First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
pickled beets tonight.

- Mark

"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
...
> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> pickled beets tonight.
>
> - Mark

I love you.
Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)

On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
> wrote:

>
>"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
.. .
>> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>> pickled beets tonight.
>>
>> - Mark
>
>I love you.
>Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
>stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
>fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
>peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
>boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>

I'll probably take a stab at peach preserves or jam Saturday. It just
depends on how many good, ripe peaches I can pick. More tomatoes
tonight.

- Mark

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> pickled beets tonight.
>
> - Mark


Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
curious.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back!
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
...
> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> pickled beets tonight.
>
> - Mark

We've been harvesting from our garden for some time now. With chard it's
eaten the same day but I've put away 10 servings of green beans in the
freezer. Great production with these beans.


--
mompeagram
FERGUS/HARLINGEN

In article >,
"mom peagram" > wrote:

> "Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
> ...
> > First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> > pickled beets tonight.
>
> We've been harvesting from our garden for some time now. With chard it's
> eaten the same day but I've put away 10 servings of green beans in the
> freezer. Great production with these beans.

Which beans are they? We'd have had beans already had the deer not
nipped the tops off our bush beans (not Provider.. I forget what they
are and have to ask my DH). But they are growing again, this time with
a little more protection, and are covered with blooms again. It's been
raining the last two days so everything looks so lush. I hope I get
plenty to freeze. We have some pole beans that are just starting to
flower.

I wish we had beets but we just haven't found the right cultivar yet. I
harvest some chard every other day or so. The frisée seems to tolerate
the hot weather surprisingly well. We did not plant corn this year.
None has been available locally either which is extremely unusual for
this region. Between the excessive early rain and too many people
growing corn for ethanol, I am really missing corn.

Isabella
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:42:00 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>
>> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>> pickled beets tonight.
>>
>> - Mark
>
>
>Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
>curious.

Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.

Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!

- Mark

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:42:00 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
> >
> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> >> pickled beets tonight.
> >
> >Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
> >curious.
>
> Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
> tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.
>
> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!

I think that saves you an hour of processing time. Is that correct?
If so, that is indeed a huge saving.

Izzy
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> >Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
> >curious.
>
> Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
> tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.
>
> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>
> - Mark

:-)
Thanks, Mark.
-B

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back!
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:30:23 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>
>> >Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
>> >curious.
>>
>> Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
>> tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.
>>
>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>
>> - Mark
>
>:-)
>Thanks, Mark.
>-B

I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.

- Mark

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:54:44 -0500, Isabella Woodhouse
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:42:00 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >In article >,
>> > Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>> >
>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>> >
>> >Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
>> >curious.
>>
>> Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
>> tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.
>>
>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>
>I think that saves you an hour of processing time. Is that correct?
>If so, that is indeed a huge saving.
>
>Izzy

Izzy,

According to U Ga, you can do it for 15 minutes @ 15 pounds of
pressure. I don't know if I'll crank it up that high at first. If
you don't save an hour, you come close.

- Mark

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:58:32 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:

>On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:30:23 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>
>>> >Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
>>> >curious.
>>>
>>> Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
>>> tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.
>>>
>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>
>>> - Mark
>>
>>:-)
>>Thanks, Mark.
>>-B
>
>I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>
>- Mark

Test is done. I held it at 10 - 10.5 pounds for 30 minutes. I'll try
my hand at the real thing tomorrow

The local hardware store really is a LOCAL independent hardware store.
They've been in business downtown for decades and it shows. The
canner was gathering dust up on a top shelf - the clerk said it had
been there for about 10 years - he remembered it from when he first
started working there. I got it for the price they stuck on it when
it first went up on the shelf. (The clerk said his family was
concentrating on putting up beans this year so they can trade with all
the people who are putting up tomatoes. I've got a couple of cases of
pints left from last year - I should have done a deal with him.)

- Mark

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:13:50 -0500, Isabella Woodhouse
> wrote:

>In article >,
> "mom peagram" > wrote:
>
>> "Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>> > pickled beets tonight.
>>
>> We've been harvesting from our garden for some time now. With chard it's
>> eaten the same day but I've put away 10 servings of green beans in the
>> freezer. Great production with these beans.
>
>Which beans are they? We'd have had beans already had the deer not
>nipped the tops off our bush beans (not Provider.. I forget what they
>are and have to ask my DH). But they are growing again, this time with
>a little more protection, and are covered with blooms again. It's been
>raining the last two days so everything looks so lush. I hope I get
>plenty to freeze. We have some pole beans that are just starting to
>flower.
>
>I wish we had beets but we just haven't found the right cultivar yet.

The variety I grew were Burpee Detroit Dark Red Medium Top. They're
pretty well here in the Ohio valley.

I
>harvest some chard every other day or so. The frisée seems to tolerate
>the hot weather surprisingly well. We did not plant corn this year.
>None has been available locally either which is extremely unusual for
>this region. Between the excessive early rain and too many people
>growing corn for ethanol, I am really missing corn.
>
>Isabella

- Mark

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:13:50 -0500, Isabella Woodhouse
> > wrote:
[...]
> >I wish we had beets but we just haven't found the right cultivar yet.
>
> The variety I grew were Burpee Detroit Dark Red Medium Top. They're
> pretty well here in the Ohio valley.

Thanks. I think that's one that we've tried here. I'll check on that
though.

Izzy
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:41:25 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:

>On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:58:32 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:30:23 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>
>>>> >Did you waterbath the tomatoes, Mark, or pressure-can them? I'm just
>>>> >curious.
>>>>
>>>> Water bath - 85 minures as U Ga recommends for raw-pack whole and half
>>>> tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice/quart.
>>>>
>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>>
>>>:-)
>>>Thanks, Mark.
>>>-B
>>
>>I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>
>>- Mark
>
>Test is done. I held it at 10 - 10.5 pounds for 30 minutes. I'll try
>my hand at the real thing tomorrow
>
>The local hardware store really is a LOCAL independent hardware store.
>They've been in business downtown for decades and it shows. The
>canner was gathering dust up on a top shelf - the clerk said it had
>been there for about 10 years - he remembered it from when he first
>started working there. I got it for the price they stuck on it when
>it first went up on the shelf. (The clerk said his family was
>concentrating on putting up beans this year so they can trade with all
>the people who are putting up tomatoes. I've got a couple of cases of
>pints left from last year - I should have done a deal with him.)
>
>- Mark

How long did it take you to get it up to pressure with a full load of
filled jars? How long did it take for the pressure to come all of the
way down?

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
> >In article >,
> > Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> >> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
> >> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
> >>
> >> - Mark

> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>
> - Mark

Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back!
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:01:36 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

>On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:41:25 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:58:32 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:30:23 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>>>
>>>>In article >,
>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>
>>Test is done. I held it at 10 - 10.5 pounds for 30 minutes. I'll try
>>my hand at the real thing tomorrow

>>- Mark
>
>How long did it take you to get it up to pressure with a full load of
>filled jars? How long did it take for the pressure to come all of the
>way down?

I'll time it today. Last night was an empty canner with a quart or so
of water in the bottom.

- Mark

sometime in the recent past Mark A.Meggs posted this:
> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>> In article >,
>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>>
>>>>> - Mark
>>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>>
>>> - Mark
>> Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.
>
> Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>
> - Mark
Mother has a gauge and so I thought I needed one too. However, there wasn't
one available when I made my purchase, so had to get the weighted one. I
spend time listening to it instead of watching a gauge or walking away only
to remember the gauge in a feverish sweat, and I realized I didn't need that
additional stress.

--
Wilson N44º39" W67º12"

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>> >In article >,
>> > Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>
>> >> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>> >> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>> >>
>> >> - Mark
>
>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>
>> - Mark
>
>Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.

Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.

- Mark

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:01:36 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

>
>How long did it take you to get it up to pressure with a full load of
>filled jars? How long did it take for the pressure to come all of the
>way down?

With 16 wide-mouth pints of tomatoes* -

10 minutes to bring a hot canner to a boil (steam coming out)

10 minutes to purge the air

3-4 minutes for the lock to pop up and seal it

9 minutes to bring it up to 15 pounds

10 minutes processing time

40 minutes to cool down and unlock

Over an hour, but more than twice as many pints as my boiling water
canner holds

* Presto advertised it as holding 20 pints, but there's no way to fit
more than 8 in a layer. Too bad I had 17 that needed to go in

- Mark

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:46:08 -0400, Wilson >
wrote:

>sometime in the recent past Mark A.Meggs posted this:
>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> In article >,
>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>> In article >,
>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>>>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - Mark
>>>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>> Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.
>>
>> Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
>> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
>> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>>
>> - Mark
>Mother has a gauge and so I thought I needed one too. However, there wasn't
>one available when I made my purchase, so had to get the weighted one. I
>spend time listening to it instead of watching a gauge or walking away only
>to remember the gauge in a feverish sweat, and I realized I didn't need that
>additional stress.

My grandmother used one with a weight. I got this one because 1) I
was impatient, and 2) I really like to support the local businesses
when I can.

- Mark

Mark A.Meggs wrote:
> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:46:08 -0400, Wilson >
> wrote:
>
>> sometime in the recent past Mark A.Meggs posted this:
>>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> In article >,
>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>> In article >,
>>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>>>>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>>>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>>>>
>>>>> - Mark
>>>> Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.
>>> Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
>>> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
>>> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>>>
>>> - Mark
>> Mother has a gauge and so I thought I needed one too. However, there wasn't
>> one available when I made my purchase, so had to get the weighted one. I
>> spend time listening to it instead of watching a gauge or walking away only
>> to remember the gauge in a feverish sweat, and I realized I didn't need that
>> additional stress.
>
> My grandmother used one with a weight. I got this one because 1) I
> was impatient, and 2) I really like to support the local businesses
> when I can.
>
> - Mark
I guess I'm just weird, I much prefer the pressure gauge type. May be
because that's all I've ever owned or maybe because I used to operate
high pressure boilers (600 psig to 3000 psig) and really like to see
what's going on.

Y'all do know that pressure canners make excellent pot stills don't you?

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:43:39 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:46:08 -0400, Wilson >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> sometime in the recent past Mark A.Meggs posted this:
>>>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In article >,
>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>> In article >,
>>>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the local
>>>>>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>>>>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>> Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.
>>>> Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
>>>> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
>>>> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>> Mother has a gauge and so I thought I needed one too. However, there wasn't
>>> one available when I made my purchase, so had to get the weighted one. I
>>> spend time listening to it instead of watching a gauge or walking away only
>>> to remember the gauge in a feverish sweat, and I realized I didn't need that
>>> additional stress.
>>
>> My grandmother used one with a weight. I got this one because 1) I
>> was impatient, and 2) I really like to support the local businesses
>> when I can.
>>
>> - Mark
>I guess I'm just weird, I much prefer the pressure gauge type. May be
>because that's all I've ever owned or maybe because I used to operate
>high pressure boilers (600 psig to 3000 psig) and really like to see
>what's going on.

Oh, I don't mind seeing what's going on. I just don't like having to
fiddle with it to maintain the pressure at a certain point. For twice
the money (plus shipping), I could have ordered an All American from
Lehman's. They have both gauge (to see what's happening) and weight
(to maintain the pressure you select).

- Mark

>
>Y'all do know that pressure canners make excellent pot stills don't you?

On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
> wrote:

>
>"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
.. .
>> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>> pickled beets tonight.
>>
>> - Mark
>
>I love you.
>Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
>stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
>fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
>peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
>boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>

10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
tastes fantastic!

- Mark

"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>>> pickled beets tonight.
>>>
>>> - Mark
>>
>>I love you.
>>Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
>>(clipped)
>>Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>>Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>>
>
> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
> tastes fantastic!
>
> - Mark

Told you.
Edrena

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
> > wrote:
>
> >
> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
> .. .
> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> >> pickled beets tonight.
> >>
> >> - Mark
> >
> >I love you.
> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
> >
>
> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
> tastes fantastic!
>
> - Mark

We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back and
is being updated quite regularly now.
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
is
> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>
> - Mark

That's a Mirro, although the All-American may have both. I have Mirro.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back and
is being updated quite regularly now.
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>> .. .
>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>> >>
>> >> - Mark
>> >
>> >I love you.
>> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
>> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
>> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
>> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
>> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>> >
>>
>> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
>> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
>> tastes fantastic!
>>
>> - Mark
>
>We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
>ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
>chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.

I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
Micro-plane or 2).

It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
waffles instead of toast!).

I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.

Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.

Thanks!

- Mark

"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>> >
>>> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>>> .. .
>>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>>> >>
>>> >> - Mark
>>> >
>>> >I love you.
>>> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very
>>> >nice
>>> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>>> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart
>>> >of
>>> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has
>>> >blueberries,
>>> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the
>>> >freezer
>>> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>>> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>>> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>>> >
>>>
>>> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
>>> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
>>> tastes fantastic!
>>>
>>> - Mark
>>
>>We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
>>ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
>>chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.
>
> I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
> Micro-plane or 2).
>
> It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
> fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
> waffles instead of toast!).
>
> I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
> peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
> lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
> 1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
> I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.
>
> Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
> days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.
> Thanks!
> - Mark

Do y'use pectin or the boil down method? I use pectin and make
sure it comes to a good hard boil, and I boil just a wee bit longer
'cause I'm up higher. Humidity and shape of pot figgers in too.
I find that lime juice makes a harder set actually (because it is
sourer than lemon juice?). I also use the dry measuring cups to
measure chopped fruit cause it's too easy for me to overmeasure
in the liquid cups. Also the riper the fruit, the looser the set, so
find out that perfect place. Not ripe fruit floats. And if you
consistently get loose sets, you might scant yourself 1/4 cup of
fruit. The 1/4 c. of lime juice might have been just a bit much.
And sometimes it'll set up a little in the fridge or in a few days.
I use a flat (I'm done with the curvy ones, no use at all) very
small grater/planer. I once tried bottled grated ginger and it just
wasn't the same as fresh. But I've used diced candied ginger
with good results. I like using about 2-3 tablespoons of fresh.
Edrena

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:53:37 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:

>On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>> >
>>> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>>> .. .
>>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>>> >>
>>> >> - Mark
>>> >
>>> >I love you.
>>> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
>>> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>>> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
>>> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
>>> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
>>> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>>> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>>> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>>> >
>>>
>>> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
>>> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
>>> tastes fantastic!
>>>
>>> - Mark
>>
>>We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
>>ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
>>chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.
>
>I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
>Micro-plane or 2).
>
>It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
>fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
>waffles instead of toast!).
>
>I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
>peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
>lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
>1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
>I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.
>
>Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
>days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.
>
>Thanks!
>
>- Mark

Any time you are using commercial pectin you must follow the
directions exactly. Doubling the liquid is not a good idea. The
pectin insert has instructions for remaking jams. I am also not sure
if the lime juice is as acidic as lemon.

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:59:28 -0600, "The Joneses"
> wrote:

>"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >
>>>> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>>>> .. .
>>>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>>>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> - Mark
>>>> >
>>>> >I love you.
>>>> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very
>>>> >nice
>>>> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>>>> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart
>>>> >of
>>>> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has
>>>> >blueberries,
>>>> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the
>>>> >freezer
>>>> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>>>> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>>>> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
>>>> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
>>>> tastes fantastic!
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>>
>>>We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
>>>ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
>>>chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.
>>
>> I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
>> Micro-plane or 2).
>>
>> It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
>> fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
>> waffles instead of toast!).
>>
>> I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
>> peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
>> lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
>> 1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
>> I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.
>>
>> Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
>> days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.
>> Thanks!
>> - Mark
>
> Do y'use pectin or the boil down method? I use pectin and make
>sure it comes to a good hard boil, and I boil just a wee bit longer
>'cause I'm up higher. Humidity and shape of pot figgers in too.
> I find that lime juice makes a harder set actually (because it is
>sourer than lemon juice?). I also use the dry measuring cups to
>measure chopped fruit cause it's too easy for me to overmeasure
>in the liquid cups. Also the riper the fruit, the looser the set, so
>find out that perfect place. Not ripe fruit floats. And if you
>consistently get loose sets, you might scant yourself 1/4 cup of
>fruit. The 1/4 c. of lime juice might have been just a bit much.
>And sometimes it'll set up a little in the fridge or in a few days.
> I use a flat (I'm done with the curvy ones, no use at all) very
>small grater/planer. I once tried bottled grated ginger and it just
>wasn't the same as fresh. But I've used diced candied ginger
>with good results. I like using about 2-3 tablespoons of fresh.
>Edrena
>

The Ball recipe called for a package of fruit pectin.

With the next batch, I'll try boiling it down a bit up front. The
peaches were a mix of really ripe and not quite so ripe.

Lime juice appears to have the same, or just slightly lower, pH as
lemon juice (from an article in the San Fran Chron about the
importance of acidity in wine, lime juice runs pH 2.0-2.35 while lemon
juice runs 2.0-2.65 - lower pH means more acid)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...IG3BH8FDN1.DTL

I agree with you about prepared ginger - not the same at all.

Thanks for the tips!

- Mark

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:06:43 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

>On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:53:37 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >
>>>> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>>>> .. .
>>>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>>>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> - Mark
>>>> >
>>>> >I love you.
>>>> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very nice
>>>> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>>>> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
>>>> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has blueberries,
>>>> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
>>>> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>>>> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>>>> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
>>>> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
>>>> tastes fantastic!
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>>
>>>We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
>>>ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
>>>chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.
>>
>>I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
>>Micro-plane or 2).
>>
>>It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
>>fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
>>waffles instead of toast!).
>>
>>I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
>>peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
>>lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
>>1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
>>I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.
>>
>>Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
>>days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>- Mark
>
>Any time you are using commercial pectin you must follow the
>directions exactly. Doubling the liquid is not a good idea. The
>pectin insert has instructions for remaking jams. I am also not sure
>if the lime juice is as acidic as lemon.

Lime juice may be a little more acidic. From an article in the San
Fran Chron about the importance of acid in wine, lime juice runs
2.0-2.35 pH while lemon juice runs 2.0-2.65.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...IG3BH8FDN1.DTL

Thanks for the advice!

- Mark

sometime in the recent past George Shirley posted this:
> Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:46:08 -0400, Wilson >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> sometime in the recent past Mark A.Meggs posted this:
>>>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In article >,
>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>> In article >,
>>>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the
>>>>>>>> local
>>>>>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>>>>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>> Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.
>>>> Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
>>>> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
>>>> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>> Mother has a gauge and so I thought I needed one too. However, there
>>> wasn't one available when I made my purchase, so had to get the
>>> weighted one. I spend time listening to it instead of watching a
>>> gauge or walking away only to remember the gauge in a feverish sweat,
>>> and I realized I didn't need that additional stress.
>>
>> My grandmother used one with a weight. I got this one because 1) I
>> was impatient, and 2) I really like to support the local businesses
>> when I can.
>>
>> - Mark
> I guess I'm just weird, I much prefer the pressure gauge type. May be
> because that's all I've ever owned or maybe because I used to operate
> high pressure boilers (600 psig to 3000 psig) and really like to see
> what's going on.
>
> Y'all do know that pressure canners make excellent pot stills don't you?
Hmmmn? But can I still can with it later?

--
Wilson N44º39" W67º12"

In article >,
Mark A.Meggs > wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
> >
> >> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
> >> > wrote:
> >>
> >> >
> >> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
> >> .. .
> >> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
> >> >> pickled beets tonight.
> >> >>
> >> >> - Mark
> >> >
> >> >I love you.
> >> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very
> >> >nice
> >> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
> >> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart of
> >> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has
> >> >blueberries,
> >> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the freezer
> >> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
> >> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
> >> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
> >> >
> >>
> >> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
> >> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
> >> tastes fantastic!
> >>
> >> - Mark
> >
> >We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
> >ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
> >chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.
>
> I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
> Micro-plane or 2).
>
> It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
> fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
> waffles instead of toast!).
>
> I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
> peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
> lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
> 1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
> I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.
>
> Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
> days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.
>
> Thanks!
>
> - Mark


Mark, any time I can get peaches to set well, I stand up and holler. I
don't think the lime juice was the problem. If the peaches were too
ripe, they'll have less pectin than usual - and they don't have much to
start with. IMO you want 'just ripe' peaches for preserves and jams.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back and
is being updated quite regularly now.
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

In article >,
The Cook > wrote:
> pectin insert has instructions for remaking jams. I am also not sure
> if the lime juice is as acidic as lemon.

I"m pretty sure I've seen a chart somewhere (somewhere!) showing lime
juice to be even more acidic than lemon. One doc on the NCHFP site
shows it to be about the same.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller , blahblahblog is back and
is being updated quite regularly now.
"rec.food.cooking Preserved Fruit Administrator
'Always in a jam. Never in a stew.'" - Evergene

Wilson wrote:
> sometime in the recent past George Shirley posted this:
>> Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:46:08 -0400, Wilson >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> sometime in the recent past Mark A.Meggs posted this:
>>>>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:18:25 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>>>>> > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> In article >,
>>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>>> In article >,
>>>>>>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Went out and bought a Presto 23 quart canner after work at the
>>>>>>>>> local
>>>>>>>>> hardware store. 85 minutes is just too long!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>>>> I'm doing a dry (so to speak) run right now. I've held it between
>>>>>>> 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes so far.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> - Mark
>>>>>> Are you canning water for your dry run? Some do.
>>>>> Wish I'd thought of that. I was mainly trying to see how hard it is
>>>>> to hold a steady pressure. Given my druthers, I'd have a canner with
>>>>> a regulator weight instead of a pressure gauge.
>>>>>
>>>>> - Mark
>>>> Mother has a gauge and so I thought I needed one too. However, there
>>>> wasn't one available when I made my purchase, so had to get the
>>>> weighted one. I spend time listening to it instead of watching a
>>>> gauge or walking away only to remember the gauge in a feverish
>>>> sweat, and I realized I didn't need that additional stress.
>>>
>>> My grandmother used one with a weight. I got this one because 1) I
>>> was impatient, and 2) I really like to support the local businesses
>>> when I can.
>>>
>>> - Mark
>> I guess I'm just weird, I much prefer the pressure gauge type. May be
>> because that's all I've ever owned or maybe because I used to operate
>> high pressure boilers (600 psig to 3000 psig) and really like to see
>> what's going on.
>>
>> Y'all do know that pressure canners make excellent pot stills don't you?
> Hmmmn? But can I still can with it later?
>
Yup.

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:59:28 -0600, "The Joneses"
> wrote:

>"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:10:33 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> Mark A.Meggs > wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0600, "The Joneses"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >
>>>> >"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>>>> .. .
>>>> >> First tomatoes of the season last night - 7 quarts. Seven pints of
>>>> >> pickled beets tonight.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> - Mark
>>>> >
>>>> >I love you.
>>>> >Today was 8 cups of Gramma's Ginger Peach jam (with lime juice), very
>>>> >nice
>>>> >stuff, and 7.5 cups of mixed leftover Summer Solstice jam. Was a little
>>>> >wierd looking raw, but with the sugar (is 5.5 cups of sugar per quart
>>>> >of
>>>> >fruit gonna do it?) and more lime juice, it brightened up. Has
>>>> >blueberries,
>>>> >peaches, cherries, and blackberries. I think. I didn't label the
>>>> >freezer
>>>> >boxes, but I knewed it were fruit in there. The jam tastes good.
>>>> >Edrena, faithful disciple of St. Vinaigrette, Holy Order of the Sacred
>>>> >Sisters & Brothers of St. Pectina of Jella (HOSS&BSPJ)
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> 10 half-pints of peach preserves today. Taking a cue from the name of
>>>> your jam, I added a generous dose of fresh ginger and lime juice -
>>>> tastes fantastic!
>>>>
>>>> - Mark
>>>
>>>We call that one Ginger Peachy Jam here. :-) What form was your
>>>ginger, Mark? I've usually grated mine on the plane grater. Do you
>>>chope, slice, dice? IMWTK. Thanks.
>>
>> I used the smallest grater on my 6-sided grater (need to get a
>> Micro-plane or 2).
>>
>> It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
>> fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
>> waffles instead of toast!).
>>
>> I was following the Ball recipe for peach preserves - 4 pounds of
>> peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1 package of pectin and 2 tablespoons of
>> lemon juice. I substituted lime juice for lemon and put in close to
>> 1/4 cup. Did that interfer with the pectin? This is the first time
>> I've tried to make jam or preserves in at least 15 years.
>>
>> Any tips for getting to set up? I'll be trying again in a couple if
>> days. There are still plenty of peaches on the tree.
>> Thanks!
>> - Mark
>
> Do y'use pectin or the boil down method? I use pectin and make
>sure it comes to a good hard boil, and I boil just a wee bit longer
>'cause I'm up higher. Humidity and shape of pot figgers in too.
> I find that lime juice makes a harder set actually (because it is
>sourer than lemon juice?). I also use the dry measuring cups to
>measure chopped fruit cause it's too easy for me to overmeasure
>in the liquid cups. Also the riper the fruit, the looser the set, so
>find out that perfect place. Not ripe fruit floats. And if you
>consistently get loose sets, you might scant yourself 1/4 cup of
>fruit. The 1/4 c. of lime juice might have been just a bit much.
>And sometimes it'll set up a little in the fridge or in a few days.
> I use a flat (I'm done with the curvy ones, no use at all) very
>small grater/planer. I once tried bottled grated ginger and it just
>wasn't the same as fresh. But I've used diced candied ginger
>with good results. I like using about 2-3 tablespoons of fresh.
>Edrena
>

Looks like Ball made a mistake in their recipe that I missed. It
calls for "4 cups of peaches (about 4 lbs.)" and I was going by
weight, not volume Of course,4 cups would be more like 2 lbs. so I
put in twice as much fruit.

That brings up another question - is 7cups of sugar for 4 cups of
peaches too much? It's awfully sweet now.

- Mark

Mark A.Meggs wrote:

> It tastes great, but it didn't gel so I've got peach-ginger syrup with
> fruit pieces (its NOT going to waste - I'll just tell 'em to use it on
> waffles instead of toast!).

Sounds like a glaze for grilled chicken...

B/

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:42:07 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

>On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:20:20 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> The Cook > wrote:
>>> pectin insert has instructions for remaking jams. I am also not sure
>>> if the lime juice is as acidic as lemon.
>>
>>I"m pretty sure I've seen a chart somewhere (somewhere!) showing lime
>>juice to be even more acidic than lemon. One doc on the NCHFP site
>>shows it to be about the same.
>
>I wasn't sure about the acidity of the lime vs. lemon juice. I would
>have checked if I were changing in what I was making. I think that
>part of his problem is that he used about 2 times as much as called
>for, 1/4 cup instead of 2 tablespoons.

I think the problem is that Ball made a mistake in the recipe that I
missed. It called for "4 cups of peaches (about 4 lbs.)" and I was
measuring by weight, not volume. Of course, 4 cups of fruit would be
around 2 lbs. I put in twice as much.

- Mark

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:20:20 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> The Cook > wrote:
>> pectin insert has instructions for remaking jams. I am also not sure
>> if the lime juice is as acidic as lemon.
>
>I"m pretty sure I've seen a chart somewhere (somewhere!) showing lime
>juice to be even more acidic than lemon. One doc on the NCHFP site
>shows it to be about the same.

I wasn't sure about the acidity of the lime vs. lemon juice. I would
have checked if I were changing in what I was making. I think that
part of his problem is that he used about 2 times as much as called
for, 1/4 cup instead of 2 tablespoons.