Putting Food By - Janet Greene [146]
Blackberry Jam
Two ½-pint jars
Substitute 2 cups crushed blackberries in the recipe for Strawberry Jam; increase lemon juice to 1½ tablespoons. Use same gelatin and sweetener. Follow Strawberry method.
Remove most of the seeds by putting heated crushed berries through a food mill after adding gelatin, etc. You’ll need an extra cup or so of fresh berries if you plan to seed the jam.
Grape Jelly from Frozen Concentrate
Three ½-pint jars
One-ounce can frozen unsweetened concentrated grape juice
1½ cups water
2½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
Artificial sweetener to equal 2¼ cups sugar (read the label)
Thaw grape juice; soften gelatin ½ cup of the water. Combine juice, water (remaining 1 cup), bring to boiling. Off heat, stir in gelatin and stir 1 minute. Stir in sweetener. Pour into hot sterilized jars; cap, seal. Store in the refrigerator.
Apple Butter
Three or four ½-pint jars
2½ pounds juicy, tart apples, 5 or 6 large (Winesap, Northern Spy,
Jonathan)
⅓ to ½ cup apple cider (water will do, cider is better)
Scant ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch each of ground nutmeg and cloves
Artificial sweetener, to equal ¾ cup sugar, or to taste (read the label)
Remove any blemishes, core, cut apples in eighths (do not peel). In a heavy stainless steel or enameled pot, combine apples and cider; cook, stirring often, until quite soft. Off heat, put through a sieve or food mill to remove noticeable skins. (Blender at highest speed or food processor will incorporate most of the skins, but the pulp will be runnier.) Return to rinsed heavy pot, add flavorings except for the sweetener, and cook down, stirring constantly lest it scorch, until the purée mounds on a spoon and is glossy. (A 325 F oven, stirring often, is a safeguard against scorching.) Off heat, stir in sweetener, ladle into hot sterilized jars cap, and seal. Store in the refrigerator.
Frozen Diet Raspberry Jam
Two to three ½-pint jars
1 quart fresh red raspberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 package powdered fruit pectin (1¾ ounces)
Artificial sweetener, to equal ½ to ⅔ cup sugar (read the label)
Crush raspberries thoroughly; put half (or more) through a food mill or fine sieve to remove some seeds, if you like. Crush the berries directly into a large stainless steel or enameled kettle. Add the lemon juice and the powdered pectin, stirring until the pectin is thoroughly dissolved. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to boiling, and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add the sweetener, and stir for 2 minutes. Ladle into hot sterilized ½-pint glass freezer jars, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Cap at once with sterilized two-piece screwband lids. Let the jars stand at room temperature for a day or so, until the jam is set. Freeze.
Store in the refrigerator after opening and thawing. Each 1 tablespoon of jam has 7 calories.
19
Pickles, Relishes, and Other Spicy Things
By increasing acidity, we preserve what at first might seem to be unlikely foods to be prized so highly. Yet pickles and relishes and condiments have been regarded as treats since the first gastronome reported them at a pharaoh’s feast, and praised the inventiveness of the cook.
Acid is the key to their safety as food, and to their charm. The acid either is added to the vegetables or are induced to create acid by undergoing fermentation. In either case, the result is put into a clean jar with a safe closure. If the food is very high-acid, it maybe given a low-temperature pasteurization between 180 F/82 C and 185 F/85 C for 30 minutes, Which preserves the crisp texture of sauerkraut or fresh cucumber or pickles. Lower-acid foods—and, if you prefer to err on the side of caution, sauerkraut and pickles too—are processed in a standard Boiling–Water Bath for just long enough to make the foods safe without turning them mushy.
Especially when using the Hot–Water Bath, avoid boiling for a long time any vinegar