In article >, "Bruce Wilson"
> wrote:

> The wife and kids tried their hand at a canning using the directions at
> www.pickyourown.org/jam.htm and followed the directions to a T. All was
> going well and tasting great. Once they (the jars, not the wife and kids
>
> came out of the bath all of the fruit floated to the top and didn't stay
> distributed. They did follow the "gel test" that was on the sight. Is
> there a trick that wasn't listed. Thanx in advance

First: rec.food.preserving is the place. :-) Lots of knowledgeable
and helpful folks there.

(But stir the jam slowly for five minutes before jarring and
processing. That helps. That step is sometimes listed as optional; I
do it all the time. And my strawberry jam won the blue ribbon at the
second largest state fair in the country last year. :-) I make
full-sugar jams almost exclusively. Better color and clarity -- also
better color retention. Light also affects the color while stored --
store them in a covered box, if possible.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> Updates in mid-April.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.