My first time canning jam... questions about freezer jam

[April G]

I have plum trees, and we picked about a 1/3 a box yesterday. I bought some canning jars and no sugar added pectin last night (I'm using agave instead of sugar).

So... do I still sterilize the jars before making freezer jam?

If so, can I sterilize them in the oven? I don't have one of those thingies for pulling them out of boiling water, and quite frankly the idea of pulling hot glass out of boiling water freaks me out.

I want to use my food processor, but the instructions in the pectin box says I MUST mash by hand and not puree. :hunh Why? I like my jam smooth, not lumpy. :shrug3

For peeling and pitting... I want to blanche (sp?) the plums so the peels just slip off... How long do I immerse them in boiling water? How long in ice water?

:ty

[greengirl19]

I don't know about some of your questions, but I just sterilize jars by running them through the dishwasher, it's much easier and you can do a big batch at once.

[April G]

No dishwasher. :( And our water is rainwater collected in cisterns so merely washing isn't a good idea.

[DoulaClara]

The oven would steralize them, but I think my fear would be a jar exploding in the dry heat. I've had jars break in boiling water before, and while it was a pain to turn it off, cool it down, empty and refill, it was all contained to the pot. What if you boiled the jars and then after it boiled, turned off the burner and let it cool enough to reach in and get them (holding onto the bottom of the outside of the jars)? I would still steralize for freezer jam, as it would end up in the fridge anyway at some point, and potentially grow something gross.

I think if you slice a little x into the bottoms of the plums, a minute in the boiling water should loosen the skins. How ripe are they? I ice fruits until they're cool enough to handle (although I usually get a little backed up in the assembly line, and a few extra minutes in the ice water never hurt anything).

I'm not really sure about the "no puree" thing either. :think That's a good one.

[April G]

The plums are perfectly ripe for eating. :yum But there are a lot... too many for just eating. And dh doesn't like eating fruit with pits. :rolleyes :giggle

[PrincessAnika]

what if you boiled the water for washing first? my mom always either just runs the jars through the dishwasher or hand-washes in hot water - they are well water.
on skins - i would think it would work like peaches - just leave them in the cold water til they are able to be handled and if they are there longer oh well no big deal.
not sure on the rest, sorry :(

[expatmom]

I think the sugar free pectin has artificial sweeteners in it. :think

I've done apricots in a blender to make it smooth & so I didn't have to skin them. The jam worked fine. :shrug3

I'd do the jars in a hot water bath over the oven.

[Mother of Sons]

I don't sterilize but I put my jam in freezer bags.

If you want completely smooth, you are probably looking for jelly. That's a separate process. Jam isn't really smooth.

[April G]

http://organiquegal.com/freezer-plum-jam-sweetened-honey-agave.html Proof I did it.

[DoulaClara]

It looks so delicious! :yum

[kwisie]

I LOVE plum jam, so, uh, if you think you might have just too much for your little family to handle, you can mail it right down to me. :yes

[April G]

I just tried some... It's not as sweet as I thought it would be. I like it, but it definitely didn't turn out the way I thought it would... :think I think next time I'll up the sweetener a little...

[cbmk4]

I bet your jam would make an awesome glaze on chicken or some other roasted meat (if you eat meat). If it's not too sweet, it might even be used as a partial fat replacement in recipes. All that's assuming that you have more than what you can use up just as jam on bread.

[April G]

:yum That's a great idea!! It tastes a little like unsweetened apple sauce, so still very yummy... and fresh... it would be REALLY good on a baked ham... :yum

[mamaKristin]

or mixed into oatmeal....I miss oatmeal.