Chef Tess Video Segment on Good Morning AZ! Turning ANY fruit into freezer jam (3 ingredients)

Thank you again Good Good Morning Arizona! It was a blast being on the show again!

azfamily.com 3TV | Phoenix Breaking News, Weather, Sport

Basic Recipe for Turning ANY fruit into freezer jam

Ingredients

4 cups of crushed fruit

1 ½ cups sugar (or  sugar free use 3/4 cup granulated organic Pyure-Organic-Stevia natural erythritol stevia all purpose sweetener)

1 Pouch of Ball Fruit Jell® freezer jam pectin OR 3Tbsp of Instant Pectin 

Instructions

In a large glass 2 quart bowl, combine the pectin and sugar. Mix until well combined, about 1 minutes. 

Add the fruit, mashing well and combine 3 minutes. until well mixed. Add your choice of spices and flavorings. 

Put into 1 cup containers leaving 1/2 inch head space if you plan on freezing it. This recipe yields 5, 8 oz. freezer jars. Allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes until jam sets. 

Freeze up to one year in freezer containers or just put in the fridge and use within 3 weeks.

There you go darlings! Keep it simple!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Easy Freezer Jam and My New Book is Out! Canning Cents!

 My new book is out! 
 Canning Cents, The Money-saving Whole-foods Handbook
Canning just makes sense… and dollars! My latest book teaches you how to get that fresh, farm-to-table taste by preserving your own organic produce and whole foods. Whether you're a canning pro or novice, this book is sure to become your go-to guide for canning foods with remarkable flavor and gourmet flair!

 Treat your family and friends to fresh organic produce, whole foods, and healthy choices—at a fraction of the grocery store price! 

With tons of helpful tips and instructions, I walk you through the process of preserving your own foods. It’s easier than you think! 

Stock your pantry with the delicious flavors of:

Whole Tomatoes with Herbs 
Mango Jalapeño Jam 
Peppery Grilled Onion Relish 
Mountain Man Beef Stew 

Once you’ve done the prep work, you’ll have a variety of ready-made meals your family will love. Invest in your health without spending a fortune.

The biggest money-saver is the section on homemade condiments including barbecue sauces, ketchup, and more...

Save dollars a jar when you make homemade jams and preserves.  
Spiced Peach butter is my favorite...

 I give out some of my gourmet dessert sauces and spreads too! 
You won't want to miss the blueberry lemon sauce. 

I'll help you learn the basics on canning acids foods like these vanilla cherries...

 Homemade pickles like my bread-n-butter pickles...

 There's also tons of recipes for remarkable relish and pickles galore...did I mention pickles galore?

Tomorrow I'll be on Good Morning Arizona, 3TV Phoenix with my easy jam recipes. 

Chef Tess Bakeresse™ Freeze Jam

No Cooking involved, just a few simple ingredients and you're on your way to fresh and delicious homemade jam!

Basic things to know:

• Most freezer jam uses a natural product called Freezer Jam Pectin.
• All freezer jam can also be made for fridge use, as long as it is used up in about 3 weeks.
• No special canning jars or equipment are needed for freezer jam!
• You can make it today at a very low cost by using seasonal produce.

ANY fruit into freezer jam basic recipe:

4 cups of crushed fruit

1 ½ cups sugar

1 Pouch of Ball Fruit Jell® freezer jam pectin

In a large glass 2 quart bowl, combine the pectin and sugar. Mix until well combined, about 1 minutes. Add the fruit, mashing well and combine 3 minutes. until well mixed. Add your choice of spices and flavorings. Put into 1 cup containers leaving 1/2 inch head space if you plan on freezing it. This recipe yields 5, 8 oz. freezer jars. Allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes until jam sets. Freeze up to one year in freezer containers or just put in the fridge and use within 3 weeks.

Chef Tess' Sugar Free Poached Pear and Pineapple Freezer Jam

2 cups cooked (or extremely ripe, fresh) peeled pears

2 cups crushed sugar free pineapple

1 pouch (2 in a package)Ball Fruit Jell Freezer Jam Pectin

1 1/2 cups spoon able xylitol, 24 drops of stevia, or Spenda

1/2 tsp each, LorAnn vanilla bean paste, LorAnn sweet dough emulsion, and Chef Tess Wise Women of the East Spice blend

In a large glass 2 quart bowl, combine the pectin and spoon able xylitol, stevia or Splenda. Mix until well combined, about 1 minutes. Add the fruit, mashing well and combine 3 minutes. until well mixed. Add the spices and flavorings. Put into 1 cup containers leaving 1/2 inch head space if you plan on freezing it. This recipe yields 5, 8 oz. freezer jars. Allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes until jam sets. Freeze up to one year in freezer containers or just put in the fridge and use within 3 weeks. It's that absolutely easy! Crazy right?!

There you go darlings!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Random Thoughts. Rocket Science and Home Canning

My next book is Rock Science for Dummies. Just kidding. I always feel like a nuclear physicist when I put my canning jars in my pressure canner. I don't know if it is because it looks like the canner is a spy satellite  that should be floating around  Mars. I don't know if I should be colliding atoms in it. It just feels like I need a better lab coat and some really nerdy goggles. 

This morning I got up a little early to get some beans and meat canned before my class.  The canner makes a hissing sputtering noise when it is processing jars.

 My husband kept asking me, "Should it be making the noise it was making?" 

He asked persistently, " Is that thing going to explode?" 

 My response was, "Yes on the first question.

 No explosions.

 Leave me alone, I'm a professional. 

I'm making your beans."

Silence. Gigggggle. Knee slapping.

Then I almost sat on the floor laughing. Beans. 

"Should it be making that noise?"

Do you get it? 

Don't worry. Ace didn't get my joke either.  I think I was just giggly tired and it was starting to show.  I think it is evidence that I have teenage boys that talk about gas way more than they should. 

I told him I just needed more chocolate covered cinnamon bears.

Ace just looked at me like I needed more sleep...and maybe a vacation.

There you go.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Join Me on Fox 10 for Home Canning 101 and get the Printable Tutorials here!

Tomorrow morning at 9:45 I'll be visiting the Fox 10 studio again for some fun with Rick D'Amico and Alexis Vance home canning! It's such an up and coming trend in food as people are wanting to get back to the basics that their grandma used to do. Well...things have changed since granny was in the kitchen and home canning is a lot safer than you may think. I'm excited to share the details with you! 

Remember that my Quick Cook Bean Giveaway ends Wednesday! You must go to that post and leave a comment there to enter. Yeah...go here.

Here are a few links that will be helpful:

My basics on Home Canning Safety 

My Jam and Marmalade Recipes

My Home Canning Recipes

I made Spiced Blueberry Vanilla Compote for pancakes and waffles. The big jars...because it's just pretty. If you see it on the show...don't pass out. 

Yes, it's basically the Spiced Blueberry Amaretto Jam...but use vanilla bean paste and double the blueberries. I found some stinkin' huge blueberries the size of cherries for 1.50$ a pint. I loaded up. So far, I haven't raised my own blueberries yet. However...this stuff just turned out so pretty. It's gloriously pretty! 

I also made  my husband's two favorite salsas
Homemade Tomatillo Salsa,

  
Roasted Tomato Fajita Salsa. 

as well as my favorite Peach Mango Jalapeno Jam. 

 If you've never made jam, my Jam Session Tutorial is pretty cool for seeing the steps. 

Also, if you want the printables:
Home Canning Safety 101
Utah State University Extension Office PDF on jam and jelly
Chef Tess Jam Session Tutorial

There you go! I'll catch you tomorrow on Fox 10.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess