Our theme for this month was Alliums, courtesy of Small Measure. Leeks, Onions, Shallots, Garlic, Ramps, Rakkyo, Scallions, Chives, etc. My first thought was ‘What the heck can I can that will actually get eaten?’ I remembered trying an onion jelly a few years back, warmed and poured over melted Brie cheese, which was delicious. I had thought at the time that it would be yummy over porkchops. So, I settled on an old standby — Jam.

I found the recipe on Michelle’s blog, Big Black Dog, and followed it to a “T”, no adaptations. Well, I did add one kitchen helper, since he was very sad that Big Brudder got to go to Grandma’s house without him today.

Ignore the Oreo schmutz on his face. He’s having a rough day.

Zesty Red Onion Jelly*

Generously shared by Michelle of Big Black Dog.

Makes 3 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced red onion
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 pouch (85 ml [3 fl oz]) liquid pectin

Preparation:

1. Cut red onion into 1/8 inch slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch dice.
2. Measure 1 cup into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan.
3. Zest lemon and measure 2 tsp into saucepan.
4. Stir in vinegar and sugar.
5. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full, roiling boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat.
6. Immediately stir in one pouch Liquid Pectin, mixing well.
7. Pour jelly into a hot jar, dividing solids equally among jars and filling each jar to within 1/4 inch of top rim (head space). Wipe jar rims. Center lids on jars & screw on bands till fingertight.
8. Process in Hot Water Bath for 10 minutes.
9. Cool for about 30 minutes, then, when lids are concave but jelly is still hot, carefully invert & twist jars to distribute solids throughout jelly. (Do not let them remain upside down for long periods. It is said that doing so can cause food particles to creep into the threads and cause spoilage.) Repeat as needed during the cooling/setting time, until solids are nicely suspended.

* I think this is considered a jam because the onions have not been strained out, but I could be wrong!

It was a simple quick recipe, the longest part was the 10 minute Hot Water Bath.

The color is gorgeous. I used Michelle’s trick of heating the onion skins in the required vinegar to get the dye out of them. Onions are rare at Farmer’s Markets here and I had no clue how old the ones I bought were, but I’d imagine the color from fresh onions would be more vibrant.

She also specified that short inversion times or twisting were necessary to distribute the solids, but mine seemed to have no troubles at all. I just made sure to listen for the “schick” of the lids sealing (onions have low ph so good canning practices are vital) and called it done!

Lessons learned:

• Don’t try to smell onions cooking in vinegar. Burns the sinuses. LOL
• I’ve had a few people frown when I invert my jars while they cool. It was just what I’ve been told and have seen done. Apparently this is a no-no because food particles can work their way into the threads and possibly cause spoilage. Thankfully I’ve never had issues before, but now I know.

What did you make for the Can Jam? Or what have you canned lately?

————————

You might also like these related posts:

• Can Jam January: Citrus — Marmalade Recipes Galore
• Recipe: Zuppa Toscana
• Stuffed Bell Peppers

© Katie for Runaway October, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us, StumbleUpon

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It’s time for my participation blog post for Tigress’ Can Jam. I actually have two recipes to share with you.

Our theme for January was Citrus, which is awesome because Citrus is so abundant here in Arizona this time of year.

Arizona Citrus

This first recipe was just a standby while I waited for my vanilla beans to arrive for my REAL recipe for the can jam.

Citrus Marmalade

Makes 6 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

• 4 meduim oranges
• 2 medium lemons
• 2 1⁄2 cups water
• 1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda
• 61⁄2 cups sugar
• 1 package powered pectin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon butter

Preparation:

1. Wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces, and then prepare the ingredients.
2. Sterilize empty canning jars by placing them upright on rack in water bath canner and covering them with hot water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes. At altitudes higher than 1000 ft, boil the jars an additional 1 minute for each additional 1000 ft elevation. Keep the jars hot and drain just prior to filling.
3. Wash the oranges and lemons throughly, I use a scrub brush. Remove the rind in quarters from oranges and lemons. Trim and discard half of the albedo (white flesh attached to the rind). Or all of it if you don’t want all the bitterness associated with it.
4. Thinly slice the rinds and place in a 4-quart (4 L) saucepan.
5. Mix the rinds with water and baking soda. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   

   Citrus segments

6. While the rinds are cooking, remove seeds from the peeled oranges and lemons, and finely chop the fruit, saving the juice. Set aside.
7. Add reserved fruit and juice to the cooked rind mixture. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
8. Measure exactly 4 cups of cooked fruit and rind mixture (a box of pectin is sufficient to gel this much liquid). Use a slotted spoon to make sure you get all of the fruit and rind, and then use the juice to bring the total volume up to 4 cups. Discard any leftover juice or use it in another recipe that calls for orange juice.
9. Add pectin and butter or margarine to the measured fruit. The butter or margarine reduces foaming during the cooking process.
10. Bring the mixture to a vigorous boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
11. Add sugar to the mixture. Return to a boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
12. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
13. Prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
14. Ladle hot marmalade into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1⁄4 inch of headspace.
15. Wipe the jars and the rim with a clean cloth or towel, place a clean prepared lid on the rim, and screw the ring band on finger-tight.
16. Process in a boiling waterbath canner for 5 minutes (altitudes of up to 1000 ft). (Increase processing time by 1 minute for every additional 1000 ft in altitude.)
17. Let jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger. If the lid springs back, then the jar is not sealed and must be refrigerated. Properly sealed jars can be stored in a dark, cool place.

—

Now on to my official Citrus Can Jam entry.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on Epicurious.com. It’s one of my very favorite marmalades to date. It starts as a sweet lemonade taste , ending as a warm backnote of vanilla.

Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Bean Marmalade
Makes 6 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds Meyer lemons
• 5 cups water
• 5 1/2 cups (about) sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces, and then prepare the ingredients.
2. Sterilize empty canning jars by placing them upright on rack in water bath canner and covering them with hot water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes. At altitudes higher than 1000 ft, boil the jars an additional 1 minute for each additional 1000 ft elevation. Keep the jars hot and drain just prior to filling.
3. Wash the lemons throughly, I use a scrub brush.
4. Zest lemons. The more pith you zest, the more bitter your marmalade will be.
5. Peel and discard unwanted pith. While working on a plate to catch juices, chop lemons finely. Discard seeds.
6. Pack enough lemons, zest and any juice to measure 2 1/2 cups. Transfer to large nonreactive pot.
7. Add 5 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand uncovered overnight.
8. Measure lemon mixture (there should be about 5 1/2 cups). Return to same pot.
9. Add equal amount of sugar (about 5 1/2 cups).
10. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add pinch of salt.
11. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy thermometer.
12. Maintaining active boil and adjusting heat to prevent boiling over, cook until temperature reaches 230°F, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
13. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
14. Prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
15. Ladle hot marmalade into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1⁄4 inch of headspace.
16. Wipe the jars and the rim with a clean cloth or towel, place a clean prepared lid on the rim, and screw the ring band on finger-tight.
17. Process in a boiling waterbath canner for 5 minutes (altitudes of up to 1000 ft). (Increase processing time by 1 minute for every additional 1000 ft in altitude.)
18. Let jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger. If the lid springs back, then the jar is not sealed and must be refrigerated. Properly sealed jars can be stored in a dark, cool place.

—

Now… Who’s bring the fresh homemade bread so we can eat up all this marmalade?

You might also like these related posts:

• Can Jam March: Alliums — Red Onion Jam
• Irish Stew and Oat Bread
• Stuffed Bell Peppers

© Katie for Runaway October, 2010. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us, StumbleUpon

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh