Huckleberry Jam Freezer Jam Food

WILD HUCKLEBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Wash huckleberries and check for stems.
• Place berries and water in deep saucepan or pot.
• Slowly bring to a boil.
• Add the sugar all at once.
• Bring to a roiling boil, then cook for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Add the Certo packet and stir for 3-4 minutes.
• Pour into jars (note: do this as quickly as possible- it will start to set almost immediately).
• Seal using method of choice. Boil for 10 min (if your altitude is between 3,000 and 6,000) then let cool.

HUCKLEBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Prepare the mason jars by placing them into a heavy bottom pot. Add water to the jars and the pot until it reaches over the top of the jars. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water until ready to use.
• Remove the stems from the berries and discard any rotted or crushed berries. Rinse berries well to remove the dirt and debris until the waters runs clear. Transfer the berries to a large pot and cover with water 1 inch above the berries.
• Add the baking soda and boil on high for 2 minutes to remove the bitterness of the berries. Drain and rinse berries before transferring them back into the pot.
• Add lemon juice and crush berries with a potato masher until most of the berries are broken and chunky.
• Lower the heat to medium, stir in the sugar and pectin, and bring to a low boil for 8 minutes stirring often.
• Remove one jar from the canner at a time pouring hot water back into the canner. Place the jar on a soft towel or cutting board. Ladle the jam into the hot jar, leaving 1/4-inch headspace between the top of the jar and the jam. Using a damp paper towel, wipe the jar rim to remove any jam or residue around the lid. Repeat until all jars are filled.
• Place the flat, round portion of the two-piece closure - in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat to sterilize the lids. Do not boil. Keep lids hot until you are ready to use them.
• Carefully remove a lid from the hot water and place it on the jar. Place screw band on the jar. With your fingers, screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. Do not screw on tight.
• Return the jar to the hot water-filled pot. Repeat lidding steps util all jars are in the canner. Adjust the water level in the pot so water is 1-inch above jars and bring water to a full rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling hard and continuously, begin the timing process of 10 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes before removing. Remove the jars, lifting them out of the hot water and transferring to the towel or cutting board to cool. Once cooled, tighten the screw band, label and store in a cool dark place for up to 2 years.

HUCKLEBERRY JAM (FREEZER JAM)

Steps:

• 1. Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. Use 1 to 2 cup size containers. I used glass canning jars. Crush 1 cup of berries at a time with a potato masher for best results. If using a food processor, pulse to very fine chop. DO NOT PUREE. Jam should have bits of fruit. *I used my potato masher. Measure exact amount of prepared fruit into a large bowl. Measure exact amount of sugar into a separate bowl. Reducing sugars or using sugar substitutes will result in set failure unless you use SURE-JELL FOR LESS OR NO SUGAR NEEDED RECIPES for no or low sugar jams and jellies. Stir sugar into prepared fruit or juice. Mix well. Let stand 10 minutes; stir occasionally. Stir 1 box SURE-JELL PREMIUM FRUIT PECTIN and ¾ cup water in small sauce pan. (Pectin may start out lumpy). Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir pectin into fruit mixture. Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes. (A few sugar crystals may remain.) Pour into prepared containers, leaving ½ inch at top for expansion during freezing; cover. I used glass canning jars, left room and had no problems freezing them. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Otherwise, store in freezer up to a year. Thaw in refrigerator or it will get very runny. Always store in refrigerator, too, and not room temp. *I used frozen berries that I drained in a colander over a bowl to catch the juices. I saved the juices and added it to a pitcher of sweet tea!

MCP BLUEBERRY OR HUCKLEBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
• Crush berries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 3-3/4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Add water and lemon juice; mix well.
• Stir pectin into prepared fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil; cook exactly 4 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) Let prepared jars stand at room temperature 24 hours. Store unopened jams and jellies in cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams and jellies up to 3 weeks.

HUCKLEBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Mix sugar and huckleberries together in a stockpot; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir pectin into berry mixture and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove pot from heat and skim foam off the top using a metal spoon.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack jam into hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 5 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in a cool, dark area.

HOW TO MAKE NO-COOK FREEZER JAM

Steps:

• Measure exact amount of crushed strawberries into a large bowl. To crush the berries, I prefer to use a potato masher or rigid pastry blender. If using a food processor, pulse lightly to still have a nice amount of chunkiness, with small bits of fruit. Do not puree. Add exact amount of sugar to the crushed berries and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir pectin and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat.Pour pectin mixture over berry/sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes, or until sugar has completely dissolved. If a few sugar crystals remain, that's alright. Using a ladle, immediately fill containers, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top. Clean any jam from jar rims with a wet paper towel. Cover jars with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. To use immediately, store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Otherwise store in the freezer for up to one year. Then simply thaw in refrigerator before using.Recipe adapted from SURE-JELL box instructions.

EASY STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

Steps:

• Add the strawberries to a deep pot along with the sugar and lemon juice.
• Stir to combine and turn the heat to high, stirring every now and then until the mixture starts to bubble and become hot.
• Use a potato masher to mash the strawberries until they begin to fall apart. The more you mash, the smaller the strawberry pieces will be.
• When the mixture begins to boil, continue to stir every 30 seconds or so.
• Use an instant-read thermometer - here's a link to mine (affiliate link) - to measure the temperature of the jam as it boils. Be sure the thermometer is measuring at the middle of the jam and not touching the bottom of the pot.
• Continue boiling as the temperature climbs and don't let it stop boiling until it reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit (for low altitudes) or 218 degrees Fahrenheit (for high altitudes). This should take about 8 minutes or so.
• Once the correct temperature is reached, remove the pot from the heat and carefully spoon the jam into a standard mason jar. The jam might seem a little bit liquid at this stage - don't worry! It will thicken as it cools.
• Add the lids to the jars and allow to cool at room temperature until completely cool.
• Store in the fridge (or freezer for long term storage) and enjoy on toast, scones, or however you like!

BLUEBERRY AND APPLE JAM

Steps:

• Peel, core, and dice the apples, reserving the trimmings (the peels, cores, and seeds). Put as many of the apple trimmings in a jelly bag or 4 layers of cheesecloth as will fit, and tie the bag closed.
• Set the diced apples aside. Don't worry about it if they start to brown a bit; they are going to be turned purple by the blueberries anyway.
• Place two or three small saucers in the freezer. You will use these later to check the set of the jam.
• Put the blueberries and sugar in a wide, 6 to 8 quart preserving pan.
• I use a potato masher to mash up some of the blueberries, about a third of them, but you don't have to do this. I just feel that it gets the juices flowing quicker.
• If you do not have a preserving pan, use the widest pan you have. The wider the pan, the more quickly moisture will evaporate from the mixture, and this is what you want when you are making jelly, jam, or marmalade.
• Bring the berries and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, then continue to cook until the juices are just deep enough to cover the blueberries, about 5 minutes. Pour the berries into a colander set over a large bowl and stir the berries gently to drain off the juice. Return the juice to the pan, along with the diced apples and the bag with the trimmings, and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Boil, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is reduced and thick. This usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and remove the bag containing the apple trimmings from the syrup and place it between two plates. Hold these plates over the preserving pan, and squeeze the plates together to squeeze out any juice which is in the bag. You don't have to try to get every last bit of juice out, just as much as you can get reasonably, and then set the bag aside.
• Return the blueberries and any accumulated juice, along with the lemon juice and zest, to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, and then check the set.
• Use the cold plate test to check set: take the pan of jam off the heat (if you don't remove the jam from the heat while you check the set, it could over-cook and become rubbery or hard, if the jam is indeed already set) place a drop of the jam mixture on one of the saucers you've kept in the freezer, & place the plate back in the freezer for 1 minute. After 1 minute, take the saucer out of the freezer and nudge the drop of jam with your finger. If it "wrinkles" when you nudge it with your finger it is done. If the jam is not set, continue cooking over medium-high heat, checking the set again every 5 minutes.
• Once the jam is set, remove it from the heat and stir gently for a few seconds to distribute the fruit in the liquid.
• Ladle the jam into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with damp paper towels to remove any jam which got on the rims or the threads. Place the lids and the bands on the jars, just tightening the bands fingertip tight.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes, then remove and let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. You can either put the band back on the jar, and reprocess it for another 5 minutes, or you can just put it in the fridge and use it within 3 months.