Homemade for the Holidays

Just a plug to our students (and parents) to consider homemade holiday gifts this year. Here is a great one from the Food in Jars website for an easy and delicious apple/cranberry jam. It makes a ruby red jar of jam which looks even more festive with a green bow wrapped around it.

Other easy gifts to put together are homemade brownie mixes, waffle recipes, chutneys, batches of mexican pickled veggies (see an earlier post here to find that one) and jars of assorted dried beans that are turned into nourishing pots of soup to help restore balanced eating after the holiday feasting.

Apple-Cranberry Jam

8 cups of peeled and diced apple (approximately 5-6 large apples, 1/2 inch dice. Use a softer apple like a Golden Delicious. Firm apples won’t cook down as well.)
4 cups of whole cranberries
6 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 lemons, zested and juiced

Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar and water in a large pot (use a big one, this jam will bubble) over high heat. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam that develops on the top of the fruit. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries pop and the apples soften.

Add the lemon zest and juice and simmer until the liquid in the pot begins to thicken (because both apples and cranberries are naturally high in pectin, you won’t need any additional pectin to help this jam set, as long as you cook it until thick and syrup-y).

Ladle into prepared jars, wipe rims, apply lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Label nicely and distribute to those you love.

Makes 4 1/2 – 5 pints.

***I made this jam without the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves or allspice. However, I do believe that the addition of one or two of those spices would be quite nice.