Jam

Jam is possibly the easiest thing to preserve.  I've made enough jam now that I can do it almost without thinking about it.  So it was fun to invite my daughter-in-law over to participate in making a batch of blueberry jam on Sunday afternoon.  She had asked about learning to can this summer, we both turned up free on the same day, and I had some blueberries that needed to be put up, so it worked out perfectly. 

I'm working this summer with a new pectin product that allows one to make jams using lots less sugar than traditional pectin, and to double or triple recipes. So we made 11 cups of blueberry jam using only 2 1/4 cups of sugar.  A traditional low sugar pectin would have needed 5-6 cups of sugar for the same batch of jam.  I'm excited to try using this pectin on the peaches that are coming in next week.  Last year I made peach jam that was very good but very sweet even though I used a low sugar recipe.  This year I'm hoping to be able to make a peach jam that lets the peach flavor really shine through.

What does a family of two do with all of this jam you ask?  Homemade jam is a gift to many neighbors, friends, and family over the course of the year.  I love to give it away, but always make sure to keep enough for Farmer Bill (and me) to eat, especially our personal favorite, raspberry.  If there is ever a little farm stand on the farm I will consider making extra jam to sell.  Homemade jams at farmers' markets bring pretty good prices, and I expect we could get a good price at a farm store, too.  And if I can double or triple my recipes -- and use much less sugar -- my costs are lower in both time and materials.

Huh, I just looked out the window to see that there is a gorgeous sunset happening.  I think I'll go watch it...