Can It! Preserve with Preserves

Have you ever thought about canning fruit but believed that it was too difficult and time consuming? It is a lot less difficult than you feel! Besides, in the winter months when the fruit is out of season you can still appreciate the jelly, jams or preserves that you made. Canning is a great way to both save money, be self sufficient and make the most of your bountiful harvest. You can use a water bath canning set up, but personally, I prefer a good solid pressure canner both for ease and peace of mind.

Jams - They are made from chopped or crushed fruit, sugar, pectin and lemon juice as the acid. It contains the soft pulp or puree of fruit but does not include chunks of fruit.

Jellies - Sweetened fruit juice that has been jelled with the aid of pectin and lemon juice as the acid. It is typically clear and bright.

Preserves - Is frequently mixed up with jam, the principal difference is that preserves include complete chunks of fruit. Cooked with sugar until the fruit is suspended in a syrup, it is not jelled.

Marmalade - It is a soft jelly that is normally made from citrus that consists of the complete fruit such as the peel.
The sugar balances out the bitterness from the rind.

Fruit Spread - Is the same as jam or jelly except rather of making use of sugar an artificial sweetener is utilized. Thus it is 'low calorie' version.

Fruit Butter - Fruit butter is not actually butter as it does not include any dairy butter in it. Rather it refers to how simply it spreads. It has the consistency of butter and spreads as easily. It is a fruit puree, lemon juice as the acid, sugar and assorted spices.

How to Pick Your Fruit for Preserving

It doesn't matter if you are producing jam, jelly or a fruit spread, picking the right fruit is vital to a good result. I see so several 1st time canners and preservers use overripe fruit and then wonder why it didn't turn out appropriate. They mistakenly feel that the overripe fruit that is really soft will be easier to make into a jam or jelly.

Most folks don't comprehend is that the enzymes in the fruit have begun to break down the sugars and pectin in the fruit turning it from delicious to yucky.

In my experience, I've identified that a ratio of 1/4 slightly under ripened, (just not too under ripened). Eventually you will find your own sweet spot. To 3/4 ripe fruit yields the best final result.

You will find that measuring out the proper amount of fruit is vital to producing a productive homemade batch. Rather of measuring out by volume, weigh your fruit. Depending on the size and shape of the fruit whole, there will be air pockets in and about each piece leading you to acquiring the wrong quantity. Good quality recipes will give you a complete approximate volume and then a processed volume that you need to be working with.