Most of these corrections have been made in the second and subsequent printings.
Preserver’s Primer, page 7: The second sentence in the first full paragraph should read, “Low-methoxyl (or low-ester) pectin gels with less added sugar–or none at all–and no added acid.” (A confused proofreader changed with to contains.)
Cantaloupe jams, pages 84-85: I’ve found that with long storage these jams are subject to oxidative discoloration at the top of the jar, and they are also, to my taste, a little too sweet. I’m now using 3 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoons lemon juice to 2 pounds of peeled and seeded cantaloupe.
Fermented Blueberry or Huckleberry Syrup, page 81: In step 3, the word blackberry should be blueberry.
Cherry Preserves, page 96: In step 2, heat the mixture over low, not medium, heat. There will be a lot of undissolved sugar at this point, and letting the mixture boil before all the sugar is dissolved could lead to later crystallization. Also, in step 5 you should let the preserves cool for several minutes before ladling them into jars.
Black Currant Jam, page 124: In the last sentence of the introduction to the recipe, I meant that you can remove some or all of the seeds by pressing the pulp, not the jam, through the fine screen of a food mill. In other words, you do the pressing before adding the sugar.
Raw Elderberry Syrup, page 137: I no longer advise using elderberries raw, because if you’re careless about stemming they can make you quite sick. I’ve omitted this recipe from the new edition.
Fig Preserves, page 147: The instruction to boil the syrup to 230 degrees, in step 2, is erroneous. Instead, boil the preserves gently until the figs are partially translucent and the syrup is slightly thickened; the temperature should be no higher than 224 degrees. Or email me for a fully revised version of this recipe.
Lime Syrup, page 194: The yield should be 1 to 1 1/2 cups, not 1 to 1 1/2 pints.
Prune Plum Preserves with Port, page 274: In step 2, after “5 minutes,” insert the following: “Add the port, bring the mixture slowly to a boil, and remove the kettle from the heat.”
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, page 330: In step 1, the simmering time should be about 20 minutes. Thirty minutes is longer than necessary.
Strawberry-Rose Preserves, page 331: Five ounces rose petals is about 6 cups, not 3 quarts. And I should have said that you can use less than 5 ounces if you like.
Marrow Preserves, page 354: To make 2 1/2 pounds seeded and peeled zucchini, you’ll need to start with about 4 pounds of whole fruits.
Index, page 363: Missing under Huckleberry(ies) is jam, 77. Missing under Strawberry(ies) is with rhubarb, 330.
I’m surrounded by orange trees, but no one seems to know the variety. Must I use Valencia’s to make my own pectin? When I tried, the pectin was bitter. I want to make a spicy red pepper jam with tequila, as a topping for pork tacos, and the orange flavor would be a nice addition, I think.
M., I haven’t made pectin from oranges in a very long time, because it’s hard for me to get organic oranges and because I have plenty of apples and quinces to use instead. But I know that Valencias are usually recommended for this use both because they are rich in pectin and because they don’t tend to produce cloudiness, as navels do. If you live in Florida, the oranges around you may be of the bitter/sour/Seville type, which should be good for pectin, too, although the liquid might turn out even more bitter than that made from Valencias. Remember that sugar will soften the bitterness. I actually think that some bitterness would be appealing in a spicy red pepper jam with tequila.
Hi Linda. I have a question on homemade pectin. if I am using Apple, crabapple or quince, can I freeze it or does it need to be used immediately? The instructions for the orange quince notes it can be frozen for later use (page 17 in joy of jams), but not for the apple/quince. I love both joy of jams and pickles and use them quite both often 🙂
Cathryn, you can certainly store your homemade pectin in the freezer.
Hi Linda. Big fan. Use the Pickling book constantly and now working my way through the Jams & Jellies book. Just finished making Lime Syrup (page 194). I doubled all the ingredients but only canned 1 1/2 pints of syrup. It took quite some time to reach 235 degrees. Could that have been the problem?
Gregg, whether you boiled the syrup slow or fast, you’d have boiled off the same amount of water to reach 235 degrees. Obviously, I have the yield wrong! It should be 1 to 1 1/2 cups, not 1 to 1 1/2 pints. Thanks for letting me know.