Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600890
10/13/97

GUIDELINES FOR MAKING JAMS WITHOUT ADDED PECTIN


     Wash  and rinse all fruits thoroughly  before  cooking.
Do not soak.  For best flavor, use fully ripe fruit.  Remove
stems,  skins   and  pits from fruit; cut  into  pieces  and
crush.   For berries, remove stems and blossoms  and  crush.
Seedy  berries  may  be put through a sieve  or  food  mill.
Measure   crushed  fruit  into  large  saucepan  using   the
ingredient quantities specified in the table below.         

INGREDIENT QUANTITIES                                       

            Cups Crushed    Cups     Tbsp.       Yield      
 Fruit        Fruit         Sugar    Lemon    (Half-Pints)  
                                     Juice                  

 Apricots     4 to 4-l/2     4         2        5 to 6      

 Berries*     4              4         0        3 to 4      

 Peaches      5-l/2 to 6     4 to 5    2        6 to 7      

*Includes    blackberries,    boysenberries,     dewberries,
gooseberries,  loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries. 

     Add  sugar  and lemon juice and bring to a  boil  while
stirring  rapidly  and constantly.  Continue to  boil  until
mixture  thickens.  Use  one  of  the  following  tests   to
determine when jams and jellies are ready to fill.  Remember
to allow for thickening during cooling.                     

     Temperature test--a jelly or candy thermometer and boil
until  mixture reaches  the temperature  for  your altitude.

Sea  l000   2000   3000   4000   5000   6000   7000   8000  
Lev.  Ft.    Ft.    Ft.    Ft.    Ft.    Ft.    Ft.    Ft.  

220 F 218 F  216 F  214 F  212 F  211 F  209 F  207 F  205 F

     Refrigerator  test--Remove  the jam  mixture  from  the
heat.   Pour  a small amount of boiling jam on  a cold plate
and put it in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator for
a  few minutes.  If the  mixture  gels, it is ready to fill.

     Remove  from  heat  and skim off  foam  quickly.   Fill
hot sterile jars (see directions below for sterilizing jars)
with jam.  Use a measuring cup or  ladle the  jam  through a
wide- mouthed funnel,  leaving  l/4-inch   headspace. Adjust
lids and process.                                           

Sterilization of Empty Jars                                 

     To sterilize empty jars, place them  right  side up  on
the  rack  in  a boiling  water canner.  Fill the canner and
jars  with  hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops
of  the  jars.   Boil  10  minutes at altitudes of less than
1,000  feet.  At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute
for each  additional 1,000 feet elevation.  Remove and drain
hot sterilized jars one at  a time as filled.               

        RECOMMENDED PROCESS TIMES FOR JAMS WITHOUT ADDED    
              PECTIN IN A BOILING-WATER CANNER              

                   Process Times at Altitudes of            

Style                                                       
of          Jar          0-           1001-         6001-   
Pack        Size         1000 ft.     6000 ft.      8000 ft.

Hot      Half-pints      5 min.       10 min.       15 min. 
         or pints                                           


Go To Top of File        MSU Extension Home Page        Main Page for this Data Base

This information is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. This information becomes public property upon publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU Extension. Reprinting cannot be used to endorse or advertise a commercial product or company. This file was generated from data base 01 on 03/09/98. Data base 01 was last revised on 10/13/97. For more information about this data base or its contents please contact wrublec@msue.msu.edu . Please read our disclaimer for important information about using our site.