Jams and jellies and such

[NikAndHerChicks]

I love to ferment, but I rarely follow a recipe per se. (I do have a couple of books about fermentation so I have a vague idea of how it works, but I kind of wing it as I go)... sometimes that works out for me... sometimes I wind up with science experiments on my counter! This past summer/fall I got busy & forgot so move all of my final ferments to the basement for cool storage. I lost a whole gallon crock of sauerkraut, a gallon of pickled garlic cauliflower, a gallon of Dilly Beans, and 2 gallons of mixed pickled veggies. They still had the airlocks on them & too much of the brine evaporated so the tops molded & the dreaded kahm yeast took over. I was so mad at myself!!

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

What a great thread! I love how related to chickens it is

Lazy Gardener, appreciate that tip about the pectin! Always looking for a low sugar option.

Last year I grew ground cherries and boy did they ever get out of control! Tons of delicious prolific tropical tasting fruits. I ate tons of them, gave them away in paper bags and my mom hammered them. Anyhow, I still had more than I could eat, off the one plant by the way, so I decided to try a ground cherry pepper jam. I am not much for measuring, but the results were delicious! Great with cheese and crackers or as a sandwich spread. I did not use pectin seeing as I did not have any on hand. I used lemon rinds, finely chopped. It worked well to thicken it up.

Couple cups (give or take) ground cherries
1/8 cup sugar
3 spicy peppers, chopped - seeds in or out depending on spicy you want it. If you've only got mild peppers, add some hot red pepper flakes.
lemon juice from one lemon
zest and rind from one or two lemons, minced
splash of red wine vinegar.

Cooked down til thick then put it in jars. They sealed nicely without processing. This makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam. I'm sure that the yield would be better with pectin.
I made a second batch and added onions and it was also good - just a bit more savory.

Anyone else have ideas for ground cherries? I plan on growing more and I would love to try other things...

So I admit, I had to look up ground cherries because I had never heard of them. The article I saw said they are a member of the nightshade family & about the size of a tomato. I'm super curious, are they sweet like a fruit, or are they more similar to a tomato?

 

[Conan]

So I admit, I had to look up ground cherries because I had never heard of them. The article I saw said they are a member of the nightshade family & about the size of a tomato. I'm super curious, are they sweet like a fruit, or are they more similar to a tomato?

They are so weird - it's hard to describe... kinda like a tropical sweet flavor and much more like a tomatillo in texture than a tomato. When they are super ripe and translucent gold in color, they have a hint of vanilla in there too! This was my first year growing them and I am definitely hooked.

 

[dunnmom]

Mmm... Good thread! Apple butter is super easy to make in the crockpot. Made several batches one year for Christmas gifts. I used a bit of honey as a sweetener instead of sugar. This year I'd like to try to make it with jujubes. We have a heavily producing jujube tree in our backyard, which we mistook for an olive tree for years. Eaten fresh before they begin to dry out, they are just like tiny, firm, sweet apples in texture, just without all of the juice. I wonder if I can cook them with the pits, because they're hard to remove, and then run it through a food mill.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Conversation on an other chickeny thread got off track, and we were discussing favorite jams, particularly using rhubarb. So, @rebrascora and @NikAndHerChicks I'm hoping you will post your recipes here. Looking forward to other good recipes from other BYC members for HWB jams and jellies as well.

My favorite jamming pectin is Pomona's pectin. This pectin does not require ANY sugar in order for the jell process to work. So, you can make it just as tart as you want, without having to make it cloyingly sweet as required when using regular pectin. Instead, it relies on Calcium. Each packet of Pomona's comes with enough pectin and Calicum to make 8 batches of jelly or jam, and it's almost as simple as mixing up a batch of jello! When you buy a package of Pomona's, there will be explicit directions for making all sorts of jams, jellies, and other products.

This recipe below only requires the gelatin in the jello. No extra pectin of any sort needed. I thought I'd hate it b/c of the jello, but it's a nice tangy sweet jam. I process it in HWB x 10 minutes.

Strawberry rhubarb pineapple jam
*10 cups rhubarb peeled and chopped
*Water as needed to keep the rhubarb from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As it starts to cook, it will release enough liquid to provide enough juice!
*20 oz. can crushed pineapple
*6 oz. pk strawberry jello
*2 cups sugar (or to taste)

Cook rhubarb until it is tender. Add pineapple, jello, and sugar. Bring back to a boil. Ladle into 8 oz. canning jars, process in HWB x 10 minutes.

bookmarked

 

[peckpeckpeck]

I just started canning last year, so I'm here to watch the experts.

I love Dilly beans! I'm allergic to cucumbers so that's my version of bread & butter pickles. Started with a recipe from a book "Put em up" but improvised with a lot more dill & garlic.

I make kimchi sometimes, based on what I remember from my grandma. It's hit or miss. I just don't do it often enough to be consistent. I still eat it.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Mmm... Good thread! Apple butter is super easy to make in the crockpot. Made several batches one year for Christmas gifts. I used a bit of honey as a sweetener instead of sugar. This year I'd like to try to make it with jujubes. We have a heavily producing jujube tree in our backyard, which we mistook for an olive tree for years. Eaten fresh before they begin to dry out, they are just like tiny, firm, sweet apples in texture, just without all of the juice. I wonder if I can cook them with the pits, because they're hard to remove, and then run it through a food mill.

I love jujubes! Do you ever have them after they get dried & red? They get sweet & leathery, kinda like dates. They're amazing to boil into tea like that & I haven't tried, but I imagine they'd also make a nice jam. Maybe I'll try next fall, since jujube season is over for now.

 

[dunnmom]

I love jujubes! Do you ever have them after they get dried & red? They get sweet & leathery, kinda like dates. They're amazing to boil into tea like that & I haven't tried, but I imagine they'd also make a nice jam. Maybe I'll try next fall, since jujube season is over for now.

Last year was the first time I tried them. I actually prefer them before they soften and dry. Squirrels and bugs tend to eat them more as they soften, leaving not much to harvest. I suppose I could pick them and then dry them in the sun, but the critters would still be able to get to them. Shrug... We had an enormous amount of okra and cucumbers last year, which we pickled. We tried doing ice-water pickles, which was really good. My husband used waaay too much hot pepper sauce in the okra pickling liquid, so no one has been eating them. We're still learning. I'd love to make some bavarian red kraut!

 

[mothergoose]

So I admit, I had to look up ground cherries because I had never heard of them. The article I saw said they are a member of the nightshade family & about the size of a tomato. I'm super curious, are they sweet like a fruit, or are they more similar to a tomato?

They are more of a tropical flavor but consistency of a tiny tomato, lots of little seeds in them.
We love raising ground cherries. They make a great jam. Very pretty golden color and kind of a honey flavor. My family loves it. They are a lot of work, they are small, it takes a lot to make jam, you have to husk them...but it is worth it. Delicious!

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

They are more of a tropical flavor but consistency of a tiny tomato, lots of little seeds in them.
We love raising ground cherries. They make a great jam. Very pretty golden color and kind of a honey flavor. My family loves it. They are a lot of work, they are small, it takes a lot to make jam, you have to husk them...but it is worth it. Delicious!

They are so weird - it's hard to describe... kinda like a tropical sweet flavor and much more like a tomatillo in texture than a tomato. When they are super ripe and translucent gold in color, they have a hint of vanilla in there too! This was my first year growing them and I am definitely hooked.

They sound delicious! I'm going to have to look them up again... I'm always looking for new things to grow that my kids will actually eat!