I love fall. Here in Maine, leaves have aged to rich, deep shades of red and orange, the nights are chilly, and the days crisp–though often gloriously sunny at the same time.

Cranberry-Apple Chutney

Recipe by Allison Carroll Duffy

Yield

4-5 half-pint (8 ounce) jars

To Do Ahead of Time

Prepare the calcium water. To do this, combine 1/2 teaspoon white calcium powder (included in the Pomona’s Universal Pectin package) with 1/2 cup water in a small, clear container with a lid. Shake well before using. Note that you will have more calcium water than you will end up using in this recipe; simply store it in the refrigerator for later use.

Ingredients

24 ounces (two 12 oz bags) of fresh cranberries
½ pound apples (about 2 small apples)
⅔ cup diced onion
2 tablespoons peeled, finely-minced ginger root
1 tablespoon mustard seed
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups water
2 teaspoons calcium water
1 ⅓ cups sugar
2 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

Directions

1.) Wash and rinse jars, lids, and screw bands. Set screw bands aside until ready to use. Place jars in boiling water bath canner with a rack, fill at least 2/3 of the way full with water, and bring to a boil. Boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize (add 1 additional minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level), then turn down heat and let jars stand in hot water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small pan, bring to a low simmer, and hold there until ready to use.

2.) Rinse cranberries, then set aside.

3.) Peel and core the apples, discarding peel and cores. Then dice the apples.

4.) Combine the cranberries, diced apples, diced onion, minced ginger, mustard seed, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, vinegar, and the 1 ½ cups water in a large sauce pan. Cover the mixture and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, still covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat.

5.) Transfer the mixture into a bowl or other heat-proof container. Then, measure out 4 cups of the mixture. (If you have any left over, you can use it for something else.) Pour the measured quantity of the mixture back into the sauce pan. Add the calcium water, then stir to combine.

6.) In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and the pectin powder. Mix well and set aside.

7.) Put the sauce pan on the stove and bring the cranberry-apple mixture up to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the sugar-pectin mixture, then stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, still over the highest heat, to dissolve pectin. Return the chutney to a boil, then remove from heat.

8.) Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with chutney, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).

9.) Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, return the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)

10.) Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner.

11.) Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed. Remove screw bands from sealed jars, rinse off outside of jars if necessary, label jars, and store for later use.

Pomona’s Pectin at the 2019 World Food Championships

in Dallas, Texas

This year’s World Food Championship took place in Dallas, Texas and included a wonderful new event, the Biscuits and Jampionship! Donna Collins, owner and chef of The Jelly Queen, was the brains and brawn behind putting this event together and we were proud to partner with her in sponsoring the event.

Over the summer, numerous contestants signed up online and began crafting their wonderful recipes for submission. Ten winners were selected for the final cook-off in Dallas this October and we are proud to introduce the winners to you!

1st place prize, and Jelly King title, belongs to Acie Vincent. Acie owns and operates The Redneck Chef and describes his life passions as cooking, art, and family. His award winning recipe was the Carolina Reaper Pineapple Mango Jam.

2nd place went to Sheri Valencia for her Hot Pepper Jam. She says, “Being able to cook in front of a crowd is an experience I will never forget. Earning 2nd place at this well sought after achievement was a dream come true… I will probably be giving up my day job soon.”

3rd place went to Kisha Washington, award winning chef and culinary entrepreneur. Her Pineapple Lime Coconut Jam delighted the judges! She says, “It is such a great recipe, I love trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone. That’s one thing I strive for in business and competition. I love getting out of the box and creating an amazing food experience.”

Two others of the the top ten contestants were Chelsea Madren, a food & travel writer who crafted her Huli Huli Jam, and Donna Kelly, a special victims prosecutor and dedicated food enthusiast. Her recipe was a Smoked Peach Habanero Jam.

All in all, the event was a wonderful success and we give all ten top finalists a hearty round applause! We look forward to sharing their wonderful recipes with you in the next Jam Notes. A big thank you to Donna Collins, The Jelly Queen, for bringing this new event to the World Food Championships and we look forward to next year!

Well done to this year’s competitors, and a big CONGRATULATIONS to Arcie Vincent… all hail the JELLY KING!

Back to School with Pomona Pectin

Recently, jam making enthusiasts, Janet Lehr and Jamie Mulkey taught their craft to a group of students at Placer Adult School in Auburn, California.

The eight attendees made Mixed Berry and Blackberry Cabernet jams using Pomona’s Pectin. The students were enthusiastic learners. They loved using Pomona’s Pectin and appreciated the flexibility of being able to create multiple batches of jam.

The biggest “aha moment” for students was learning that with Pomona’s Pectin you have the ability to use different types of sweeteners as well as varied amounts, depending on each student’s desired taste and preference.

Students each left the class with a box of Pomona’s Pectin to start their own jamming adventures!

Thank you Pomona’s Pectin for helping new jammers continue the tradition of making and preserving jam.

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