Peach Melba Jam and Boiling Water Bath Canning

15 years ago

I have two questions --

1) Does anyone have a recipe for Peach Melba Jam (peaches and raspberries) that does not use added pectin? I know I'll have to cook the fruits and sugar a while and test for the jelling point, but I'd like to avoid the pectin and the added sugar it requires.

2) The rack in my (huge) boiling water bath canner does well with keeping quart jars off the floor of the pan and separated from each other, but smaller ones always touch the bottom of the pan and seem to move toward each other. Do you put a cake rack on the bottom of the water bath pan? How do you keep the 1/2 and 3/4 pint jars apart?

I appreciate any wisdom you may pass along.

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Comments (6)

grainlady_ks
15 years ago
You may be asking for the impossible - at least in tested, recipes. Contact your County Extension Office and see if they can help you.

You'll find information about making jam without pectin at the link below, as well as low-sugar. There were no documents for "peach melba jam".

Have you considered buying another rack that works for smaller jars? I remember my mother used to place canning rings on the bottom and set smaller jars on them. I'm not certain that's an advised method for use - it's just a long-ago memory.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Jams & Jellies - including no pectin & low-sugar
lpinkmountain
15 years ago
Here's a recipe I found online and made two years ago. I still have one jar left. It was very, very good. I might add that I also added 1 TBLSP frangelico to the jam. It is not a firm set jam.

Raspberry Peach Jam Recipe - Confettura di Lamponi e Pesche

By Kyle Phillips, About.com
When peaches are at their best and the raspberries are ripening up in the mountains, they're a perfect pair to set aside for the winter! What better way to do so than make raspberry peach jam?
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds (1 k) peaches (ideally, white)
3/4 pound (300 g) raspberries
1 4/5 cup (800 g) sugar
The juice of a lemon
Preparation:
Blanch the peaches for a second or two in boiling water, then chill them in cool water, peel them, quarter them, and discard the pits. Rinse the raspberries, discarding any that are blemished, and gently pat them dry.

Interlayer the fruit and sugar in a bowl and let it all sit for 12 hours.

Transfer everything to a heavy-bottomed pot, and bring it to a boil over a moderate flame, stirring it occasionally. Skim the froth off the surface and cook with a slotted spoon over a lively flame, skimming and stirring, for about 15 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. A drop placed on a cool slanted plate will flow some, but not much, when it's ready.

The yield will be about 1 1/2 pints (1.5 l). Transfer the jam to jars, cover them, and boil them for 20 minutes to sterilize them.

Yield: several jars raspberry peach jam.

This assumes you know how to prepare jars for canning.

Here is a link that might be useful: Raspberry Peach Jam Recipe
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The difference in the instructions stems from the fact that Canadian manufacturers are not subject to USDA guidelines as US manufacturers are and it has no similar testing body. So the instructions in the box will vary in some cases either side of the border depending on where it was made. Plus many Canadians of European descent learned to can jams and jellies using just the inversion method (no processing) so that is what they expect to read in the instructions and may even insist on it. Since the only real threat with acidic jams and jellies made with the high acid fruits is molds developing from the air left trapped in the jars they find that acceptable and don't worry about it. They fail to understand that some fruits are NOT high acid or that their shelf storage life is substantially reduced if they don't process. Many will go so far as to just skim off the mold that grows on top and eat the rest since they don't consider molds dangerous or understand that the mold spores have permeated deep into the jars. That is their choice. USDA testing has proven the deep growth of molds and the risks of leaving air in the jars so their guidelines don't accept that eating mold is beneficial in any way. So they insist on the BWB processing to force that remaining air out of the jars and prevent mold growth. All the Jarden/Bernardin publications in Canada tend to closely follow the USDA guidelines but it is a choice they made while other manufacturers choose to ignore them. It boils down to your choice and which brands you choose to use. Dave
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When you boil vinegar, it evaporates and blasts you in the face when you approach the pan, right? I thought it must have a boiling point below the boiling point of water. But it turns out the boiling point of acetic acid is higher, so you actually can drive off some water and concentrate the acid. I posted a link below, but googling [acetic acid boiling point] will lead to info about why it has a higher boiling point, etc. According to the sources I found, the boiling point of pure acetic acid is 244Â°F. The acid in lemon juice is mostly citric acid. That is in solution, which means it's broken up and bonded with the water rather than actually being a liquid itself. It doesn't boil, it just breaks down into other substances at 347Â°F. Valereee, I'm with Carol on this one. I once made pectin-free peach-pepper jam that was too soft, so I cooked it longer and ended up making it caramelized and rubbery. I would use the NCHFP method. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: boiling point of vinegar
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bluejean, here is one I have used in the past, although I'm trying to get away from commercial pectin, it is NOT my friend. I think when/if I make it again, I'd try to get some of the seeds out of the raspberries, but that's just a personal like/dislike. Peach and Raspberry Jam Recipe 1 quart fresh raspberries (I think you could use frozen) 2 lbs ripe peaches (approx) 1/4 cup lemon juice 6 cups sugar 1 package liquid fruit pectin 10 half pints Crush berries and remove some seeds if desired. Peel,pit and crush peaches. Measure berries and add enough crushed peaches to make 4 cups fruit. Place in kettle, add lemon juice and sugar, mixing throughly. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat and let boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add pectin, stirring vigorously. Stir and skim alternately for about 5 minutes. Ladle quickly into hot jars. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Annie
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Sharon are you using one of those large enameled pots that they sell for canning in the hardware stores? Unless you are processing a whole batch of pints or quarts, those things are notoriously inefficient for processing small jars and small batches. In fact, I have nicknamed my enamel pot "the beast" and only get it out if I have to, which is less and less now that I bought a smaller pot for canning pints and half pints. If you're not filling your canner, maybe you should look around and get a smaller pot that fits more with the size batches you do. Just be sure that it fits how ever many jars you want to process, and the water covers the top of the lids an inch or more. When I do jams and my small batch pickles, I usually can use just a stockpot. The beast gets used now mostly for big batches of tomato products. Another issue with it taking so long might be that you are overfilling it with water. The water level does rise when you put the filled jars back into the canner for processing. I often take some water out until the water level is just a little over one inch above the jar rims.
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annie1992
15 years ago
Alice, I've made a jam similar to the one posted by lpinkmountain and it came out well. I had to cook it longer than I thought I would, but it set up pretty nicely. I like a softer set than the "gummy bear" consistency that my Dad likes, LOL.

Jam is pretty much always safe, it's high acid fruit and sugar. I regularly reduce the amount of sugar used in conventional recipes if it's a recipe that doesn't call for conventional pectin. It will mold more quickly than the full sugar stuff, so I make sure to refrigerate it after opening.

Good luck and happy canning, you're going to love that jam!

Annie
lpinkmountain
15 years ago
Yes, best to can up these low sugar jams in small jars. My favorites are the rounded 8 oz. jars if you can get them. I also use the 4 oz. jars for single me and for gifts. Better to leave them wanting more than with moldy jam.

And don't worry about the safety of fruit jams, with sugar and lemon and fruit, it is a high acid sugary product, will not vector botulism spores. But it can mold when open, and does kinda fade after months and months. But my high sugar jam crystalizes after too long, so there you have it!
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
I use a kitchen towel..it likes to come up when there are no jars in there, but once you "fill" it with jars all is good.
I also didn't know I wasn't supposed to can without a "place for the jars to rest" and canned for years without putting anything between the canner and the jars..Never had any problems.
dgkritch
15 years ago
And it doesn't matter if the jar sides touch. Use empty jars to fill in extra space (fill with water, no lids).
You can use canning rings wired together, a cake rack, a tin pie pan pounded flat (punch some holes in it so the water can circulate and air doesn't get trapped underneath), etc. Anything, heat safe, to keep the jars off the bottom.

Deanna

Peach Melba Jam and Boiling Water Bath Canning

Comments (6)

grainlady_ks

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