what is all involved in making home made jam's and jellies?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You need a large pot to make the jam or jelly in, a really big pot to boil the jars, and a smaller pan to boil the lids. The jars boil for a good 10 minutes at least, and the lids are brought to a boil then turned down to simmer. This is to sterilize them, since contaminated preserves are very, very bad.

You can make jam out of pretty much anything--this time of year, I'm making marmalade from our blood oranges, navels, and grapefruits. These require pretty much just fruit, sugar and water, but take a long time to prepare. The rest of the year, common fruits to use are grapes, sour cherries, apricots, and so on. Some need pectin, which you can buy at the grocery store. Pectin also comes with a handy list of recipes, or you can find them in most comprehensive cookbooks (like Joy of Cooking).

Follow the directions in the recipe exactly, especially when you're first starting out. That way you learn what proportions of ingredients make for good jam. When it's ready to put in the jars, empty the jars, then put in the jam (you'll need to leave a little air space, usually 1/8th of an inch or so). A funnel is really helpful here, but use metal or glass so it doesn't melt. Then wipe the rim with a wet paper towel to clean, and a dry one so the lid will stick properly. Then dry the seal on the lid, put it on, and screw on the band. Be careful when doing all this, since the jar will be really hot. After the jars are filled, you boil them again, for around 12 minutes or however long the recipe says.

After the jars have gone through the water bath, they should start sealing themselves. You can usually hear a pop when this happens. Properly sealed jars will have the middle part DOWN. If you can push it down, the jar did not seal. Keep those in the fridge and use them first.

Jam can be sort of intimidating at first because it involves a whole bunch of boiling hot stuff, but if you get everything ready beforehand it's actually really fun. Make sure you have a rubber-coated jar lifting thing (forget what it's called) to take the jars in and out of the boiling water bath.

You should have fresh seasonal fruit, sugar, butter, and sure gel. There are recipes for the jams and jellies in the box. The only thing the instructions don't tell you is what can be added to the jam or jelly for additional flavor. For blueberry I use a little cinnamon, cherry with amaretto, peach with cinnamon and almond. Also a lot of recipes say to water bath, but, I just turn the jars upside down in a skillet of boiling water (reduce heat once the jars are hot) and boil just the lids.

You should invest in a canning funnel? (not sure that is the best way to describe it) and move quickly because the jars are already hot but get much hotter with the jam added.

There will be a million recipes online so choose what fruit is in season right now. I suggest making Apple Chutney. Buying fruit is season is better because it is going to be cheaper, plentiful and at its best flavour.

Try this recipe:
http://quailbymail.blogspot.com/2009/04/…

The author mentions bramley apples which are cooking apples and you should be able to get them in the US or something similar. I mention the above recipe because the person talks about sterilising the jars...however screw the lids on while the chutney is still piping hot as this helps the sealing process.
When the jars cool down, tighten the lids even tighter if possible.

Good luck and if you don't like chutney someone would love some as a gift. You sound like someone who is a maker and a giver. :-)