Peachberry Freezer Jam

Well, it's peach season and that means there are two things you must make before the peaches leave us.  The first thing is Peaches and Cream Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust.  I make this once a year.  Best day of the year.  The other thing you must make is this peachberry freezer jam.  My friend Klixi brought this to us at Christmas time with a dozen warm rolls.  Second best day of the year.  This jam is so delicious and easy to make.  Even a toddler can do it!

8 C Peaches peeled, and mashed

1 1/2 c raspberries, mashed

1 c blackberries, mashed

6 C Sugar

2 - 6 oz pkgs of Raspberry Jell-O

8-10 freezer containers
Our berries were really seedy, so I followed Nicole's Jam Champion Advice and drained off half of the seeds.  I did not, however, follow her advice to not wash the berries and mine was a bit runny, just as she predicted.  Duh.  Always listen to a Jam Champion.

Mix peaches, raspberries, and sugar in a large saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves, about 10-15 minutes once warm. Add Jello-O and bring to a hard boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Pour into containers and put into the freezer.

Raspberry Jam

Raspberry jam has become a tradition in my house. Every year we take a family vacation to Bear Lake with Brian's family and I buy two or three flats of raspberries while we're there. Sometimes we are there too early or too late - I admit to making a few special trips to get the raspberries. Very special since it takes over three hours to get there. This year I came home with three flats and I got some serious help from my friend, Kristi, yesterday to make 31 bottles of beautiful jam. I use the recipe in the package of pectin, so no big secrets there. I do have a few hints, though...

1. One "flat" of raspberries makes between 10 and 12 half-pint bottles of jam, usually with a few berries left over.

2. Do not wash the raspberries. The water gets trapped inside the berry and makes your jam runny. I go through each berry and check for stems and bugs, but no washing.

3. Raspberries (and blackberries) are seedy little suckers, so I like to strain at least half of the 6 cups of berries. This year I found a jelly bag that worked really well, but cheesecloth works great, too. Get your grip muscles ready - it's a lot of work.

4. I use MCP pectin. It's in the SureJell (sp?) family, but I've found it to set up the best out of all the pectins I've tried. It could have something to do with MCP calling for more sugar than the rest of them. Whatever.

5. Speaking of sugar, I use C & H cane sugar instead of beet sugar. I don't understand how or why, but cane sugar is supposed to be better for your body? All those raving psychos at the state fair say it's the best, too. (I can call them that because I'm a State Fair Champion.)

I think that's all I do that isn't in the directions. Obviously I like to get the best raspberries and make the jam as soon as I possibly can. This year the raspberries were picked on Tuesday morning and they were jam by Wednesday morning. Ta da! Nothing is more satisfying than having 31 bottles of beautiful jam sitting on the counter after a long day of making it. Give it a try! Maybe you can be a State Fair Champion this year, too!

Spaghetti Sauce

This is the recipe I use for canning- we LOVE it. From the Better Homes and Gardens canning book.

15 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes
1/4 c. water
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red or green pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley
1 Tb. brown sugar
1 Tb. fennel seed (the secret ingredient)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp pepper

1. Wash tomatoes. Remove cores; cut into quaters (I just quarter them)
2. Place tomatoes in an 8 or 10 quart Dutch oven or kettle. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Add water to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes. Press tomatoes through a food mill; return tomatoes to Dutch oven. Discard seeds and pulp. (Ok, this is where I just stick it in the blender by small batches until the whole thing is pulverized. Anything to avoid the pain and mess of the food mill)

3. Add onion and pepper. Cook until onion and pepper are soft. Stir in garlic, parsley, brown sugar, fennel seed, salt, basil, oregano, marjoram, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, about 2 hours or until reduced by half, stirring frequently.

4. Ladle hot sauce into hot, clean quart or pint canning jars, leaving 1- inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process jars at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes for quarts or 20 minutes for pints. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the jars from the canner; cool on racks. Makes 4 pints.

* Don't let the canning piece scare you. You can use this recipe as a guide for making just enough for dinner if you want to.