In article om>,
"cyndi in the desert" > wrote:

> I made a cherry-raspberry jam from a recipe that didn't use commercial
> pectin - just the fruit plus lemon and orange zest, plus some orange
> juice. It didn't set. It's the first time I've tried jamming without
> commercial pectin so I don't know if I did it wrong or not. Seems like
> I boiled it forever and it never got to the jelling stage.
> I would like to enter this into the fair, so I can't leave it syrupy.
> What's the best method to reprocess it? All the advice I find is geared
> towards recipes that already have pectin added. Should I just boil it
> down? Or, I have a rather old box of Pomona's pectin I never used...but
> it seems tricky to get right, and I don't have a lot to experiment
> with.
> Thanks for any advice,
> Cyndi

How long is forever?

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/...gredients.html

I've got a recipe in an old Farm Journal book that uses 4 cups each
pitted sweet red cherries, and red or black raspberries, and 8 cups of
sugar. No other acid involved. It says to cook briskly for about 15
minutes (to 218 deg F); and to not cook over 20 minutes.

Based on your description, it seems to me your stuff should have set to
something. How ripe were your fruits? Sweet cherries or sour? Sour
have more pectin.

I make all my jams with added pectin; I've found that to be my
preference. George uses a thermometer - maybe he'll have something to
say about it. Do you know what temp you cooked yours to, Cyndi?

Here's my totally unscientific suggestion for a fix. Since you've
already got the sugar involved in this, I'd put the stuff back into a
large kettle, bring it to a boil, and add a 3-ounce pouch of liquid
pectin (Ball Fruit Jell or Certo liquid if you're in the US). Boil for
a minute and jar it again and process. It's a lot of cooking for that
fruit, but if you're hellbent on a Fair entry, give it a shot. If it
wins a ribbon, it will make a great story. If it doesn't, you've got an
out. "-)

If you don't want to risk it (and I'm not sure that I would, by the
way), you've got yourself some damn fine ice cream or pancake/waffle
topping. Make different labels. It's all about "marketing," anyway,
Kiddo. "-) Triple Sec or Grand Marnier wouldn't be a *bad* thing in
that mixture, either.

Which reminds me -- I should be making Boozeberry Jam. . . . .
--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 7-10-06, Rob's Birthday Lunch
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."