First: an aside. I noticed this week that my fingers are taking on a subtle but certain look of age and overuse. Kind of bending and twisting a bit when they’re at rest. The cumulative effect, probably, of spending half my life before a glowing screen, arms propped awkwardly on a desk, fingers rapidly firing T-O-I-L, basically, over and over again.
Some nights we come home from our day jobs and our commutes and the thought of preparing a meal with all the raw, local ingredients in our kitchen feels like another hour or two wrangling only more T-O-I-L. But lately, even in the heat, or maybe because of it, we have been coming home to this reality with a sense of a relief. Respite. Therapy for my twisted fingers. The silent, methodical rhythms of transforming all of this beautiful produce into simple, delicious stuff. We’re using our hands and ourselves in a more natural way. We’re making a mess, nourishing ourselves and tidying up in a terribly satisfying way. And probably hitting dozens of important acupressure points on our palms in the process.
And now, to the point: We’re already putting things by with a bit of a fury in preparation for the winter, should it ever get cold again. Little bits here and there, when something is suddenly abundant. A couple nights ago we made a giant bowl of pesto and our first batch of blueberry jam. The jam turned out rather miraculously to be our most successful batch yet. Per usual, we winged the recipe.
We’ve learned two important things about jam recently through the Collective Conscience of our Facebook page, a small bit of web research and the contents of this book called Putting Food By. They are: 1) That pectin does nothing for the preserving of fruit. It only affects the texture of a jam, making the “jelliness” of it, in some cases, possible. and 2) sugar changes the acid of a jam. Which is to say, sugar does something for the preserving of fruit. If you remove the sugar entirely, like we have done, you’re at risk unless you put your jam in the fridge or freezer.
Because we think 12 cups of sugar in anything (a standard quantity for jam recipes) is an obscenity, we reduced the amount most sources told us to use. And have opted to refrigerate and/or freeze.
Here’s how we did our blueberries:
2 1/2 pints of blueberries (or 7 1/2 cups)
3 cups of sugar
1/2 t of cinnamon*
1/4 t of ground cloves*
*optional, for spicing
yield: 3 1/2 pints
The morning after, when all was cooled, the jam was surprisingly viscous — jelly-like, really. And delicious. It’s now in our freezer until a dreary day in February, so we can’t be sure the consistency or flavor will stay the same. Here’s hoping.
…Now step away from the computer and go work your hands.
Hey localvores,
I love you guys and everything you say and do, except I have a small quibble with your linking of the book you mention to amazon’s page.
Local bookstores are struggling as much as anyone, would it be possible to link any books you mention to either the author’s page or the local bookstore that sells it? (Porter square and harvard square bookstores both have online websites, for example).
Thanks for all you do.
Where did you get the blueberries?
I just want to correct your comment about sugar and the acidity of jam. Sugar does not affect acidity. Sugar is a preservative, which means that food (particularly fruit) with sugar added will retain more of its original color, taste, and texture. It also means that the jars will keep longer once you’ve opened them. You may not get the texture you’re expecting if you reduce or substitute sugar—for instance, your jams might not set. But since sugar does not affect acidity, it doesn’t affect safety.
hey emily,
you’re so right! thanks for pointing that out.
DM
hey daisy mae, perhaps you’re right that sugar doesn’t affect acidity … but what we’ve read does suggest that it affects safety. maybe we’re using the term differently? check out some of the info from the minnesota extension office: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/dj1088.html
I guess I am confused by your statement “If you remove the sugar entirely, like we have done, you’re at risk unless you put your jam in the fridge or freezer”
The question I ask - What are you at risk for?
Maybe I’m thinking of this in terms of preservation standards set forth by the USDA for jam. The USDA recommends Boiling Water Bath canning for jams and jellies. This is the recommendation regardless of the quantity of sugar that you use. It is still “safer” to process your jam in a BWB than to just refrigerate. In this case, I refer to the term “safe” in terms of shelf life. You will have a longer shelf life by processing your jam.
Not processing (as in BWB) high-acid products like fruit is not “unsafe” per se. “Unsafe” is an inappropriate designation. The jars may not keep as well on the shelf because there’s a higher risk of oxidation, softening, mold, etc. even fermentation. But no one is going to get botulism or die. If any of these problems occur, you will see it and smell it and simply not consume the fruit or jam.
So some recommendations for heat processing are not safety-related so much as quality-related for longer shelf life and better preservation of the product you worked so hard to bottle. That’s why the American standard is to process these products by boiling water bath. But lots of Europeans do not process and health-wise they are not at risk.
But I still stand by my previous comment. Sugar does not affect acidity. And in the world of canning, acidity is is the barometer in which you measure safety in terms of botulism.
Even in the link you provide - acid and sugar are listed as separate ingredients. And are both added to the jam for separate purposes.