Jam Jam Jam

On the Friday before the 4th of July, I harvested my first palm full of raspberries out of my backyard patch. That was the kick in the butt I needed to finish preserving the fruits I have squirreled away in my chest freezer from last year. Out with the old and in with the new!

I made a batch of raspberry jam thickened with help from the pectin in a few green apples. The recipe was Raspberry Jam with Mint and Lavender from Canning for a New Generation. I thought I had lavender in my spice drawer but I was all out. I didn't want to stop to go to the store so I ended up stirring in a mixture of spearmint and chocolate mint. I kept the green apple flesh in the jam (peels removed at the end). This made a perfect amount for my jars so I didn't have any leftovers to sample! I am curious to try this later.

I started rhubarb season off with a trip to the farmers' market to buy some because my own patch is just a baby and I hadn't been offered any from anyone else. Then word got around that I was interested in rhubarb and it started flooding in! I didn't want to turn it down, so now I have many pounds of it prepped in the freezer. After it is frozen, it is really only good for sauces and jams because it released a lot of liquid when it thaws. I guess I am going to have to wait until next year to try Roasted Rhubarb Ketchup.

I used up some of my stash in a Ginger Rhubarb Jam (recipe from Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine). This jam includes chunks of ginger root that steep in the jam and slices of crystallized ginger. This jam is in your face with its gingery-ness.

Lastly, Paul's mom Joanne gave us a cantaloupe and a watermelon at the same time. So as to not let it go to waste, I made a batch of Melon Preserves (recipe from Put 'em Up).

This was the first batch I have made with Pomona's Pectin. I was a bit disappointed because I ended up with fruit float and the jam only seems to firm up after it is refrigerated. Since making this batch, I've used it in another batch and had no problem. I wonder if my results were just due to the watery and chunky nature of the melon. Have you worked with Pomona's Pectin? If so, have you had good results? Have you made recipes without any sugar? How about honey as a sugar substitute? I like the potential for making low-sugar, no sugar and sugar substitute preserves.