48 replies to this topic

[ShooterJohn]

Well, yesterday was our 27th wedding anniversary. So what better than to get the wife something she can use. Just kidding about it being an anniversary present. Anniversary presents cost me much more than this.

We bought a NEW Jam and Jelly maker made by Ball the canning people. It's called a FreshTECH and it's pretty sweet no pun intended. It is the neatest thing for making small batches of jellies or jams and has setting for both. It cooks and stirs the mixture and then beeps to tell you when it's done. We like it to make test batches of different flavors with different spices. Or if you don't have a large amount of fruit it can make four to five half pints at a time. We fudge a little to get it to make five half pints because that gives us enough for the wife's family to test. They're all still alive so it works so far.



Here is what it take to make apricot jam. You start off with your apricots.



First you slice them in half and pit them.



Then you slice or chop them.



Here they are ready to go just over four cups worth.



First you add your three tablespoons of pectin into the machine.



Then you add your apricots.



Next you add two tablespoons of lemon juice to keep the apricots color.



You add a teaspoon of butter to stop the apricots from foaming, this is an important step in any jam making.



Next you turn on the machine and let and let it mix and start heating for two minutes.



Here it's mixing the pectin, lemon juice and butter. This self stirring and heating feature is really nice.



After the two minutes you add your sugar and spices. Notice how the apricots are liquifying somewhat.



It then really starts to heat the mixture.



It cooks for seventeen minutes and really gets boiling. This is why you added the butter to stop the foaming that would otherwise boil over.



It beeps to tell you it's done and you ladle it into your jars.







Put on the lids.



And then into a water bath to boil and can. Then it's Jam!



It's a really nice unit. Very well made and very easy to clean. Makes perfect jam every time. For making small batches it can't be beat. But as I mentioned we use it for test batches so that we can try different spices for something different. There's nothing like making 30 pints of something and find out it doesn't taste as good as it sounded. So this is perfect for smaller runs.

[OrneryOlMofo357]

Great write up and pics John! Im a Butter only kinda Guy "and lots of it" but for those that like Jams and jellies it looks like the cats Meow!

[Bisley]

I wanna see you make the blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries in there

[Braz]

John I think I need one of those where did you get it? I also like your basket for the water bath. Where did you get that too?my wife has been making strawberry jam recently. She got real friendly with the local Hmong berry seller. We don't raise any thing ourselves. How about posting the receipts you have found to be good?

[ShooterJohn]

Bob you wanted to see raspberries so here you go. We had just enough raspberries from the past week to do a batch so your wish is my command.







Lynn I'll put that information together for you.

[HOG]

Making my mouth H2O.

[Frank]

Wow, NOWWWW you tell us about the fancy machine, John... LOL

My wife has just spent the last several (?) weeks making about a thousand dozens(?) (give or take) jars of strawberry jam. I bet she could have used a machine like that. When she gets in from splitting the fire wood and washing my truck, I will have to show her this thread. (j.k. on the wood and truck btw).

Anyway, pretty cool

[Bisley]

THANK YOU!!! I could spread that over cardboard and eat it for lunch every day with no complaints. That just looks delicious. I think I would eat it faster than I could can it

I bet she could have used a machine like that. When she gets in from splitting the fire wood and washing my truck, I will have to show her this thread. (j.k. on the wood and truck btw).

Yeah, he really has her out there cleaning the driveway with a toothbrush right after she cuts the grass with a pair of scissors . Show her who's really the boss Frank..........ask her if there's anything else she wants you to do for her

[Braz]

And be sure and LET her read this thread!

[Shoot-it]

That looks so good i will eat it right out of the jam maker.

[ShooterJohn]

It is good John, especially when it's hot out of the maker. It's a funny thing, this machine doesn't do anything different than me making it by hand the old fashioned way. But it takes the standing over the hot stove and stirring out of the equation. Plus it comes out perfect every time. It never burns the jam and it tells me when it's done and ready to put it into jars. Now if it had a spigot on it to pour it out of that would be the cat's meow.

[nitis]

I just told the wife that I now need this!

How long does it take to cool down in between batches I read that you have to wait for that?

[ShooterJohn]

It takes thirty minutes in between. But it seems shorter than that by the time you get everything cleaned and prepared for the next batch.

[Shoot-it]

It is good John, especially when it's hot out of the maker. It's a funny thing, this machine doesn't do anything different than me making it by hand the old fashioned way. But it takes the standing over the hot stove and stirring out of the equation. Plus it comes out perfect every time. It never burns the jam and it tells me when it's done and ready to put it into jars. Now if it had a spigot on it to pour it out of that would be the cat's meow.

with a spiggot you can pour it right into your mouth
You should sell a few jars in the for sale section.....

[Bisley]

Since you have been making all of us jealous with all this yummy stuff, I thought it was our turn:

I was having breakfast yesterday morning waiting for my always late hunting buddy when I was thinking of you. I had just finished my chicken fried steak and eyeballing my sourdough toast. Then I looked for some jelly. They didn't have any raspberry , so I had to settle for strawberry. As I put it on my toast I took this picture to make you jealous John. Sure, it may look like a Jell-O mold, unlike yours. And sure, it may not be very moist or spreadable like yours. And sure, unlike yours, it may not have any flavor at all. But think about this; when I ate mine, it didn't drip all over my shirt or run down my pants, nor did it drip all over my fingers and get them all sticky. So while you sit there eating yours with it all over your pants, shirt, and fingers, you tell me; Who's really jealous now Big Guy?!

[ShooterJohn]

[Braz]

Damn that looks so appetizing Biz. Maybe ou share the name of that hot spot so we can all avoid it.

[Bisley]

It's a real high class place in a real high class neighborhood, in a real high class town. It was the Denny's in the city of tweekers, I mean Mojave I like to refer to it as Jelly-O, and I can't say it tasted bad, it would have to flavor of some kind to say it tasted bad

And don't laugh too hard, you know you're jealous John

[Shoot-it]

that's funny bisely

[KNOCKED UP]

You make it look so easy,
Very nice John.
Tom

[BullsEye]

I just finished a batch of strawberry and chili apple chutney. I had to do something after seeing your tasty creations John.

[zippy1970]

Showed that to my GF and now she wants one .

Andy

[Rob]

Andy....I'm busted too! Best make your move while the fruit is in harvest.
The SJ pictures and stories just got me for the $95 admission price.
There is more to this story, but there alway is.
Ain't life great!

[KNOCKED UP]

John,
Why didn't you just get her a new vacuum, or a new rifle?
Tom

[treffryraxter]

I have been wanting to do just this for a long time now we just need some sort of fruit producing plants and a budget to get it all set for next year. That little wonder you got there looks perfect for getting the family into doing it.

[ShooterJohn]

It is very easy to make small batches of jam or jelly. More than enough for the average family. But it is so fast and fool proof my wife has made somewhere around 153 half pints of jam with it now.

[GSH]

My wife loves it, she's made blackberry and plum so far.

[Braz]

Got one coming. Had to order on line. nex week. My wife is excited about it.

[sxshooter]

John,
I think you are a brave man. You'd have been safer getting her a new vacuum cleaner like I got my wife for our anniversary. At least she can't poison me with a vacuum.

[ShooterJohn]

Boy, you sure hit the nail on the head with that statement.