Summer is Jam Making Time

I believe homemade is the best!
We had several fruit trees in our backyard while I was growing up, my grandpa and my dad planted them soon after Mom and Dad bought our house which was a couple of years before I was born.
The suburban land there was fertile, located in what was once called "The Valley of the Hearts Delight" in Santa Clara County, California.
Known then for its prolific fruit orchards and farmland, it is known as the (original) Silicon Valley today.
The Valley of the Hearts Delight  ~ the name sounds so much sweeter to my ear than 'Silicon Valley' (and those days were sweeter, as well.)
My parents also nurtured our vegetable garden, plus chickens and rabbits in our backyard plot. But that is another story for another time...
The crops were incredibly abundant from just those few  backyard trees, and what fruit we didn't eat fresh my folks either canned or made into into jam.
Apricot, Plum, Peach and Strawberry were my favorites. My parents canned the jam in 16 ounce jars.
These days I use the  8-ounce capacity jars ~ more manageable for smaller households.



We enjoyed that delicious jam throughout the year, on toast, pancakes and waffles from the good old waffle maker. I think one of my favorite meals was having 'breakfast for dinner' ~ what a treat, especially for my sister, brother and me.



When I married and we began our own household, I continued the tradition nearly each summer since then.
 I can probably count  --on one hand-- the number of  summers that I have missed making jam for one reason or another  through the years.  And during those years I was always  thankful when my family would share what  they had "put up" with us.



I usually always made traditional jam, but then sometime in the late 1960's to early 1970's the innovative idea of making Freezer Jam and Refrigerator Jam became popular.  Made with less sugar and with a shorter cooking time it brought jam to a new level ~ fresher tasting and not cloyingly sweet. I love it!



That was when we lived in the "city".
I still enjoy the freezer/refrigerator jam, but these days I usually make only a couple of jars of that kind for just two of us.  
Living out in the country-side we  occasionally frequently face power-outages at any time of the year. It's risky to invest all of the jam to the freezer  or refrigerator; so I find it safer to can most of it in the  traditional way (hot water bath) so it is shelf stable.  


Most recently I made red raspberry jam ~ which I dearly love for its intense color, flavor and deep, delightful perfume.  However, some that I cook for cannot tolerate the seeds so for the past couple of years I began straining the seeds out ~ it takes a little more time, but the results are so worth it. Pure raspberry goodness.



You can just press the slightly cooked berries through a medium-fine mesh sieve by pushing through with the back of a wooden spoon, or use a food mill, then proceed with your favorite jam recipe.  
I always trust the recipes that come in the pectin packages.  You can find pectin in most well stocked grocery stores.  (Pectin is a natural ingredient to thicken jams, jellies, made from apples.)

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For a good tutorial on traditional jams, low sugar, lower sugar and no-sugar jams, click here.
Please note: The only thing I disagree with is -- I would advise against is using a "non-stick" coated pot for cooking the jam.  
Cooking surfaces such as  stainless steel, porcelain coated cast iron, or  natural copper are my cooking vessels  of choice for jams, jellies, preserves, etc.

You probably know, if you have made jam, there might be a little left over when making a batch.    Cook's Treat!  
I love to have it on warm toasted bread (butter is optional for some, but not for me!) A length of warm, toasted baguette is superb... (it must be the French in my blood...)

It's soo good and the aroma of jam simmering on the stove takes me right back to my  childhood summers. The little bit of left over from the jam making process has the same effect.
:o)
The wild blackberries which grow on the property have been picked and I'll be making seedless Blackberry Jam next. Photos to follow if I have a chance.


It's wonderful of you to have stopped by, please say 'Hi!'
I love to read your comments and enjoy hearing your thoughts.
xo~ mari