More jam questions. Water bath or no? I was about to purchase a canning starter kit when

T

traca

Well-known member
my co-worker shot that idea down. She is a fan of simply putting hot jam in sterilized jars, then turning them upside down. Says her jam stores well in the garage and they've never had a problem with it.

She also says the hot water bath mutes the color and the flavor looses its vibrancy. I consulted the classic jam book, Christine Ferber's Les Confitures, and she skips the water bath too.

My housemate on the other hand...is a dubious germaphobe.

So, question: to water bath or no? Pro/cons?

(Linking this conversation with the previous thread:)

http://www.eat.at/swap/forum1/190204_Making_jam_for_the_1st_time_this_year_Anyone_got_a_good_strawberry_jam_recipe

 
I've done both but prefer water bath. I don't notice that it changes the color or flavor

and I'd hate to go to so much trouble and end up with moldy jam or jelly because I didn't process it.

 
Interesting . . . .

I made the Strawberry Freezer Jam last week. And while it was good and easy, it was way too sweet for my PERSONAL taste. I appreciated the fact that it didn't require the whole canning process.

It also made WAY more than I could ever consume reasonably. (Sometimes I have to cook JUST TO COOK. I can't stop myself.) This morning I gave two containers to my friend, leading to a discussion about canning.

My memory is that whenever my mother made jam/jelly that she didn't do the waterbath processing thing, but covered the finished product with WAX. Would anyone be able to comment on this. I may just not remember the waterbath part, but I do know that we had jars of jam covered in wax that kept over the winter.

Thanks.

 
As a Master Food Preserver, I recommend the water bath processing:

I also have done both methods, but the water bath canner gives a much harder seal/pulls a better vacuum for a seal and you can for sure store for a year (and longer) at room temperature.

The "turn it upside down on the counter and it will seal method" will pull a seal, but if your jams get too warm, or with temperature fluctuations you may lose the seal and there goes your jam.

Plus, with the turn-it-over method, your jam is exposed to air as you are filling the jars, possibly picking up various things that are in and around your kitchen. The jam then does NOT have the benefit of heat processing to hopefully knock down and mold spores and such that it may have been exposed to.

I vote for the boiling water bath. If you are reluctant to heat up a gigantor pot of water, either freeze your fruit in jam-sized batces and then process in the winter or when it is cooler OR get a steam canner (can with steam from boiling water), which works wonderfully for jams and jellies with boiling just a couple of quarts of water.

You do NOT need a pressure canner for jams and jellies.

 
Wax is still used by some, but is no longet recommende due to . . .

the high chance that it will not stay sealed over time, especially if stored a room temperatures. Wax does best at a cool temp, like in a basement or cool cupboard. It will lose seal fast if the temperature fluctuates up and down regularly, like the room temp we have in southern California--one day it is 65 and the next it is 80.

Wax is a real pain, and does nothing but to seal the top of the jam/jelly for a while; any cracks or space between the wax and the jar or between the wax and the jam/jelly and your product is a goner. It is still used, but really, the only good thing wax is for is for jams and jellys where you will store in a canning basement at a constant even temperature--or for candles.

 
Thanks Mistral. I think the reason it works is in the Seattle area the

temperature doesn't change much year round (on average, between 45 - 80 degrees year round. Most houses don't even have air conditioning.)

 
Thanks Mistral. I think the reason it works is in the Seattle area the

temperature doesn't change much year round (on average, between 45 - 80 degrees year round. Most houses don't even have air conditioning--it's not necessary.)

 
I remember my mom's attempts with wax. Major fail. Probably why it took me so long to try jam. .

 
I used to water bath but no longer. I use the sterile jar and upside down method.

The only time I process jam is if I use a low sugar recipe. I do think the jam has a fresher taste if you don't process.

 
I water bath. I did the upside down method, and found that not all of the seals worked. Not a

big deal, just put the jams in the fridge. But, I have found the water bath gives me better success with seals. I have not noticed a difference in color or flavor.

Having said that, I do notice that I do not "jam" as often, because it is much bigger event in the kitchen.

 
I don't understand the upside down method. how do the lids pop and form the vacuum when

upside down?

 
Thousands of jars later, I'm still an inveterate water bather. I just don't think the contents get

hot enough for a good, solid seal, otherwise. I make at least 20 cases of preserves a year (for those of you keeping score at home, that's about 240 jars) and have never had a seal fail using this method.

I've held some jams for up to 3 years with virtually no degradation in quality and that's what it's all about for me.

 
Buy the starter kit!! You won't be sorry!

And yes, I also water bath my jams, jellies, and other preserves. With a water bath canner you can also make pickles, can fruit, tomatoes, salsa, and dozens of other ACID foods. Where I am in California, wax melts. Even in the cool, dark cabinets on the north side of the house...it softens just enough to cause ooze, and that means there's an entryway for bacteria. I finally broke down and used my pressure canner a couple years back...LOVE it!! Now when I make too much (like there IS such a thing) stock, I can it for later use. It keeps my freezer space for other things I don't want to have processed!

 
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