# Jam/Jelly Jars



## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I recently purchased two cases of pint jars, each one was $6.99. This is at a local chain here, Winco. I went to Fred Meyers (Kroger owned) and priced them on Walmart.com and another store and the prices for jars is much higher than Winco's price. I am hoping to find even better prices to stock up, has anyone found better than $6.99 a case somewhere online? 

I know any glass jar I can save that fits the rims will work (my mother always did this). It is hard to come by glass ones anymore, most are plastic (yes I pondered if these would work).

Also, pectin. Not only my mother and I are having trouble with the pectin, it is not setting up like it says it should, so we raided her neighbors crabapple tree to make our own. We cooked them like the OSU Extension service site says to, and strained them off, then once all the liquid was together (homogenized I guess), we reduced it to half. Hoping this works to make our own source of pectin. 

This all started earlier this summer when our new neighbors let me have at the two long rows of overgrown blueberries they had just gotten with their house. I picked about 50 pounds worth, then moved onto blackberries, froze all of these for later use, but then went to a local salvage goods store and they had cases of 8, one pound packages or strawberries for $3 per case, so I got two with the intention of making strawberry jam. Got the jars and the pectin, but the pectin did not set up like the recipe stated should. Now I am opening them and re-doing them...ugh.

I hope to make more jams and can them all, but trying to find the best price for jars.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Here is a list of auctions for the rest of the month within 30 miles of Portland. I procured about 80% of my 2000 jars through auctions and estate sales for about a dime each.

http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/a...&idxSearchCategory=0&month=&year=&newsearch=1


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

Ok. So i'm not the only one having problems with the pectin not setting the jam or jelly up....


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Pectin not setting properly????-Solution*

http://www.ochef.com/220.htm:beercheer:


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I had issues with pectin and made a switch this year. I switched to the no/low sugar pectin and add 1/3 more pectin to help it set. No more runny jam!


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

Sometimes it takes several days to set up depending on what you're making. I just use Sure Jel because I can get it inexpensively when I buy groceries and haven't seen the store run out of it yet.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Well we tried the homemade pectin, but we had to reduce it dramatically. The only thing I can think of is the crabapples we used were not a good a quality as could have been, they did not actually cook down into a mush as shown on many sites. However, once we cooked it down and added it to the standard recipe we were re-doing, it did thicken it. Too much work for so little pectin though, I plan to try just some under ripe granny smiths one time to see the difference.

We then used Sure Jel for the other batch, just didn't want to mess with the reduction of the other batch of pectin we did.

I will look at the site for auctions for canning stuff, thanks, I need a source of jars, and other equipment to beef up my home supplies. I have long considered a pressure cooker, but I am so hesitant, and am thinking of finding a class on it when I buy one, this way I have some pro instruction, since no one in my family has ever used one.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

HoppeEL4 said:


> Well we tried the homemade pectin, but we had to reduce it dramatically. The only thing I can think of is the crabapples we used were not a good a quality as could have been, they did not actually cook down into a mush as shown on many sites. However, once we cooked it down and added it to the standard recipe we were re-doing, it did thicken it. Too much work for so little pectin though, I plan to try just some under ripe granny smiths one time to see the difference.
> 
> We then used Sure Jel for the other batch, just didn't want to mess with the reduction of the other batch of pectin we did.
> 
> I will look at the site for auctions for canning stuff, thanks, I need a source of jars, and other equipment to beef up my home supplies. I have long considered a pressure cooker, but I am so hesitant, and am thinking of finding a class on it when I buy one, this way I have some pro instruction, since no one in my family has ever used one.


Keep your eyes open at garage sales, thrift stores and online like Ace Hardware has some killer sales with free shipping.

And are you thinking pressure CANNER or COOKER? They are very different.


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## webeable (Aug 29, 2012)

HoppeEL4 said:


> Well we tried the homemade pectin, but we had to reduce it dramatically. The only thing I can think of is the crabapples we used were not a good a quality as could have been, they did not actually cook down into a mush as shown on many sites. However, once we cooked it down and added it to the standard recipe we were re-doing, it did thicken it. Too much work for so little pectin though, I plan to try just some under ripe granny smiths one time to see the difference.
> 
> We then used Sure Jel for the other batch, just didn't want to mess with the reduction of the other batch of pectin we did.
> 
> I will look at the site for auctions for canning stuff, thanks, I need a source of jars, and other equipment to beef up my home supplies. I have long considered a pressure cooker, but I am so hesitant, and am thinking of finding a class on it when I buy one, this way I have some pro instruction, since no one in my family has ever used one.


If you can find one get one without a rubber gasket as they go bad, when SHTF you may regret needing a rubber seal. Try Ebay for American pressure cookers.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I always had trouble making jelly, seemed it would never set so I asked my grandmother for help when she was still with us. Dont know if this will make any difference for any of you but she always told me not to "Double Batch" the recipes. Just make one recipe at a time, had something to do with how it all heated and blended.

I just gave up on jellies all together and made preserves with all my fruit.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

The jam is setting up, both batches. We re-did one with the homemade pectin, and the other with Sure Jel. 

I am looking for a pressure canner, and yes, American made. I am heavily leaning towards a class at a community college or something before I try doing my own veggies and stuff in it, I am petrified of the idea of botulism. My mother said my paternal great-grandmother canned all her own veggies in her canning shed. She had a woodstove out there and only used her water bath method. She said she did not know how she did it, but everything was always fine, no one was ever sick. She said she also canned meat with this method. All I can think is she would get her wood stove hot as hades and the stuff was safe although a bit over heated and possibly mushy?

Davarm, I read that too about not doing too much at one time. Could have been our trouble, we wound up with 24 8 ounce jars, so maybe that was it. Though the MCP packets instructions said nothing about it, however, when I bought the canister of Sure Jel it did state not to do more than 10 cups worth at a time. I will remember that one for next time, I have some more strawberry (which I am making with some peach mash in it for strawberry-peach jam), blackberry and some blueberry.

I was lucky yesterday and found 18 jars with their rims at a thrift store, all for under $6, I was pretty thrilled.


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