adventures in jam

So, previously mentioned I've been learning food preservation techniques, including canning, drying, and cheese waxing.
Lets start with canning. I got the bug last year. I took my younger daughter and her boyfriend berry picking. We ended up with somewhere around 30 lbs of raspberries and blackberries. Many were eaten right away. Some were washed, dried and frozen on a cookie sheet to be bagged up later to be snacked on. And some were dumped in a food processor until pureed, thrown into a hot pan with sugar and pectin, boiled a bit, then poured into hot jars waiting for lids and a nice bath in boiling water.

Despite it being our first foray into the world of canning the jams turned out surprisingly well. Yes, I had my doubts, but this time there was no need for worry.

Our confidence being slightly elevated...we ventured into the world of jelly. Specifically apple pear jelly.
Purposely I had left some small bits of fruit floating, no big deal there, that was fine, just meant we wouldn't have a perfectly smooth jelly. The problem came with the boiling. Jelly, and jams to, tend to get a little bit foamy as they boil. I later learned that you can add a bit of butter to stop that. I failed to adequately skim the foam off the jelly mix... After it cooled in the jars the foam floated peacefully to the top of the concoction. and formed a foamy cloudy layer.
It looks like crap but the taste is divine.


So there's how our first jam/jelly making experiences went. It was GLORIOUS. The kitchen looked like a berry farm had exploded in it. The smells coming from the kitchen were amazing. The living room was packed with teens watching the Wizard of Oz... THIS is how life should be.