RE: The Fruits Of Our Labor - My First Time Making Jelly and Canning!
(I can see why your mom makes fun of you.) Very interesting process here. (I wish I liked jelly better, but I prefer jam and preserves.) My grandmother used to make the most marvelous plum jam. Every time I have some from the grocery store, I think of her. That's my favorite!!
I remember my great-grandmother (my grandmother's mother) gathering wild plums in her apron one afternoon when we went on a drive and she spotted a wild plum tree. We stopped and she was climbing up and down the hill like a little mountain goat, gathering fallen plums. (She was about 4'10" ... would have blown away in a stiff breeze ... and lived to be 104. Lived in Weatherford, Texas) Best plum jam ever though came from that trip! (That was back in the days when people knew what to look for and could do stuff!!)
Anyway ... I've never tried canning or preserving. But the idea does appeal to me. I didn't know pectin came in bottles. I thought it was a powder that came in envelopes like gelatin. (Shows how much I know.) Your experience is inspiring. I hope you enjoy all that wonderful jelly!!
My grandparents used to make plum jam as well from plums on their tree! I don't know why I have such a hard time following recipes. Sometimes I don't have the right stuff...or enough (like this one). I know right where Weatherford is. I used to drive through it all the time going to college. And it's RIGHT BESIDE where my grandparents had a plum tree!! Maybe a plastic jar/bottle of pectin was a better word. I can't ever figure out what to call them exactly. Yeah the recipe called for a box of pectin which was 6 tablespoons (I used 5 since I used less juice and sugar - Ha). I think it comes in envelopes too. I need to figure out what the difference in jam and jelly is...
Jam is basically thick, pureed fruit -- stewed and preserved but still spreadable. It's opaque. So are preserves, which is like jam (are like jam?) but with chunks of fruit in the mix. (Jam is more homogenous.) Jelly is made from just the juice and is translucent. It's also harder to get on your knife, and I don't think it spreads as well. Jelly is like Jello. Jam is more the consistency of really thick ketchup. When you make jam you don't just strain out the juice. You blend the whole fruit in the mix.
Ah nice to know. I should have made jam. I like it with chunks and seeds in it. I kept it to make some fruit leather but haven't dehydrated it yet.