Sandpoint, ID

Since early spring, we’ve all been working hard in our gardens and orchards to reach the point we finally find ourselves at now: harvest season. Pruning fruit trees while they are still dormant and weeding rows early in the season is all worth it these days, when we find our counters overflowing with ripe tomatoes and lots of fruit.

In this article, I’ll give you a basic introduction to what is called water-bath canning, a method best suited to high acid foods. This includes tomatoes and tomato sauces, jams and pickles. For low-acid foods like green beans or even salmon, you will need to learn about pressure-canner methods.

A word of caution: it is very important that you follow directions exactly when you can. If you do not, people can become seriously ill. Measurements are important and you just can’t wing it unless you want to create a safety issue. For expert advice on these issues, call the folks at The University of Idaho Extension, 263-8511. They have information on every aspect of canning. In addition, they publish lots of informative brochures you can refer to and take home for a nominal fee.

That being said, it’s probably a lot easier than you think to learn to can, and starting with jam may be the most fun way to learn! In less than five minutes, you will know the secrets to turning a bunch of plums into pretty jars of jam that can last until next year’s plums are ripening. Every time you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you can think of your first canning adventure.
PLUM JAM: WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Large graniteware canner
• Canning rack
• Canning tongs
• Lid magnet tool
• Jars, lids, rings
• Timer
• Lemon juice
• Pectin
• Sugar
• Plums

Nearly all of these items can be bought at the grocery store, excluding the canning equipment. The canner, rack, jars, lids, rings and tongs can be bought at well-stocked hardware stores. Good news — customer service still exists at Merwin’s and they’ll be glad to lead you to the canning section. The Co-op also stocks a good selection of canning items you may need.

You’ll need to buy some of the other ingredients at the grocery store. Buy the pectin first, open the box and read the recipe for cooked jams that matches the fruit you have on hand. I’ve even done this in the store itself, it is no big deal when you explain. Find out how much fruit you’ll need by reading the recipe for cooked jam tucked inside. The amount needed will often be listed as prepared fruit, which means in this case, pitted, chopped plums. This is somewhat hard to visualize when you’re staring at a pyramid of plums at the store or even up into branches laden with fruit. Remember, more is better in these situations. You can always eat the extra fruit after the jam project is over.

When you buy the sugar, buy the five pounder—you may be surprised by the fact that most traditional jam recipes contain equal amounts of fruit as they do sugar. (A note: you can make sugarless jam if you’d like. Just buy the pectin that specifies “no sugar needed” and follow the directions, the methods are similar.)

Much of canning is timing and management of the equipment. By this I mean canning takes planning and a willingness to prep ingredients and gear. Get that down and you are more than halfway there. That being said, make sure the canner is clean and fill it three-quarters of the way with water. Put the rack in the “up” position. This will make it easy to submerge the cans later. Put it on the stove on medium-high early in your project because it will take a long time for all of that water to reach simmering. Your goal is to time it so the jam is cooked and in its jars roughly when the canner water is simmering. But, it won’t be the end of the world if the water goes longer.

Put all of your jars, lids and rings in the dishwasher and start it. Your goal is to get the clean, hot jars out of the dishwasher and ready to receive your cooked jam about the time your jam is cooked. Alternatively, you may plunge the lids, rings and jars into another pot of boiling water for 5 minutes or so. In this case you will want the magic tool to remove the lids. It is basically a plastic handle with a magnet at the end that allows you to retrieve slippery and awkward lids from the water easily.
Now read how much sugar you’ll need for the recipe from the recipe inside the pectin. After you get over your shock, carefully measure it out into a single large bowl you can handle with one hand. You’ll be stirring the jam with the other. Set it within easy reach of the stove.

Now you’re ready to cook up your jam. Before you do this keep in mind that you are now a slave to your jam for the next half hour or more and won’t be able to go away from it because you are going to be stirring. Now is a good time to get the jars out of the dishwasher and set them up for filling. I arrange them so they are evenly spaced to allow for easy filling. Also set one or two clean dishcloths on the counter. In canning, neatness does count if only because paying attention and being methodical really helps you in the long run.

Find your largest, heaviest pot. Add your prepared fruit. The jam is going to double in size from the amount of fruit you see, and it will be hot and sputtering, so you want to give it some room. Choose a wooden spoon or stirrer, preferably with a flat bottom so you can keep the jam from burning. Add lemon juice if it is called for (on the recipe from inside the pectin). Then turn up the heat to high, stirring so nothing sticks or burns. Begin adding the pectin, a little at a time. The more gradually the better the jams seems to set up, so be patient. Bring the fruit and pectin to boiling.

Then add the sugar, all at once. Mix it all in thoroughly, and start bringing it back to a boil. When it comes to a rolling (a little bit scary) boil, count out loud to sixty and then turn off the heat and remove the pot. You’ll see that the jam has already become somewhat more viscous.

Then ladle the jam into the clean, hot jars. Do be careful, hot jam is like molten lava. You do not want it to land on you. Leave one quarter inch of headspace at the top of each jar. When they are all filled, get a clean rag and dampen with hot water. Then wipe all the jar rims to remove any drips that might interfere with the seal. Then place the lids on each jar as straight as possible. Add the rings and only tighten them until you feel slight resistance. Now, using your tongs, load them into the canner basket so none are stacked on top of each other. You probably won’t have more than six or eight jars for one batch of jam, anyway. (If you did, you would just can another batch). Now, release the rack and plunge the cans into the simmering water. Set your timer for 15 minutes.

Now is a good time to clean up some of the inevitable Jam Mess. You’ll find that the fifteen minutes flies by and you’ll have tackled most of the mess, too. Tip: OxyClean will remove cooked fruit stains from almost anything.

Remove the jars carefully from the canner using your tongs. Place them on the clean dishtowels on the counter a couple of inches or so away from one another. They may start to seal and you’ll hear the distinctive, satisfying “pop” sound of each. You will see that the lids depress slightly in the center when they seal correctly. If they don’t seal, you can remove the lids and rings and wipe them again and can them again. Let them cool overnight undisturbed. Jams generally keep for about a year so you have quite some time to savor each jar. With your first canning project under your belt, you can tackle new canning projects with lots of confidence. Over time, you’ll see that many of the same rules apply, whatever you’re water-bath canning. Plus, you will know what to do the next September you find yourself with a tidal wave of produce.