|
| Hi All, I was going to make jam today, but something has come up and I will not be able to complete the process. I do, however, have time to crush all of the berries. Can I crush the berries today and make the jam tomorrow? TIA! Jennie |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Sure, just store in the fridge overnight. It's not uncommon to do some prep the day before. Deanna |
|
| Sure, add the sugar too and you'll get more juice as it sits. Lots of recipes (look up Ferber) add the sugar, let it sit, maybe even heat briefly, let it sit some more. |
|
- Posted by readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Sat, Oct 12, 13 at 13:43
| I agree. It will dissolve the sugar and that will speed the cooking. Also it will reduce any browning in the color. If the recipe calls for lemon juice, add that too. Carol |
|
| If you don't add sugar, I think there's a good chance they will start to ferment unless your fridge is very cold. Maybe not a lot in one night, but I don't think they would last two, FYI. |
|
- Posted by jennieboyer 8 (My Page) on Sat, Oct 12, 13 at 15:46
| Thanks - I plan to get on the canning first thing in the morning, so hopefully won't ferment too much - I made too much to add the sugar at the same time. Here's another question - I have lots of blueberry pulp and lots of blueberry juice. When I measure out the crushed berries, do I include any of the juice? If not, what should I do with all that juice? In case it matters, I like jam that has lots of fruit pieces. |
|
| Sorry that I did not see your post! Are you still wondering? I think that with high acid fruit you can do whatever you want. Personally, I put everything in. I don't crush berries, just put them whole, and the juice comes out as they cook. If fruit is very runny, you can add pectin or you can simmer it for hours until it thickens up. The simmering option results in a stronger flavored jam. But you could put all the solids and less juice, that would work too. Then you could use the juice to make blueberry pancake syrup or jelly :). Or just can it for juice. All of these options sound very delicious to me! |
|
- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Oct 14, 13 at 10:19
| I make jam out of the pulp and jelly out of the juice. You're lucky if you get much juice out of blueberries. Measure the pulp then add some juice if you need more for the 'prepared fruit' for your recipe. If it's just the pulp, the jam might be stiffer, but still wonderful. |
|
- Posted by balloonflower CO 5b (My Page) on Mon, Oct 14, 13 at 14:30
| As to the blueberries, I agree with last poster--I would make jam, or it would probaby end up more similar to a type of slow cooked butter with your pulp, only adding in extra juice if needed. Although, with blueberries, you could add a different juice for enhanced flavor. OJ would probably work, or a cranberry or pomegranate juice. I do my blueberry jam with a lemon verbena infusion. I also tend to do the prep on my fruit ahead of time, usually macerating with the sugars overnight. I generally start my jamming or canning at about 9pm, as I have two toddlers who are not particularly helpful at this point with canning and I wait until they're in bed. It helps immensely to have the fruit prepped, then I set out and measure all the other ingredients while they're getting ready, as well as getting the canner water boiling. Then, once they're asleep, I can knock off some jam pretty quickly and not stay up forever. |
|
- Posted by readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Mon, Oct 14, 13 at 14:38
| Blueberries are Low-pectin and Low-acid (in the fruit world - still safe as far as canning is concerned) so the more juice the more difficult it is to get a set without commercial pectin. The risk without commercial pectin is over-cooking the preserve to get a set. It can be done but is more challenging than say, cranberries or such that almost set by themselves. Carol |
|
- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Oct 14, 13 at 17:27
| Yes, don't forget the lemon juice with blueberries, unless you only want syrup. Even with pectin and lemon juice, it will take awhile for the jam/jelly to set. Patience is not one of those plentiful things for me. I want it to set as soon as jars seal, if not before. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Harvest Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
