Christmas Jam

 

Let's Make Christmas Jam 

There has been a universal push, in recent years, to slow down and return to when things were simpler, just to enjoy life again. Life has found a way, throughout time, to continue to "push harder", "go faster", and "work harder", so it's no wonder we have all hit a burn out. Our souls are craving that older atmosphere of creativity, doing things by hand, and that satisfaction of "I made that". These days, all it takes is a click of a button to order this or download that. I challenge you to ditch the everyday hustle and bustle! 

One of the ways I "go back" during the holidays is to make homemade gifts for my friends and family, because who needs to go into debt just to get a smile out of someone? I like to plan out pretty and delicious gifts that they can continue to enjoy past the holidays (if it makes it that long). This made from scratch jam will surely impress everyone, as well as delight those taste buds! 

I don't know about you, but I need a completely quiet environment in order to create and channel my inner chef. By quiet environment, I mean no extra people around ;) but I will certainly play those soothing holiday tunes to put me in the mood. There's also something about an empty clean kitchen that butters my biscuit and calls me to tie those aprons strings!  Dig out those hand me down jars and dust off those vintage canning pots, let's get jammin' already!

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

* 16 oz fresh cranberries

* 2 Granny Smith apples

* 2 Pears

* 1 Cinnamon Stick

* Zest and juice from 1 orange

*3 cups of sugar

* 1/2 cup water

1. You'll want to start by sorting through your fresh cranberries and pulling out all the "duds". These will include the brown squishy and yellow hard ones (very bitter).  Rinse your cranberries.

2. Peel and cube both the apples and pears.

3. Place those in your Dutch oven, or large jam pot, along with the cinnamon stick.

4. Zest your orange over the pot to capture all that citrus kick and pour in your freshly squeezed juice. 

5. Add in 3 cups of sugar and the 1/2 cup water. (The sugar is what pulls out all of the juice from your fruits so don't skimp on this)

6. Bring this all up to a low boil on med-high heat.

7. Once it starts to boil, reduce down to low-med heat and simmer. Cover and reduce fruit down to your desired jam consistency, about 45-60 minutes. (You can use a potato masher along the way to help reduce the fruit into the jam form).

8. While your jam is simmering, add water to the canner as well as your clean jars. Bring this water to a low steamy simmer to sanitize jars and bring them up to a warm temperature. **If you place hot jam into a room temperature jar, you may shatter the glass! **

9. Once your jam is completed, remove from heat to stop the cooking process. Remove the jars from the simmer one by one and fill right away. Make sure to leave 1/2" space at top of jar. 

10. Stick a rubber spatula or butterknife into the jars to release any air bubbles and wipe those rims with vinegar to clean off any residue or jam. 

11. Place those rings on "finger tight" which means to just turn the ring to a secure position, don't twist too tightly! 

12. Place jars into canner on the rack and lower into the simmering water. Bring to a roaring boil. Once the roaring begins, secure your lid and set your timer to 15 minutes. (8 oz jars process in 15 minutes).  DO NOT REMOVE YOUR LID WHILE PROCESSING!

13. After 15 minutes of processing, remove the lid and turn off the heat. Let this rest for 5-10 cooling minutes. 

14. Remove your jams from the water canner and place in a cooling spot on countertop. As these begin to cool, the rubber seals will start to form on your lids/jars. You will hear the magical "ping" or "pop" sound as they form the seal. This helps to ensure proper canning seals. If a jar does not properly seal you can still store in the fridge up to 2 weeks for ultimate freshness. Properly sealed jams have a shelf life of 18 months up to 2 years (unopened of course). Remember to remove the outer rings as they are no longer needed and could form rust later on. 

15. Make sure to label your jars with dates and give it that personal holiday touch. Add twine or ribbon to rim and attach a simple card. Remember the simpler, the better. Think less is more. 

I added our farmstead logo sticker on top. (There will be a separate blog post on this)

If you enjoy video how to's better than reading recipes, here you go:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0nE-mkuBUC/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Christmas Jam

Jams are so pretty, delicious and simpler to make than most realize. It shows the giftee that you put in real time and effort into their gift. It's kind of like capturing all of the flavors of the season into a jar and handing them a warm hug.

Please make this recipe and let me know what you think! Do you have a hand me down holiday jam that is similar or different? Please share your different ingredients. Have fun with this! Make it your own!