"Jams & Jellies"
August 05, 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 11
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Put Summer in a Jar!
| We've hit that time of year when
gardens, farmers' markets, and grocers are bursting with fresh produce.
Our trugs, baskets, and market bags are filled with colorful choices and
healthful inspiration. August is about to fly by as one crop peaks,
quickly replaced by the next prize.  It's nearly too much
of a good thing! If only we could stretch a bit of summer into the
cooler months ahead....
IN THIS ISSUE, we introduce you to how you
might stash some of summer away in a jar. Making your own jams and
jellies is one of the easiest topics to master in the world of home
preserving. We'll acquaint you with some of the options for using
August's profusion of fresh fruit, demystify some of the science behind
making jams and jellies while advancing you through the key steps. We
finish with three simple recipes that will get you started.
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Ken's Notes:
|  We finally started our cooking classes last month. The first thing I have to admit is that while we thought we had all the bugs worked out before starting, we didn't. The flow of information, from us to you, has been sort of random and disjointed. We recognize the problem, and we're working on ways to be better organized.
 On the other hand, the classes have been wonderful. Gail Shank's first class on Bread Baking ran for an hour or more over schedule, but no one noticed! There was lively discussion and lots of sampling. We plan on repeating this class often.
John Rossi gave a wonderful demonstration on Pasta Making, along with the creation of an impromptu sauce made with chicken and fresh vegetables from his garden and the Farmer's Market.
Our next class, being held on Sunday, August 8th at 1:00pm, will be a special one. John Murphy, who is currently a culinary arts instructor at Barry Tech, in Nassau County , NY, will be teaching what he calls "The Ultimate Chicken Class" and we call "Chicken 101". I suppose that having a family poultry farm in his background helped develop his love of chicken. His class will be broken down into three parts:
1. Butchery basics: how to break down chicken into easily usable parts = 1/2s, 1/4s and beyond.
2. Cooking technique basics: sauté, braise, roast.
3. Tasting and evaluating the finished products: how you can create your own spin.
John's handout for the class alone is 19 pages long and filled with tips and recipes. The class is limited to just 16 people and has a cost of $45. If you're interested, give us a call at 740-538-6003 or stop by the store to register.
We have three more classes lined up after John's. As we get more information on these we'll post it online.
Summer Soups, Monday, Aug. 16, 6:30 pm, with Gail Shank. $30
Quick Summer Dinners, Monday, Aug. 23, 6:30 pm, with Gail Shank. $30
BBQ And Smoking On The Grill, Monday, Aug. 30, 6:30 pm, with Kevin Black of Blacksmith BBQ. $35.
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Fresh Fruit Preserved
| Carrying fresh fruit flavor forward
takes many forms. Each option allows the fruit's full flavors to be
captured and preserved for use on our morning toast, filling pastries,
glazing meats, or complementing cheeses. Different terms define specific
fruit preserves:
Jam - Crushed fruit along with its
sweetened juices comprise jam. Its ideal consistency is a soft spread
where a spoonful holds its shape somewhat, though is still easily
spread. Jams typically feature one fruit without any spices or other
flavor additions.
Jelly -
Juice is extracted from fruit, sweetened, and gelled naturally, or with
the addition of pectin. The result is a clear product that holds its
shape until spread. Good jelly sparkles in color and clarity, free from
any cloudiness, and also spreads easily.
Preserves - While often a generic
term, "preserves" also has a specific definition when speaking of fruit.
Fruit preserves refer to whole or chunks of fruit suspended in a heavy
syrup or fruit jelly. In this form, the fruit is often used as a topping
or pie filling.
Marmalade- Most common with citrus fruits, marmalade consists of a soft, clear
jelly with pieces of fruit expertly suspended throughout. Many
marmalades include the citrus peel which yields a desirable bitter taste
contrasted with the jelly's sweetness.
Conserves - A bit more complex, conserves are a sweet
sauce made from one or more fruits along with a dried fruit, (raisins,
dried cherries, etc.), and nuts (almond, walnuts, pecans, etc.). The
right conserve mix is a divine accompaniment to meats or as a
stand-alone condiment.
Butters- Fruit butters are similar to fruit jams, but have an added dimension.
Fruit butters are sieved and pureed into an even consistency, then
slowly cooked. The added cooking concentrates the fruit's flavors to a
rich depth. Butters often carry less sugar than jams, and may include
spices.
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Gelling Out!
| The science behind successful jams and
jellies is relatively simple. Understanding some of what is happening
in the process will enable you along the way and build successful
results.
 Jams, jellies, and
their cousins, are thickened fruit by definition. The slight gelling of
the cooked fruit allows it to be spreadable yet hold its own as opposed
to a liquid juice. Achieving the ideal gelled state is the primary trick
in mastering the craft of homemade jams and jellies.
Gelling
occurs thanks to pectin. Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in
plants that helps to give them their structure. Pectin is present in
every land plant, and especially prevalent in fruits and seeds. Some
fruits have a lot of pectin, others a moderate amount, and some very
little.
The process of making jam and jelly centers around
coaxing the pectin from the fruit. Once released, the pectin will firm
up juice or crushed fruit to the desired consistency. Pectin is released
from the fruit under three conditions: (1) the right amount of sugar,
(2) the proper acidic condition, and (3) with the help of heat.
Too Little, Too Much - Balance is key when making jellies
and jams. The amount of sugar used must match the amount of pectin held
in the fruit. The acidic balance must be present. Too little heat, and
the sugar will not dissolve, water will not be evaporated, and enzymes
that inactivate pectin are not disabled. Too much heat or overcooking,
and the natural pectin will be debilitated.
How to Know What's Right -
Fortunately, there are generations of cooks before us that have
experimented with different fruits and various proportions. Follow their
lead! Use a reputable recipe and follow its instructions. Do not
improvise on the amount of sugar, the volume of fruit, the quantity of
acidic ingredient, or the cooking times. 
Is It Ready? - Our featured author
recommends testing the pectin content of cooking mixtures by using the
spoon test. Dip a clean teaspoon in the cooked fruit, lift, and tip the
spoon's contents back into the pan. If the drops fall slowly and
appear thick, the jam or jelly is ready. Better yet, use an instant-read
thermometer. When the mixture has reached 230-235°F (soft ball stage),
it's ready. Jams and jellies will continue to thicken as they cool.
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Prep & Proces
| Why make your own jam or jelly? There's
great satisfaction in mastering a new skill, or reconnecting with an old
proficiency. With your own crafted jars you are able to buy or harvest
locally, control what goes in your food, and enjoy the flashback to
summer available with each bite.
For additional details
on preserving jams and jellies, and other foods, check out this USDA website resource on Home Preserving.
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Smart Jam & Jelly Making Tips
|  Tip #1:
Fruits that are perfectly ripe, or even under-ripe, gel more easily
than fruits that are over-ripe. Our featured cookbook recommends using
"three parts just-ripe fruit to one part underripe, avoid overripe fruit
altogether." Overripe fruit has less acidity and less pectin.
Tip #2: Small batches of jam or jelly
work better and gel more reliably than larger batches. Larger batches
take longer to evaporate and the lengthened cooking time breaks down the
pectin.
 Tip #3:
What if the fruit is ready, but you aren't. Freeze the bounty until
you're ready to make the jam or jelly. By waiting, there's the added
bonus of cooler weather and a more comfortable kitchen.
Tip #4:
Store canned jams and jellies in a cool, dry, dark place in order to
preserve their appearance and flavor. Store opened (or inadequately
sealed) jars of jam in the refrigerator.
Tip #5: Seek out the smaller half-pint
or half-cup jars; they are just the right size for gift-giving. Be sure
to label and date your jars.
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Q & A's
|  Q:
What is pectin? Must I buy it?
A: Pectin is a natural food product extracted and
concentrated from rich sources such as apples and citrus fruits,
especially their peels. It is generally available in powdered or liquid
form. Pectin occurs naturally in many fruits and is not required for
jams and jellies, though some find it helpful. It has a shelf life, so
check expiration dates.
Q: What
is refrigerator jam? What is freezer jam?
A: Both refrigerator jam and freezer
jam are basically jam without the process of canning in a hot water
bath. The preserves are kept fresh through the chilled temperatures
instead of through a vacuum process. Both jam methods are ideal for
small batches. Use a jar of refrigerator jam within a month.
Q: What types of jars should I use for jam
and jelly making?
A: If you plan to can your product, use mason jars that are specifically
built of the proper glass and have metal lids and rings that match the
jar exactly. The jars must withstand boiling water, and the closures
must form a strong seal. Jars and rings may be used over and over again,
but lids must be new each time.
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| Cookbook Review | The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet
Preserves by Linda Ziedrich. Published by Harvard Common Press,
Boston, MA. Copyright 2009.
 This
recent publication revives the secrets of making traditional jam, jelly,
and many other sweet preserves. There is a whole generation, or maybe
two, that missed learning this culinary craft at the side of their
grandmother - this book fills in the gap by combining traditional
knowledge with today's ultra-modern kitchens and lifestyles. The author
writes in an accessible style and includes over 200 tried, true, and
tested recipes for honing jam and jelly making skills. The recipes focus
on natural jams and jellies without the need for store-bought pectin or
jelly kits. The book is organized logically with a chapter for each
type of fruit. After all, as the author points out, contrary to finding a
recipe then buying the ingredients, with jams and jellies it's the
ingredients that come first with a recipe found secondarily. She
patiently details the nuances of assembling the preserves and carefully
explains the canning process. A great troubleshooting guide is included.
Working with the book, we felt enabled and confident in our abilities
for making the most of the jam season ahead.
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Three Simple Fruit Preserves
| Peach Jam
View & Print
One of our summer
favorites in any form, peaches are very cooperative in transforming into
jam. With just three ingredients, peaches, sugar, and lemon juice, the
fruit is bubbled into a thick mixture. The taste was bright, full of
concentrated peach flavor. We enjoyed it on our English muffin, and look
forward to trying it as a seafood glaze sometime soon.
 Blackberry Jelly
View & Print
Blackberries and their
cousins arrive in waves throughout the summer. Fortunately, we were
ready with this recipe when a flush of berries came our way. The juice
was easily extracted from the berries and the jelly easily formed with
the berries' natural pectin, sugar, and a little lemon juice for
brightness and acidity. Amazingly delicious.
 Apple Butter
View & Print
A bit
precocious since apple season is still ahead of us, we experimented
with this apple butter recipe because it's always one of our fall
favorites. The apples are cored, quartered, and cooked; no need to
laboriously peel each fruit. The apple puree is gently cooked into a
very concentrated form and lightly spiced. The result was a rich,
intense flavor experience.
Recipes
from The
Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich
through permission of Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA. Copyright 2009.
All rights reserved.
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| Take advantage of the seasonal fruit
bounty and "put up" some summer for later! |
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