I want so much to succeed at making jams but am having difficulties. Anyone know what I am doing wrong? The problem is that the stuff comes out like a thick paste. Last time I made orange marmalade I couldnt even stick a spoon into the jar it was so hard. Just recently, after picking strawberries, I tried making preserves. I followed directions exactly, using my candy thermometer and stopped cooking when it reached the jelly stage. The recipe called for cooling before processing in the hot water bath which I did. I wonder if cooking continues during the hot water bath which in turn causes the jar contents to be overcooked. I would be greatful for some advice.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,

i have also recently taken up the jam making art.
it might be a little different here in europe (i´m american), but i think i can still be a little helpful.
you can put the jars in the oven also- at at least 212 degrees- instead of bothering with that dumb boiling water bath (i only think about how i would burn my hands and then accidently dump the pot on the floor and my legs along the way!).
the reason why the jam was like sludge is because it boiled too long.
in Germany you can just buy a package of sugar specially for making jelly and jam, it already includes the pectic and such and the boiling time is strictly 4 minutes. that means just bring it to boil and keep it there for that long. toss that thermometer back in the drawer and try that instead.
to test for jelliness, drop a spoonful onto a room temperature plate and as it cools it will harden up. you can take it off the heat and fill the jars right away when it is just under the thickness you want and it will harden a little more while it cools. i pull the jars out of the oven as soon as i will need them and let them coll for only about a minute. they need to still be hot when you fill them so they don´t bust. be sure to fill the jars almost to the tops, clean off the glass edges, put on the top and then flip them on their tops for at about 15 minutes and then turn them right side up. i hope that helps!

[This message was edited by hassia on 07-11-02 at 07:26 AM.]

let me know how it works out, feel free to email me.

I used to do a lot of jam and jelly making, even got a blue ribbon at the State Fair once. I used the dishwasher as a hot bath.

Except when using apples, pectin is used to get the jam to 'set'. Apples contain enough pectin to set up in apple jelly. WARNING..use of pectin decreases the boiling time needed.

Try no-cook strawberry jam, also called freezer jam. This is easy, just store in plastic tubs, clean margarine tubs are a good size. My sister took some of our raspberry freezer jam on the airplane and just dumped it into plastic bags. Bad idea, the X-ray thought it was plastic explosives.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/greenline/01v2/10.html - freezer jam

Finally, I found the homepage from Sure-Jell pectin. This info will be correct.
http://www.kraftfoods.com/sure...j_index.html?B=*&L=3 - Sure-jell
I just may get my cookbooks out, just ask if you want more help.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,