I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!So last night and this morning I got quite a lot accomplished. This:
and this:
The first is apricot jam and I totally used the blender to liquify it (so it's probably more like jelly than jam. It is such a gorgeous color. I made this one without pectin. I really don't like working with pectin and much prefer doing it without if the fruit has enough natural pectin in it and this did. The recipe was supposed to make 4 pints but barely made 3. It is very labor intensive (until I get a food mill) because you have to peel the skins off, half and pit, then quarter each half and even with blanching for 2 minutes not all the skins want to come off. I ended up using a potato peeler. (The chickens, by the way, love apricot skins.) Next time I will make the kids help me.
I spent $5 for 2.5 pounds of organic pence apricots and used $4 worth of sugar, so $9 total for 3 pints. A half-pint jar of organic apricot preserves is $7, so $42 worth of jam for $9 or a savings of $33 over store-bought preserves.
Then I finally made raspberry jam. Much, much easier. I thawed the berries out in the microwave, which made a little juice, so it was easy for the blender to get going. I got 8 8 ounce containers (or 4 pints) of jam. I made them in smaller containers because I am going to give some away as gifts.
The raspberry jam is just the cost of the sugar, since the organic berries are free from the yard, so about $5 to make. 1 8 ounce container of raspberry organic jam runs at $6, so $48 worth of jam for $5 or a savings of $43. Not bad at all.
This is my home canned food stash so far minus the raspberry jam which is still cooling:
The yellow stuff up in the corner is my canned homemade mustard.
I also have 3.5 quarts of refrigerator pickles which are good until December and lots of frozen berries. Doing pretty well on that front. I will be making blueberry jelly and blackberry jam soon and then I'll have a real pallete of colors on the shelf.
More Canning--A Savings of $76 for Doing it Myself
July 20th, 2012 at 08:14 pm
July 20th, 2012 at 11:52 pm 1342828366
July 21st, 2012 at 01:06 am 1342832802
Do you have a test for whether there is enough pectin in your fruit to do without added pectin?
July 21st, 2012 at 02:45 am 1342838714
July 21st, 2012 at 02:46 am 1342838805
July 21st, 2012 at 03:48 am 1342842513
Snafu--The small jars came with labels so yes, I will use those for the gift jars.
Thrift--I am definitely getting my food mill before tomato season as that is exactly what I want. I am thinking of the Roma food mill. I have heard good things about yours, too.
Baselle--yeah, I would just use it as syrup if it didn't gel, but it did. I am actually thinking of making some flavored syrups as well.
July 21st, 2012 at 05:16 am 1342847781
Looks great. I love all those jars lined up afterward! I stand in the kitchen and admire them!
July 21st, 2012 at 01:23 pm 1342877000