That is how it is for those who do not can their own foods. I know of a gal I just met who has been paying tons for sugar free jams. I can teach her to do that and save a bunch !
I keep saying our food is like money in the bank.

The thing about this particular product, IMO, is that there isn't anything very pricey about it. Ingredients were basically (off of the top of my head here, from memory, per the label) water, high fructose corn syrup, raisins, dried apples, spices, flavorings, citrus peel, salt, and of course various additives/preservatives. NOTHING remotely expensive in there that was worthy of that kind of price, IMO. Geesh, I could probably make it for like $1 or so a quart, even WITH the high price of sugar these days. It's mostly just sugar, raisins, apples, citrus peel, and spices. I can still get raisins for around $3 for the large canister sized container, which I believe (again off the top of my head) is 22 ounces).

I think next summer I may try making some mincemeat when I have green tomatoes AND summer apples -- I saw several recipes that sounded interesting that used green tomatoes.

The mincemeat recipe I use is expensive, but that's a result of the quality of ingredients, which are much more appealing than the Nonsuch. I can't imagine what a really good mincemeat (meatless) would cost commercially.

Carol

Carol, would you mind providing your recipe or a link (you've probably posted before)?

Here is what's in the Borden product:

27 oz.

With apples & raisins.

Ingredients
Water, Corn Syrup, Raisins, Dried Apples, Molasses, Modified Corn Starch, Distilled Vinegar, Dried Citrus Peel, Salt, Spices, Beef, Bitters, Pectin.

I just can't view this, IMHO, as a "quality" product worth what they're asking. It's mostly sugar and starches.

BTW, I copied the above from a Wegman's grocery chain website. I distinctly remember on the jar I saw this afternoon that it said HIGH FRUCTOSE corn syrup. Which doesn't surprise me.

denninmi:
Try the green tomato pie filling in So Easy to Preserve. I made it last Feb with my green tomatoes (a freeze was coming). We have been enjoying it since - and had it as our mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving.

This is my variation of Linda Amendt's variation of the BBB Brandied Mincemeat. I just want you to know this is not an "approved" recipe.

Changes I made from Amendt's original:

1) My version doubles the pears and apples and halves the sugar. (It's plenty sweet enough.)

2) Day 1 I mixed the dried fruits with 1 cup of brown sugar and chopped mixture in the FP in several batches. (Doing this kind of thing can cloud the FP container, so skip it if the scratching would bother you.) Macerated 30 hours with brandy until Day 2. I think the sugar with the liquor mellowed the fruit.

Day 2 chopped and sliced the apples and pears by hand for a more discernable, fresher texture. That worked very well.

3) I noted this mixture scorches easily. Use a heavy pan, don't cook on high heat and watch carefully.

This stuff is so good it ought to be a sin to eat it.

Mixed-Fruit Mincemeat

Categories : Canning & Preserving

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 pound dried apricots -- chopped
1/2 pound dried cherries -- chopped
1/2 pound dates -- chopped
1/2 pound golden raisins
1/2 pound currants -- or dark raisins
2-3 cups apple cider -- or apple juice
3/4 cup brandy
3/4 cup sherry -- (I used Almad�n Golden)
2 pounds tart apples
2 pounds Bartlett pears -- firm ripe
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped orange zest
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon zest
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

In a large bowl combine the apricots, cherries, dates, raisins, currants, apple cider, brandy and sherry. Stir until well combined. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to macerate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. (See above for my variation.)

Peel, core and chop the apples and pears. In an 8- to 10-quart pan, combine the apples, pears, orange juice and lemon juice. Stir in the dried fruit mixture, orange zest and lemon zest.

Combine the remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger until well-blended. Stir the sugar mixture into the fruit in the pan.

Over medium heat, bring the mincemeat mixture to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are tender, about 40 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If mixture becomes too dry, add a little more cider vinegar.

Ladle the mincemeat into hot jars, removing as many air bubbles as possible and leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Using a plastic knife, remove any trapped air bubbles. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process both pint and quart jars in a BWB for 30 minutes.

Note: This mixture expands and even with a boiling water bath I think 1" headspace works better.

Description: The original recipe came from "Blue-Ribbon Preserves."
Yield: 8 pints

Carol

Thanks for posting this, Carol -- it was a lot of work, and very kind of you to do all of that typing.

I will start a small batch of this on Friday, just for immediate use. I've got all of those ingredients on hand except for the alcohol (which we don't use, I'll probably just sub some more fruit juices). I've only had mincemeat pie a couple of times in my life, and want to try it again. I won't be canning, so no problems about the "not approved" part. My out of town family isn't coming until Sunday, they will be my guinea pigs. I know it's one of those things that would taste even better if it had time to sit and mellow a while, but I suspect it will be pretty good even fresh out of the pot.

I used 2 cups of the apple cider, so an additional 1 1/2 - 2 cups in lieu of the liquor should work very well.

I was never a huge fan of the "meaty" mincemeats, so this recipe suits me perfectly. I think it will be just fine without aging.

Carol

I've figured out that the price of the ingredients for my Pear Mincemeat (no meat) and I charge $8 per pint (which makes only a nice 5" tart). I don't know of anyone who wants a real big slice, of say, a 9" mincemeat pie, since it is so rich. For me and family, I make little pastry cups or thumbprint cookies with the mincemeat filling, again, because it is so rich, that that is all about anyone can handle. The ingredients cost $5 per pint, the little bit of profit is because I make it from scratch without chemicals or preservatives (which this generation could care less about). In this day and age I doubt that younger folk have a clue about what goes into it, and, most likely have never tasted a good mincemeat. In the olden days it was a way to preserve venison, surrounded by spices and with salted and sweetened preserved fruit, that then was a real LUXURY treat. In today's world, those preservation methods are not needed. I suspect that the only people buying commercial produced mincemeat are trying to recapture what Grandma made 50 years ago. There is no gold in the jars, and no Grandma love either, but "tradition" makes them buy it. In our modern reality, my grandchildren say it is "yuck". They do not enjoy Great Grandma's care two hoots about preserving "wild game" and have no memory of that particular taste. I call it passe for anyone under 50. As an aside - my step-son harvests venison on my acreage, says a thank you over them, and asks me to make some into mincemeat with our local fruit because he DOES remember the past.

Nancy

Nancy, I'm not a "cheap" person by any means. I just don't like high prices on substandard goods. I wouldn't have any problem paying top dollar for a quality product like yours, I just resent when a manufacturer puts out something like the one I mentioned that is basically all cheap filler, yet still charges a high price.

Just by looking at the stuff in the jar, I could tell it was basically just congealed flavored and sweetened water with a little bit of fruit floating around in it. Yuck.

Kind of like when you bite into a grocery store jelly doughnut only to find out that a) there isn't much filing in there and b) the little bit in there isn't real fruit filling, but artificially flavored, artificially colored HFCS sweetened water congealed with some kind of food starch.

I believe that, if you want quality food, in this day and age you pretty much have to do it yourself.

artificially flavored, artificially colored HFCS sweetened water congealed with some kind of food starch.

That is what a PhD in Food Science will do for you.

I had everything in it except for the currants, just used regular large dark raisins. And, no alcohol as I mentioned. I scaled it way back, didn't really measure (I'm bad like that), and just made enough for the one pie. It turned out pretty tasty. Definitely a keeper.

I remember having mincemeat just a few times in my life, and it was always kind of strong and funny tasting. This is a vast improvement.

Carol, thank you, thank you, thank you!