Jams and jellies and such

[Conan]

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!

My two year old niece loves them! She is not a cherry tomato fan (what a weird child). She kept asking for more "grapes" until they were gone. This was when we spent the week at the peach orchard with peaches everywhere... They are that delicious!

 

[Conan]

Anyone have any ideas as to how to make a strawberry rhubarb jelly without a lot of waste? I love the flavor of strawberry rhubarb jam, but the texture just grosses me out. I know. I am a huge baby. I promise, it's only that one type of jam! I prefer jam to jelly 90% of the time - I just really can't stand the texture of this particular combo.
Any thoughts? Recipes? Mockery?

 

[Folly's place]

Okay, a very little mockery.
I stick to strawberry jam, myself, without the rhubarb.
Although, these recipes sound really good, and I may have to try them. If you blend the rhubarb really fine, would that help?
Mary

 

[Conan]

Okay, a very little mockery.
I stick to strawberry jam, myself, without the rhubarb.
Although, these recipes sound really good, and I may have to try them. If you blend the rhubarb really fine, would that help?
Mary

OOOh, I could put it all in the food processor and pulse it to smithereens! I wonder if I did that, then forced it through a sieve if that would work. Brilliant, Mary! Thanks for the inspiration!
I really love rhubarb... When I was a kid, I would eat it raw until my whole mouth hurt and I could taste nothing for a week. I would repeat this as soon as I could taste again.
Greetings from the wet coast!
- Brenna

 

[rebrascora]

Just wanted to apologise for not accepting your kind invitation to join this thread to share recipes right away. Unfortunately it all gets a bit complicated when you start talking about measures and products that are not familiar here in the UK. I'm afraid, if things aren't simple or I'm not familiar with them, I get turned off easily....

I understand the concept of using cups to measure and it is a great idea but it really only works with powders or very small aggregates surely??.....For instance, how do you actively measure a cup of rhubarb or strawberries unless you specify the size of chunks it is cut into? Bigger chunks will mean less rhubarb per cup. And we don't have a "cup" as a measure here so I'm kind of lost before we even start as to how much that actually is (volume wise), let alone being sure what Jello is.... I'm guessing it is jelly made with gelatine?
Here in the UK we use scales to weigh most ingredients and then it might be lbs and oz and teaspns etc, pints and gallons if you are my age.... or .... wait for it.... grams and kg, mls and litres by law (thanks Europe!!) to buy ingredients or measure things if you are younger, so things are complicated enough here with recipes and measures without trying to translate recipes to a different system, much as some of them sound interesting.

I've never used pectin before although you can buy it here.... I'm just an old fashioned fruit and sugar woman for jam and throw in some lemon juice and an apple if it isn't good fruit for setting.

Sooooo, you will have to excuse me for not participating at the moment and hope you will understand why I might struggle to get my head round it all!

Funny how our respective nations have so much in common, but other things are so different!

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

Completely understand! I have a hard time following recipes myself sometimes... even when they are written in terms I'm familiar with. I just ruined an entire batch of baked squash the other day. I was trying a new recipe & misread a step & added a Tablespoon of sea salt instead of a teaspoon. Lets just say no one ate them... they were awful!!

I have used an apple or two for pectin before. I even cooked the leftover apple peels & cores from my applesauce just to make homemade pectin before. I like trying the "old-fashioned" ways sometimes. I feel like old skills & ways are being forgotten. Espescially by my generation & the ones coming behind me (let's just say I've celebrated my 29th birthday several times now ). I like to learn how ro do things by my grandmother & my husband's grandma. They both get really excited to show me too, so it's a win-win. I learn a new skill & they get the joy of teaching another generation the skills their mothers taught them!

 

[rebrascora]

I like to learn how ro do things by my grandmother & my husband's grandma. They both get really excited to show me too, so it's a win-win. I learn a new skill & they get the joy of teaching another generation the skills their mothers taught them!

I love this!

Sadly I never got to meet either of my grandmothers as they both passed before I was old enough to know them, but I do treasure my mother's hand written recipe book and the memories of baking with her and they all come flooding back when I make one of her recipes that I haven't had for ages.... the food is comforting and so is the memory of loved ones passed. It is funny how evocative smells and tastes are! I sometimes make recipes from it for my brother and sister too.... it draws us together and reminds us of good times growing up in a happy family.... what could be better!

 

[Folly's place]

I do love the jam and jelly recipies with pectin, especially the freezer jam. It just tastes so much more like the fresh fruit! I do remember making jam and jelly without added pectin; the long cooking times, so very cooked taste of the finished product. Yummy, but IMO better now when it tastes less cooked.
Mary

 

[lazy gardener]

Just wanted to apologise for not accepting your kind invitation to join this thread to share recipes right away. Unfortunately it all gets a bit complicated when you start talking about measures and products that are not familiar here in the UK. I'm afraid, if things aren't simple or I'm not familiar with them, I get turned off easily....

I understand the concept of using cups to measure and it is a great idea but it really only works with powders or very small aggregates surely??.....For instance, how do you actively measure a cup of rhubarb or strawberries unless you specify the size of chunks it is cut into? Bigger chunks will mean less rhubarb per cup. And we don't have a "cup" as a measure here so I'm kind of lost before we even start as to how much that actually is (volume wise), let alone being sure what Jello is.... I'm guessing it is jelly made with gelatine?
Here in the UK we use scales to weigh most ingredients and then it might be lbs and oz and teaspns etc, pints and gallons if you are my age.... or .... wait for it.... grams and kg, mls and litres by law (thanks Europe!!) to buy ingredients or measure things if you are younger, so things are complicated enough here with recipes and measures without trying to translate recipes to a different system, much as some of them sound interesting.

I've never used pectin before although you can buy it here.... I'm just an old fashioned fruit and sugar woman for jam and throw in some lemon juice and an apple if it isn't good fruit for setting.

Sooooo, you will have to excuse me for not participating at the moment and hope you will understand why I might struggle to get my head round it all!

Funny how our respective nations have so much in common, but other things are so different!

Rebra, I for one would love you to tell us how to use apple to supply the needed pectin to make a good jam. As for the cup measure, you are so very right: weight measurments would be much more appropriate. But, even then, a bit arbritary, especially if talking about rhubarb. Cause early season rhubarb is going to have more liquid in it and later season rhubarb is going to be a bit more fibrous. But, it all works out ok in the end. If the jam is too liquid, I'll just change the name of it and call it "sauce" and serve it up on cake or ice cream!

Yes, Jello is what you probably call gelatin.

 

[Folly's place]

I've made plenty of 'fruit sauce' too. Especially the year that the Sure-jell box had a recipe that they messed up! The apology later wasn't that much help, but the sauce did taste good.
A cup is about 250 mls, so four cups is close to a liter. Mashed fruit measures fine in cups for the recipes, and 'close enough' is 'good enough' anyway.
Metric would be much easier!!!
Mary