New: Pear-Vanilla Jam, Blissini Jelly, and English Toffee, a unique Holiday dessert made with Pomona's Pectin
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November 2014 - Jam Notes Update

 

CanningCraft Creates:
Pear-Vanilla Jam

By Allison Carroll Duffy, Author of Preserving with Pomona's Pectin (Fair Winds Press, June 2013)

picture of Allison Carroll DuffyAutumn is always an emotionally powerful – and often emotionally contradictory – time of year for me. On one hand, it feels like a time of new beginnings – due largely, I think, to the school calendar being so ingrained. I still find myself, oddly, thinking of September as “the beginning of the year,” and these new beginnings are often exciting and joyful.

What's more, in some ways the natural world is at its most spectacular – late season fruits and vegetables are abundant, ripe, and ready for harvest; leaves turn brilliant, fiery shades of red and orange; and the light seems to have a rich, golden quality to it.

Yet, in the midst of all this beauty, so much around us is slowing down or dying – trees lose their leaves, plants wither, and animals prepare to hibernate – as we move closer and closer to winter. And of course, the flip side of fall’s new beginning is the inevitable change that comes with it, so the passage of time feels especially acute at this time of year. For me, it's a time when joy often overlaps with challenge and sadness. An emotionally complicated season for sure.

And this fall has been no exception. I am homeschooling both of our boys for the first time this year, and I've been working toward making this happen for quite some time. I'm thrilled that they are finally back home much of the time now – and so are they (admittedly, my oldest more so than my youngest). And yet, at times, it has been surprisingly difficult and emotionally trying as we all settle into our new routines.

On top of that, one of my closest family members suffered a life-threatening medical event a few weeks ago. After some extremely scary and upsetting days, he is now recovering well, and I am deeply, deeply grateful. Indeed, autumn is putting us through our paces this year; her complex nature is in full-flower . . . at least around these parts.

Admittedly, this is a bit of a digression from jam. But all of this is to say that, when it comes to jam making – and cooking in general, for that matter – all I really care about right now is making food that's nourishing, delicious, and simple. Somehow that's what seems to be most important. And frankly, it's all I can manage at the moment anyway. Fortunately, this delicious jam fits the bill perfectly. Enjoy!

jar of jamPear-Vanilla Jam Ingredients
3¼ pounds ripe pears
1 vanilla bean
¼ cup lemon juice
4 teaspoons calcium water
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons Pomona's Universal Pectin Powder

You will find Allison's complete recipe for Pear-Vanilla Jam here.

 

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English Toffee in baking dishEnglish Toffee:
A Vegetarian Chocoholic's Dream

by Kathleen Allison Johnson
A Pomona's Pectin customer in Madison, Wisconsin

Editor's Note: Not a jam or a jelly, but a unique Holiday dessert made with Pomona's Pectin.
 
When I was in high school I always brought my own lunch, but as the child of two chocoholics, I'd buy a slice of English Toffee dessert whenever it was offered in the cafeteria. I got to know the "lunch ladies," and when I graduated (in a class of 814), I asked if I could have the recipe. They generously gave it to me, but their recipe made 300 servings.
 
I've always loved math as well as a challenge, so I figured out how to cut the recipe down to a more manageable size (an 8"x 8"x2" dish). I've been out of high school for (ahem) a while, so I'm guessing the lunch ladies are long gone and the recipe is probably no longer served.
 
In college, I became a vegetarian and never made English Toffee again because it called for gelatin, which is made from collagen in the connective tissue found in animals' skin, tendons, and ligaments – ick!
 
Fast-forward to today. Friends were coming over for dinner and a decadent chocolate dessert was expected. But what could I make that I hadn't already made countless times before? I'd recently read about Pomona's Pectin and decided to try the English Toffee, but substituting Pomona's Pectin for the gelatin. I read through Pomona's website for tips on how much to use and sent an email requesting advice.  Mary Lou suggested using between ½ teaspoon and 1 ½ teaspoons.  I chose the middle route and used 1 teaspoon.
 
The resulting dessert looked as I'd remembered, but I was a little worried my tastes had changed with time and exposure to other cultures. It seemed rather sugary to me; gratifyingly, my friends loved it.

Piece of English Toffee on a dish
 
Fearing my test subjects' – er, friends' – reactions may have been an anomaly, I made it again to serve at an Iceland travelogue I recently presented with my husband. Results were shockingly similar, with one woman declaring it to be chocolate mousse in disguise.
 
When I make English Toffee again, I'll cut back on the sugar – but that's just my taste. For all you other non-recovering chocoholics out there, consider giving it a try on your own test subjects, especially those who are vegetarians.
 
Get the English Toffee recipe here.
 

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We have another exciting holiday recipe to share -- an easy jelly created and contributed by Mari Morgan. She calls it Blissini Jelly because it was inspired by Food Network's Giada de Laurentiis's Blissini Cocktail, which is made from equal parts Prosecco, pomegranate juice, and orange juice.



Get the Blissini Jelly recipe here.

 

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If you'd like to try one of these recipes and don't have any Pomona's Pectin in your cupboard, try our Store Locator to find a store near you in the U.S. or Canada. Or go to the Order Page of our website to place an online order; click on your location: U.S., Canada, or International.

Holiday Gift Idea for your jammer friends: A copy of Preserving with Pomona's Pectin and some pectin to go with it. Both book and pectin are available on Amazon. Check pectin prices carefully before purchase; sometimes buying both book and pectin will give you free shipping. Book only is available anywhere books are sold.

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And on a final holiday note, Connie, Paul, and Mary Lou wish you the happiest of holidays over the upcoming season. Our wish for you is lots of good family time and lots of good, low-sugar-jam-eating time. You'll hear from us again in February 2015.

Copyright © 2014 Green Link LLC, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive Jam Notes, Pomona's Pectin's E-Newsletter. Jam Notes is published 3 times each year: February, June, and September,  with occasional short updates containing new recipes in April, August, and November.




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