Living in an apartment you might be interested in collecting wild fruits
and berries from which to make jam, jelly, and wine. I find plenty along
the banks of the river here in town where I go exploring on foot or by
bicycle. They ripen in August here but I find many plants in the spring by
looking for the blooms when there aren't so many leaves hiding everything.
I've also been planting the seeds leftover from making jelly to see if
that will increase the riverbank yield.

There is some information on making wild fruit and berry jelly on my
website (see below) under "Food".

You can buy jars and equipment at grage sales and rummage sales, and
new seals at the Dollar Store. The new seals I use are $1.50 at the
supermarket but only $1 at the Dollar Store.

For the amount of preserves and wine I make it's economical to buy sugar
in a 50 lb bag at a grocery wholesaler who sells to small indpendent
grocery stores. One bag does all my fermenting, preserving, baking, tea
and coffee making for a year at 2/3 the cost of buying in small bags from
the supermarket.

Lately I've paid 10 cents for used preserving jars (normally 25 cents
used) and maybe 5-10 cents per jar for the sugar in the jelly. The fruit
is free so it's quite inexpensive, although preserving is labour intensive
and therefore time consuming. For my own consupution I use old jam jars
for free. (Make sure there are no rust spost in th eunderside of the lid.)
For jelly to put away for future years or give away or I use preserving
jars with new seals.

I second the suggestion to cover up and wear an apron while boiling pots
of jelly. Also beware of staining from juices. They'll even stain some
painted surfaces if not wiped off before they dry.


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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Dieter Zakas wrote:
> in article , George Shirley at
> wrote on 1/12/05 10:31:
>
>
>>Dieter Zakas wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>>>George,
>>>
>>>I like your advice, as I don't like wasting food; to me, it's basically
>>>throwing money away.
>>>
>>>While I'm not a senior citizen, my mother is, and she and my late father
>>>were born during the Depression. I'm a 36 y/0 bachelor living in a
>>>one-bedroom apartment, and I figured I'd like to grow personally. Mom never
>>>really did gobs of canning, though she would make a plum jam when I was
>>>younger. Later, she'd can the sour cherries harvested from the tree we'd
>>>planted in the backyard, and we'd use that as a spread. (Why my father opted
>>>for the sour cherry tree over one producing sweet cherries is beyond me.)
>>>
>>>As to canning figs, I, too, like fresh figs, and I'd like to get a small fig
>>>tree from Gurney's that I can put in a tub and move indoors. Then, I can
>>>snack on fresh figs and even make a spread out of them (homemade Fig
>>>Newtons, anyone?). The same goes for other fruits, too.
>>>
>>>Now, as for friends and family opening something I'd made...they'd be great
>>>gifts, not to mention a way of breaking the ice with someone new. Such
>>>personalized gifts NEVER go out of style, and are appreciated much more,
>>>because they're that much more special.
>>>
>>>Dieter Zakas
>>>
>>>P.S. Please keep the ideas and tips coming!
>>>
>>
>>I don't know where you live so can't make tree recommendations. Down
>>here the Brown Turkey is an old favorite. Mine is a scion from a
>>neighbors tree and has been frozen back to the ground at least twice. In
>>addition I have two kumquats, a plum, a pluot, a loquat, and a peach
>>tree on half of our city lot. It's surprising what can be grown, even in
>>pots. Look up Stark Brothers nursery on the web, they have lots of
>>"patio" plants available and I've always had good luck with their trees,
>>many of which are for colder climates.
>>
>>We're senior citizens on a limited income and we give home grown herbs
>>and home made preserves as gifts all the time. The following year folks
>>ask if we're giving those gifts again and tell us how much they enjoyed
>>them. Plus our grandkids and greatgrandkids are always asking for sweet
>>stuff. Makes it all worthwhile.
>>
>>George
>
>
> I live in Warren County, New Jersey.
>
> Today is a foggy day, which means several possibilities: baking bread
> (provided I had all the ingredients), canning (zilch there), or even
> photography (the fog has wonderful potential for effects).
>
> Dieter Zakas
>
I do all of those things as a normal course, lots slower on the
photography these days but I do need to bake a loaf of bread, thanks for
the reminder. It's foggy here too, it's an amazing sight to see the red
ball of the sun coming through the haze at sunrise. We're looking for
29F by Saturday and then warming up again. All of which is normal for
our very short winter.

George

in article , William R. Watt at
wrote on 12/1/05 8:29 AM:

>
> Living in an apartment you might be interested in collecting wild fruits
> and berries from which to make jam, jelly, and wine. I find plenty along
> the banks of the river here in town where I go exploring on foot or by
> bicycle. They ripen in August here but I find many plants in the spring by
> looking for the blooms when there aren't so many leaves hiding everything.
> I've also been planting the seeds leftover from making jelly to see if
> that will increase the riverbank yield.
>
> There is some information on making wild fruit and berry jelly on my
> website (see below) under "Food".
>
> You can buy jars and equipment at grage sales and rummage sales, and
> new seals at the Dollar Store. The new seals I use are $1.50 at the
> supermarket but only $1 at the Dollar Store.
>
> For the amount of preserves and wine I make it's economical to buy sugar
> in a 50 lb bag at a grocery wholesaler who sells to small indpendent
> grocery stores. One bag does all my fermenting, preserving, baking, tea
> and coffee making for a year at 2/3 the cost of buying in small bags from
> the supermarket.
>
> Lately I've paid 10 cents for used preserving jars (normally 25 cents
> used) and maybe 5-10 cents per jar for the sugar in the jelly. The fruit
> is free so it's quite inexpensive, although preserving is labour intensive
> and therefore time consuming. For my own consupution I use old jam jars
> for free. (Make sure there are no rust spost in th eunderside of the lid.)
> For jelly to put away for future years or give away or I use preserving
> jars with new seals.
>
> I second the suggestion to cover up and wear an apron while boiling pots
> of jelly. Also beware of staining from juices. They'll even stain some
> painted surfaces if not wiped off before they dry.
>
>
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
> homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
> warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned
An additional thing to cover up are your feet. Don't make jam, jelly or any
other sygar syrup stuff in barefeet or sandals, that sugar syrup isn't just
hot, it sticks to the skin. And a long handled wooden spoon is good for
stirring that hot jam, that ay your hand is a long way away from the stuff
that sticks and burns.
Ellen
--

In article >, Dieter Zakas
> wrote:

> Hi, group!
>
> I first posted this to the rec.food.cooking newsgroup, and one
> respondent suggested I try posting here. Another respondent indicated
> one does not always need pectin.
>
> Also, insofar as containers are concerned, I have a number of jars
> complete with lids I've accumulated which contained various
> commercially-prepared jellies and jams; would these be adequate?

Maybe, but jars with two-piece metal lid and ring are the standard inthe
US. Are you in the US, Dieter?
>
> Anyway...
>
> I recently got the idea to probably try my hand at making some kind
> of fruit spread. However, never having done that before - I'm a
> bachelor living by myself - I need to learn how.
>
> Now, I'm somewhat familiar with the differences between:
>
> --Preserves: the whole fruit, or pieces thereof, in pectin and sugar.

Not necessarily pectin. You're right about the fruits, though.
Preserves are more pourable than spreadable.
>
> --Jam: usually pieces of fruit, again preserved in a pectin-sugar
> concoction.

Again, not necessarily with the addition of commercial (or homemade
pectin -- depends on the amount of pectin in a given type of fruit).
Jam is made from crushed fruit.
>
> --Jelly: usually the juice of a fruit, mixed with pectin and sugar.
> (Don't get me started on some off-brand jellies that are little more
> than a fruit juice mixed with pectin.)

But, that's the definition of jelly, Dieter: the jelled juice of fruit.

For jams and jellies, it's as easy as 1-2-3-4: Fruit, sugar, pectin,
acid. Gotta have it, one way or another.
>
> (Note: If I'm wrong, please correct me. I'd appreciate it.)

My pleasure.

>
> In general, how would one go about making each of the above three? If you
> can share advice, I'd welcome it. If you can point me to a specific
> resource, I'd appreciate that, too.

Here's the rfp FAQ file, from SCUBApix most recent reminder:
The rec.food.preserving FAQ is available at
http://www.gbronline.com/jacke/rfpfaq/rfpFAQ.htm . There have been no
changes since the last announcement; we are at Version 4.2.3. A detailed,
chronological ordering of changes to the FAQ can be found at
http://www.gbronline.com/jacke/rfpfaq/differences.htm .

And this is a reliable resource:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

Stick around. There are some experienced folks here who are generally
pretty congenial (except for George -- he's ornery as all get out!)
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton

In article , Melba's
Jammin' at wrote on 1/12/05 22:52:

> In article >, Dieter Zakas
> > wrote:
>
>> Hi, group!
>>
>> I first posted this to the rec.food.cooking newsgroup, and one
>> respondent suggested I try posting here. Another respondent indicated
>> one does not always need pectin.
>>
>> Also, insofar as containers are concerned, I have a number of jars
>> complete with lids I've accumulated which contained various
>> commercially-prepared jellies and jams; would these be adequate?
>
> Maybe, but jars with two-piece metal lid and ring are the standard inthe
> US. Are you in the US, Dieter?
>>
>> Anyway...
>>
>> I recently got the idea to probably try my hand at making some kind
>> of fruit spread. However, never having done that before - I'm a
>> bachelor living by myself - I need to learn how.
>>
>> Now, I'm somewhat familiar with the differences between:
>>
>> --Preserves: the whole fruit, or pieces thereof, in pectin and sugar.
>
> Not necessarily pectin. You're right about the fruits, though.
> Preserves are more pourable than spreadable.
>>
>> --Jam: usually pieces of fruit, again preserved in a pectin-sugar
>> concoction.
>
> Again, not necessarily with the addition of commercial (or homemade
> pectin -- depends on the amount of pectin in a given type of fruit).
> Jam is made from crushed fruit.
>>
>> --Jelly: usually the juice of a fruit, mixed with pectin and sugar.
>> (Don't get me started on some off-brand jellies that are little more
>> than a fruit juice mixed with pectin.)
>
> But, that's the definition of jelly, Dieter: the jelled juice of fruit.
>
> For jams and jellies, it's as easy as 1-2-3-4: Fruit, sugar, pectin,
> acid. Gotta have it, one way or another.
>>
>> (Note: If I'm wrong, please correct me. I'd appreciate it.)
>
> My pleasure.
>
>>
>> In general, how would one go about making each of the above three? If you
>> can share advice, I'd welcome it. If you can point me to a specific
>> resource, I'd appreciate that, too.
>
> Here's the rfp FAQ file, from SCUBApix most recent reminder:
> The rec.food.preserving FAQ is available at
> http://www.gbronline.com/jacke/rfpfaq/rfpFAQ.htm . There have been no
> changes since the last announcement; we are at Version 4.2.3. A detailed,
> chronological ordering of changes to the FAQ can be found at
> http://www.gbronline.com/jacke/rfpfaq/differences.htm .
>
> And this is a reliable resource:
> http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/
>
> Stick around. There are some experienced folks here who are generally
> pretty congenial (except for George -- he's ornery as all get out!)

Barb,

I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd chime in! :-)

In a previous post, I indicated I reside in New Jersey which, at last
report, is still part of the US. (Only my name is foreign.)

Thank you for both the clarifications on the different definitions, and
directing me to resources.

The reason I asked about using the jars on hand was that, well, because
they're handy, and also because they were the original packaging for various
jams and jellies I'd bought.

Being that I'm new at preserving, it's logical to assume I don't have all
the necessary tools. What does one need to get started? I already have
wooden spoons that I use in cooking, but only saucepans and no pots.

Dieter

Dieter Zakas wrote:
> Being that I'm new at preserving, it's logical to assume I don't have all
> the necessary tools. What does one need to get started? I already have
> wooden spoons that I use in cooking, but only saucepans and no pots.
>
> Dieter
>


I like to make jam (etc.) in a big nonstick T-Fal skillet I bought for
$10 a few years ago -- it looks sort of like a wok with a flat bottom.

To waterbath seal the jars, you will need a deep stockpot, or a water
bath canner, or just about any old pressure cooker or canner that has a
rack in the bottom.

A few other things that are cheap and very handy a a jar lifter, a
canning funnel, and a little blue plastic stick with a magnet on the end
for picking lids out of the simmering water. I think Ball packages
these 3 items in a kit, or you can buy them seperately. You might also
want a good candy thermometer for making jelly, but you can do without it.

Bob

zxcvbob wrote:

> I like to make jam (etc.) in a big nonstick T-Fal skillet I bought for
> $10 a few years ago -- it looks sort of like a wok with a flat bottom.

You know I have one of those. I'll give it a try. I use my littler stockpot
for cooking up the preservers. I find the jar lifter is absolutely essential.
I like a soup ladle also to pour stuff into the jars.
Another note Dieter: get all your materials ready, peeled fruit, measured
sugar, pectin bag, jars in hot water (the simmering hot water bath is good) and
lids simmering *first.* When you cooking jam you need all your attention
there. You'd be surprised how fast the operation goes.
Edrena

The Joneses wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>
>
>>I like to make jam (etc.) in a big nonstick T-Fal skillet I bought for
>>$10 a few years ago -- it looks sort of like a wok with a flat bottom.
>
>
> You know I have one of those. I'll give it a try. I use my littler stockpot
> for cooking up the preservers. I find the jar lifter is absolutely essential.
> I like a soup ladle also to pour stuff into the jars.
> Another note Dieter: get all your materials ready, peeled fruit, measured
> sugar, pectin bag, jars in hot water (the simmering hot water bath is good) and
> lids simmering *first.* When you cooking jam you need all your attention
> there. You'd be surprised how fast the operation goes.
> Edrena
>
>
I do much the same thing as Edrena except I start my jars simmering
before anything else. That volume of water (for seven jars of any size)
takes a long time to get to boiling. As I get closer to filling the jars
with product I increase the heat, therefore they are in boiling water
when I pull them out with a pair of long handled tongs and empty them
into the stainless steel sink (don't need that much water for full jars).

By then the jam or jelly is ready to decant into the jars. Jars are
sitting on a folded towel, a large wooden trivet is awaiting the jam pot
and I have my ladle, funnel, lid magnet, etc. all ready, lids are
simmering in a separate pot. when you get to filling jars you don't have
time to look around for something you need. Wipe the jar rims with a
clean damp cloth to ensure nothing is between the glass and the seal,
put on the lid, hand tighten the ring, use the jar lifter to put the jar
in the pot. When the pot is full bring the pot back to a rolling boil
and boil for the time asked in the recipe. Use jar lifter to lift out
and set on the towel to cool and seal. The real satisfication comes when
you hear those lids start pinging. 24 hours later you wipe the jars down
with a damp cloth, take the rings off and wash them for further use,
label the jars (I use a sharpie on the lid myself, quick and dirty), put
them away for a week or two and then eat or give away. Total time
depends on the recipe but seldom more than one hour total. How dat?

George

in article , George Shirley at
wrote on 1/12/05 10:31:

> Dieter Zakas wrote:
<snip>

>> George,
>>
>> I like your advice, as I don't like wasting food; to me, it's basically
>> throwing money away.
>>
>> While I'm not a senior citizen, my mother is, and she and my late father
>> were born during the Depression. I'm a 36 y/0 bachelor living in a
>> one-bedroom apartment, and I figured I'd like to grow personally. Mom never
>> really did gobs of canning, though she would make a plum jam when I was
>> younger. Later, she'd can the sour cherries harvested from the tree we'd
>> planted in the backyard, and we'd use that as a spread. (Why my father opted
>> for the sour cherry tree over one producing sweet cherries is beyond me.)
>>
>> As to canning figs, I, too, like fresh figs, and I'd like to get a small fig
>> tree from Gurney's that I can put in a tub and move indoors. Then, I can
>> snack on fresh figs and even make a spread out of them (homemade Fig
>> Newtons, anyone?). The same goes for other fruits, too.
>>
>> Now, as for friends and family opening something I'd made...they'd be great
>> gifts, not to mention a way of breaking the ice with someone new. Such
>> personalized gifts NEVER go out of style, and are appreciated much more,
>> because they're that much more special.
>>
>> Dieter Zakas
>>
>> P.S. Please keep the ideas and tips coming!
>>
> I don't know where you live so can't make tree recommendations. Down
> here the Brown Turkey is an old favorite. Mine is a scion from a
> neighbors tree and has been frozen back to the ground at least twice. In
> addition I have two kumquats, a plum, a pluot, a loquat, and a peach
> tree on half of our city lot. It's surprising what can be grown, even in
> pots. Look up Stark Brothers nursery on the web, they have lots of
> "patio" plants available and I've always had good luck with their trees,
> many of which are for colder climates.
>
> We're senior citizens on a limited income and we give home grown herbs
> and home made preserves as gifts all the time. The following year folks
> ask if we're giving those gifts again and tell us how much they enjoyed
> them. Plus our grandkids and greatgrandkids are always asking for sweet
> stuff. Makes it all worthwhile.
>
> George

I live in Warren County, New Jersey.

Today is a foggy day, which means several possibilities: baking bread
(provided I had all the ingredients), canning (zilch there), or even
photography (the fog has wonderful potential for effects).

Dieter Zakas

Dieter Zakas wrote:
> in article , George Shirley at
> wrote on 1/12/05 10:31:
>
>
>>Dieter Zakas wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>>>George,
>>>
>>>I like your advice, as I don't like wasting food; to me, it's basically
>>>throwing money away.
>>>
>>>While I'm not a senior citizen, my mother is, and she and my late father
>>>were born during the Depression. I'm a 36 y/0 bachelor living in a
>>>one-bedroom apartment, and I figured I'd like to grow personally. Mom never
>>>really did gobs of canning, though she would make a plum jam when I was
>>>younger. Later, she'd can the sour cherries harvested from the tree we'd
>>>planted in the backyard, and we'd use that as a spread. (Why my father opted
>>>for the sour cherry tree over one producing sweet cherries is beyond me.)
>>>
>>>As to canning figs, I, too, like fresh figs, and I'd like to get a small fig
>>>tree from Gurney's that I can put in a tub and move indoors. Then, I can
>>>snack on fresh figs and even make a spread out of them (homemade Fig
>>>Newtons, anyone?). The same goes for other fruits, too.
>>>
>>>Now, as for friends and family opening something I'd made...they'd be great
>>>gifts, not to mention a way of breaking the ice with someone new. Such
>>>personalized gifts NEVER go out of style, and are appreciated much more,
>>>because they're that much more special.
>>>
>>>Dieter Zakas
>>>
>>>P.S. Please keep the ideas and tips coming!
>>>
>>
>>I don't know where you live so can't make tree recommendations. Down
>>here the Brown Turkey is an old favorite. Mine is a scion from a
>>neighbors tree and has been frozen back to the ground at least twice. In
>>addition I have two kumquats, a plum, a pluot, a loquat, and a peach
>>tree on half of our city lot. It's surprising what can be grown, even in
>>pots. Look up Stark Brothers nursery on the web, they have lots of
>>"patio" plants available and I've always had good luck with their trees,
>>many of which are for colder climates.
>>
>>We're senior citizens on a limited income and we give home grown herbs
>>and home made preserves as gifts all the time. The following year folks
>>ask if we're giving those gifts again and tell us how much they enjoyed
>>them. Plus our grandkids and greatgrandkids are always asking for sweet
>>stuff. Makes it all worthwhile.
>>
>>George
>
>
> I live in Warren County, New Jersey.
>
> Today is a foggy day, which means several possibilities: baking bread
> (provided I had all the ingredients), canning (zilch there), or even
> photography (the fog has wonderful potential for effects).
>
> Dieter Zakas
>
I do all of those things as a normal course, lots slower on the
photography these days but I do need to bake a loaf of bread, thanks for
the reminder. It's foggy here too, it's an amazing sight to see the red
ball of the sun coming through the haze at sunrise. We're looking for
29F by Saturday and then warming up again. All of which is normal for
our very short winter.

George

If you are just looking for something folksy to do, for an apartment
dweller making cheeze (preserving milk) might be preferable to making jam
and jelly (preserving fruit and berries). Milk and milk powder are
avialable all year 'round. The equipment is simple. For most cheeses you
do need to obtain a bacterial culture from a specialist supplier. That's
the only tricky part. The culture lasts for a few months in the 'fridge.
There is lots of info on the Internet. Our local public library has a few
books and a video. There's also alt.cheese but it's not very active.

Once you make you own cheese you can make your own cheese cake.



--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

In article >, Dieter Zakas
> wrote:

> Hi, group!
>
> I first posted this to the rec.food.cooking newsgroup, and one
> respondent suggested I try posting here. Another respondent indicated
> one does not always need pectin.
>
> Also, insofar as containers are concerned, I have a number of jars
> complete with lids I've accumulated which contained various
> commercially-prepared jellies and jams; would these be adequate?

Maybe, but jars with two-piece metal lid and ring are the standard inthe
US. Are you in the US, Dieter?
>
> Anyway...
>
> I recently got the idea to probably try my hand at making some kind
> of fruit spread. However, never having done that before - I'm a
> bachelor living by myself - I need to learn how.
>
> Now, I'm somewhat familiar with the differences between:
>
> --Preserves: the whole fruit, or pieces thereof, in pectin and sugar.

Not necessarily pectin. You're right about the fruits, though.
Preserves are more pourable than spreadable.
>
> --Jam: usually pieces of fruit, again preserved in a pectin-sugar
> concoction.

Again, not necessarily with the addition of commercial (or homemade
pectin -- depends on the amount of pectin in a given type of fruit).
Jam is made from crushed fruit.
>
> --Jelly: usually the juice of a fruit, mixed with pectin and sugar.
> (Don't get me started on some off-brand jellies that are little more
> than a fruit juice mixed with pectin.)

But, that's the definition of jelly, Dieter: the jelled juice of fruit.

For jams and jellies, it's as easy as 1-2-3-4: Fruit, sugar, pectin,
acid. Gotta have it, one way or another.
>
> (Note: If I'm wrong, please correct me. I'd appreciate it.)

My pleasure.

>
> In general, how would one go about making each of the above three? If you
> can share advice, I'd welcome it. If you can point me to a specific
> resource, I'd appreciate that, too.

Here's the rfp FAQ file, from SCUBApix most recent reminder:
The rec.food.preserving FAQ is available at
http://www.gbronline.com/jacke/rfpfaq/rfpFAQ.htm . There have been no
changes since the last announcement; we are at Version 4.2.3. A detailed,
chronological ordering of changes to the FAQ can be found at
http://www.gbronline.com/jacke/rfpfaq/differences.htm .

And this is a reliable resource:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

Stick around. There are some experienced folks here who are generally
pretty congenial (except for George -- he's ornery as all get out!)
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton