Well Preserved
What’s the Problem?
Jellied Products
The Well Preserved news
column is prepared by Lan
caster County Cooperative
Extension. It includes food
preservation information and
questions.
Even the best food preserver
has had the experience of mak
ing jelly or jam the same way as
always and for some reason the
product does not turn out right
on a particular occasion. This
scenario requires some problem
solving.
Why is the jelly (or jam) too
thin? This problem has many
possibilities from ingredients to
preservation methods. The ripe
ness of the fruit affects the con
sistency of the jell. Over-ripe
fruit contains less natural pectin
than just-ripe fruit and may re
sult in a thinner spread even if
commercial pectin is added.
The opposite effect is also true.
An under-ripe fruit contains
more natural pectin and may
give a more firm result than
usual.
Incorrect proportions of
sugar, acid, pectin, and fruit
can cause problems. Use tested
recipes and measure accurately.
Too little sugar results in a thin
jam; too much sugar results in a
thicker jam. Insufficient acid re
sults in a soft gel. Some fruits
require added acid in the form
of lemon juice if the fruit does
not have enough acid. Excess
fruit makes the jelly thinner;
less fruit makes a thicker jelly.
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The order in which these basic
ingredients are combined de
pends upon the type of added
pectin used. Powdered pectin is
combined with the fruit and the
sugar is added last. Liquid pec
tin is added after the fruit and
sugar have come to a boil. Pow
dered and liquid pectin cannot
be substituted for one another
without disastrous results. With
the many new jelling products
on the market, it is important to
follow the directions provided
with the product.
Overcooking the fruit to ex
tract the juice lowers the jelly
ing capacity of the pectin in the
fruit. Using too much water to
extract the juice can be another
problem.
Proper cooking affects the
consistency of the finished
product. Jellies and jams with
added pectin must be cooked
for the specified time at a
rolling boil. A rolling boil is a
rapid boil that cannot be stirred
down. It bubbles up, which is
why you need a large kettle
when making jams and jellies.
Over cooking can break down
the pectin. It really requires a
judgment call as to what is a
rolling boil. Long slow cooking
destroys the pectin in the fruit
juice which can be a problem
for jellies made without added
pectin. Jellies without added
pectin need to be cooked rapid
ly to the jellying point (240°F).
Why should cooked jelly be
made in small batches? If a
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larger quantity of juice is used,
it will be necessary to boil it
longer, thus causing loss of
flavor, darkening of jelly, and
toughening of jelly. Make only
one recipe if using added pectin
or use only four to six cups of
juice in each batch of jelly made
without added pectin.
Do not move jellied products
for 12 hours after they are
made. Some types of jelly and
jam require up to a week to set.
Therefore, you may want to
wait awhile before deciding to
remake a syrupy spread.
Over-processing jellies and
jams in the boiling water bath
can cause the pectin to break
down. Process spreads that
have been canned in sterilized
jars for S minutes in the boiling
Water bath; process spreads that
have been put in clean jars that
have not been sterilized for 10
minutes in the boiling water
bath.
Why are there bubbles on the
top of the jelly? If you notice
bubbles when you first make the
jelly, the pan or the pouring
utensil may have been too far
from the top of the jar as the
jelly was poured or the jelly
may have been poured slowly
• Features on collectibles and
collecting.
allowing the air to become
trapped in the hot jelly. Failure
to skim the foam off the jelly
before pouring it into jars may
result in bubbles on the top and
throughout the jelly. Adding Vi
teaspoon butter or margarine
before cooking the jelly or jam
will reduce foaming. If you no
tice bubbles after the jelly has
been in storage a period of time,
they may indicate spoilage and
the jelly should not be used.
Why does the jelly look
cloudy? The juice may have
been squeezed through the jelly
bag forcing out some of the so
lids. Let the juice drip through
the jelly bag and squeeze the
bag gently if necessary. Also the
jelly may have been allowed to
stand before it was poured into
the jars; it should be poured
into the jars immediately upon
reaching the gelling point.
Why do fruit preserves some
times shrivel? The syrup is too
heavy for the fruit. Follow in
structions for the specific type
of fruit being preserved.
Why does jelly “weep?” Ex
cess acid in the juice makes the
pectin unstable or the jelly was
stored in too warm a place or
the storage temperature fluctu
ated.
In the next Well Preserved
column we will look at how to
remake a thin jelly.
If you have food preservation
questions, a home economist is
available to answer questions on
Wednesdays 10 a.m.-l p.m., call
(717) 394-6851 or write Penn
State Cooperative Extension,
Lancaster County, 1383 Arca
dia Rd., Rm. 1, Lancaster, PA
17601.
irming, Saturday, May 31,2003-B5
Lancaster F<
Food
Preservation
Class Offered
COLLEGEVILLE (Montgom
ery Co.) Remember those deli
cious home canned goods that
Grandma used to put up from
her backyard garden? Canning
procedures have changed dra
matically over the years, but
many folks still look forward to
eating the “fruits of their labor”
over the winter months with
home preserved foods. To make
sure you don’t endanger your
family’s health by following out
of-date canning instructions,
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion is offering a hands-on work
shop to teach proper methods of
home canning.
The three-hour session will be
conducted on Thursday, June 26
at 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and re
peated at 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the
Montgomery County 4-H Center
on Rt. 113 in Creamery.
Participants will learn the lat
est methods of using a boiling
water bath and a pressure can
ner. They will receive a compre
hensive Cooperative Extension
canning book and take home two
jars of properly processed fruits
and vegetables.
Registration is required and
class size is limited. There is a
cost of $25 per person or $4O per
couple. To register, call the exten
sion office at (610) 489-4315.