Mango Tango Berry Cherry Jam
Nothing goes to waste in my house, I can’t stand it! (If food does it goes to waist, not waste if you get my drift!) Throwing away food means throwing away money….anyway, I had a couple of mango’s that were nearly past their prime, a bowl full of delicious cherries and a couple of limes. Hmmm….so I checked my freezer where I found some frozen strawberries . Okay – to me that has the makings of jam!
I combined all the fruit and mashed it together with a potato masher. I squeezed the limes into fruit and then stirred it well. Then simply smelled it! Of course it was heaven in a pan, but I was trying to decide what would go with the unusual combination. Diving into the spices, I grabbed Chinese Five Spice, Curry, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Chili Powder – you never know what might be best….right?
Spices
After giving it the “sniff” test, I decided upon yellow curry and chili powder and began making the jam. First I stirred in a tablespoon of curry and a teaspoon of chili powder and just a pinch of salt. Next, I measured out 4 cups sugar (3 cups white sugar and 1 cup brown). From the white sugar I removed ¼ cup and mixed it together with the powdered Sure-Jell (using the low sugar powdered pectin option) and stirred it into the fruit. I added 1 tablespoon of butter – this helps keep the fruit from foaming when it’s boiling. Foam isn’t bad, but it’s not very appetizing in the jam.
mashed fruit
I brought the fruit to a rolling boil (a rolling boil is a boil you cannot stir down) and then added the remaining sugar and continued to stir constantly until the mixture came back to a rolling boil. After it had boiled for exactly one minute, removed it from the heat and ladled it into sterilized jars. I always take a damp towel and wipe off the tops of the jars. If there is any drippings on the top, they won’t seal properly. When they are clean, screw the tops on the jars (yes, you have to sterilize those too).
Whoops, not quite done yet….I finished the jam by putting the sealed jars into a “hot bath” – a boiling pot of water and processed them for 10 minutes before removing them and allowing them to cool on the counter. For about the next half hour, you’ll hear an occasional “popping” sound and that is the jam jars sealing. You can test the seal by pushing down on the top of the jar. It should be firm. If it doesn’t seal, you have the option of removing the lid, cleaning off the top of the jar and replacing the lid and processing it again or simply refrigerating that jar. Doesn’t happen very often though!
And then I was done. I had seven delicious jars of jam!
Mango Tango Berry Cherry Jam
I debated what to name my jam and “Kitchen Sink Jam” didn’t sound very appetizing or fun, so I’ve decided upon Mango Tango Berry Cherry Jam – sweet, spicy, tangy and so incredibly delicious combining some of your favorite summer fruits to make an amazing jam!
Mango Tango Berry Cherry Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries
- 2 mangoes
- 1 cup cherries
- 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- One pinch salt
- 1 box low sugar Sure-Jell the pink box
- 7 8 oz canning jars with lids
Instructions
- In a heavy stock pot, place the strawberries, mangoes, and pitted cherries. Add curry, chili powder and a pinch of salt. Using a potato masher, mash them by hand until they are crushed. You should have six cups of mashed fruit. If you do not, add the appropriate amount of water to increase the liquid to six cups.
- Measure ¼ cup of sugar and mix it with the contents of the Sure-Jell. Sprinkle it into the berry mixture and set it on the stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- When it comes to a hard boil (a hard boil is one you can't stir down with spoon) add the remaining sugar.
- Continue stirring constantly and return it to a boil and when it comes back to a hard boil, continue boiling it for exactly one full minute. (Set a timer to make sure you get it for a exactly one minute).
- Remove from the store & immediately ladle the jam sterilized jars. Place lids on jars, screw on tightly. Process in a hot bath for 10 minutes to seal the jars.
- Makes 7 eight oz. jars.
Nutrition
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