissolves; bring to a boil; boiling for five minutes.
• Skim survace, add nuts, boil another five minutes until 200*F (sea level).
• Remove pan from heat; spoon jam into hot jars, add two-part lids; process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (sea level).
• Label and store in cool, dark cupboard.
• GIFT GIVING: Use pretty jars and add a decorative label -- include in a basket with other home-made kitchen gifts. "How nice of you!".
• USES: As described above OR as a replacement for traditional (with suet) mincemeat.

CHRISTMAS JAM

Steps:

• Coarsely chop the strawberries and cranberries in a food processor or grinder (do not puree). It's fine if you still have some larger chunks of fruit - you can mash them with a potato masher or a wooden spoon while they're cooking. You don't want the fruit totally pureed, because this is jam (not syrup or jelly!) - and it should have some chunky pieces of fruit throughout.
• Transfer the fruit to a large Dutch oven. Add orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and sugar.
• Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, continue the boil for exactly 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat; stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil. Once the mixture returns to a full rolling boil, set a timer and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
• Cool for 5 minutes; skim off the foam. At this point, the mixture will still be quite thin - it will not look like a thick jam. That's fine! It will thicken and set as it cools.
• Carefully ladle the hot mixture into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth; secure the lids. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove the jars to a towel on the counter. Let stand, undisturbed, for 12 hours at room temperature. Check the seals after 12 hours by pressing the center of the lids. If the lid gives or the center button remains popped up, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Properly sealed jars will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 8 months. Refrigerate after opening.