I made some Christmas Jam from the following recipe two years ago, and it
was delicious! My first try, and it set up beautifully! Last year I tried
doubling the recipe (it only makes 7 half pints, and I wanted to make a
lot), but a lot of it didn't jell properly -- came out as a sort of thick
syrup, great for pancakes and ice cream but kinda drippy on peanut butter
sandwiches. My wife said it was because I doubled the recipe.
This year my daughter wanted to make some for her staff people at work, and
we returned to the original recipe. After four batches, three of them (22
jars!) are just pretty, red, thick syrup; she's in tears! The recipe
doesn't specify sweetened or unsweetened strawberries, but nearly all the
frozen strawberries at the market are sweetened, and that's what I first
used with good results and what I also used last year with bad results.
This year I was able to get large, unsweetened strawberries, but had bad
results. (Because they were *large* strawberries, we cut them up while in
the frozen state -- could that have made the whole concoction too liquidy?
How about beyond-expiration-date Certo?)

We can't figure it out! Can some of you look over the recipe and spot
something that we can't? Will additional sugar increase the jelling or
decrease it?
Please, please, please, Christmas is almost here!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1 - (12 oz.) package fresh cranberries

2 - (10 oz.) packages frozen strawberries, thawed

4 - cups sugar

1 - (3 oz.) package liquid pectin



Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add cranberries. Top with
cover; process until cranberries are coarsely chopped. Combine cranberries,
strawberries, and sugar in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute,
stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add pectin to mixture. Return to
a full rolling boil; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat,
and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Quickly pour jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace; wipe
jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process in
boiling-water bath 5 minutes. Yield: 7 half pints.

Jark wrote:
>
> I made some Christmas Jam from the following recipe two years ago, and it
> was delicious! My first try, and it set up beautifully! Last year I tried
> doubling the recipe (it only makes 7 half pints, and I wanted to make a
> lot), but a lot of it didn't jell properly -- came out as a sort of thick
> syrup,....

http://www.homecanning.com/usa/alfaq.asp

Go to Jams and Jellies section on how to re-set your jams.

BTW, I've never been able to figure out why, but when I use liquid
pectin I simply cannot double the batch without the same problem. Since
it's easy enough to use and I can only BWB 7 half-pints at a time--1927
Spark with small burners and small BTU output--not really a trouble
anyway....

B/

B/