There is still time for jam and jelly making for gifts and future Fair entries. This is perhaps the nicest time of the year to be cooking as it's cooler, which makes a person feel like warming the ol' domicile up with the reward of fresh jam for gifts and home use. Do you have fruit put away in the freezer that you need to use up? Is the fresh fall fruit in the stores calling to you?--and remember that frozen fruit at the grocery as well.
Please read fellow MFP Darrell Fluman's note below about the boil-down method of jam making. It is a great way to use up fruit and make custom batches of jams. Also, you can save a little money as no purchased pectin is required.
I must admit, I was a novice to the boil-down method until a few years ago. One summer I had a bonus of pomegranates and nectarines and no pectin, so decided to try it old school and it came out great. Give it a try.
And congratulations to Darrell for his blue ribbons this year! Hmmm, may be we should all enter the fair!
From MFP Darrell Fluman:
I opened my mail today to find an envelope from the Los Angeles County Fair.
Inside there were two ribbons.
I was pleased as punch.
Two entries and two ribbons.
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One First Award blue ribbon for a multi-fruit conserve
Blueberries, sugar, Moro oranges, Meyer lemons, dried cranberries, Persian raisins. No pectin.
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One Third Award white ribbon for a multi-fruit preserve
Blueberries, sugar, Merlot wine, Moro oranges, Meyer lemons. No pectin.
I used an old-fashioned boil down method based on a recipe from Gaston Lenôtre,
a famous French chef. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_Len%C3%B4tre
Basically the method is; Macerate the fruit and sugar for 24-48 hours, then strain the syrup.
Peel and juice the citrus, julienne then blanch the peel until very tender.
Boil down the syrup to 230° f, add the reserved fruit, juice and peel and boil to the set point
The technique is in:
Lenotre's Ice Creams and Candies
ISBN-10: 0812053346
December 1979
Thank you,
Darrell Fluman
Master Food Preserver
UCCE San Bernardino County