Christmas in July? Why not tuck a few jars of summer away for the holidays... they-are-coming-folks... I'm guessing, including jars, this would come to about $1 per 8 oz jar of jam. Not bad:@)
I made a half batch with one mammoth zuke my son found hiding in the garden, that gave me four 8 oz jars. Since the instructions I've seen haven't been very detailed and I want you to succeed and be as happy with this as I am, here are some notes:
- Pictured, I only peeled half of a green zucchini. I bet a yellow skinned squash would be very pretty in this.
- The idea is to cook most of the liquid out of the zucchini to add body to the jam. The biggest complaint I've seen is it's a runny jam. As you can see, mine was very firm.
- As you stir and turn it over, flatten the squash back down to cover the bottom of the pan.
- As the liquid evaporates, you'll stop seeing water when you move the squash with a spatula and start seeing clear bubbles.
- As a general rule, keep your heat at a low boil and keep stirring so the squash doesn't scorch.
- I felt it best to bring everything to a quick boil after I added the pineapple, etc. Then reduced the heat to low for the rest of the 10 minutes.
- It's always a good idea, no matter what jam you're making, to flip your jars upside down and back upright a few times as they cool so the chunky bits redistribute throughout the jam.
- It took three full days for my jam to finish firming up.
- And my best tip... Pour a cuppa or glass of wine and dedicate an hour or so to this project. Just enjoy the process, it's worth it folks:@)
- Need more ideas for zucchini? My Pinterest Board can be found HERE.
6 C peeled, shredded zucchini-remove big seedy parts before grating, use only the flesh
6 C sugar
16 oz can crushed pineapple, with juice
2 Tblsp lemon juice-I doubled this by
(2) 3 oz boxes Jello (or one 6 oz), flavor of your choice
- Add zucchini to large stock pot, cook over low heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil, approx 20 minutes. Boil for an additional 10 minutes while stirring.
- Add sugar, pineapple and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat, add Jello and mix it in for 1 minute to dissolve Jello.
- Ladle into sterilized jars, add lids and screw bands. Boil in water bath 5 minutes for half pints, 10 minutes for pint jars.
Let's put those monster zukes to good use, get a head start on Christmas gifts, and have a happy day:@)