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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. 
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:
- Cut red onion into 1/8 inch slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch dice.
- Measure 1 cup into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan.
- Zest lemon and measure 2 tsp into saucepan.
- Stir in vinegar and sugar.
- Over high heat, bring mixture to a full, roiling boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Immediately stir in one pouch Liquid Pectin, mixing well.
- 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.
- Process in Hot Water Bath for 10 minutes.
- 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?
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