We're Jammin

     Hello. My name is Eric Simpson, and I look forward to sharing with you today my first canning experience as I prepare pepper jam. Pepper jam can be used in everything from dips to meat. My arm had to be twisted a little the first time I ever tried pepper jam, but once I tried it, I was hooked. Not only is this my first canning experience, it is also one of my first cooking experiences beyond heating something up in the microwave. My goal today is to share with you the steps to making and preserving pepper jam using fruits grown in my garden. As I knew nothing about canning or making jam, I went to the Ball Canning website to research the canning process because they are one of the oldest and most well-known canning resources. Many of the steps that I will demonstrate in the canning process could be applied to the preserving of any fruit or vegetable. 

     The basic process for making jam is fairly simple. I began my research for this assignment by looking for the perfect recipe. My first goal was to locate a recipe that utilized the peppers I had growing in my garden, and was also easy enough for me to learn how to prepare pepper jam. After researching several sites, I located the recipe I wanted to use and a list of supplies I would use at Cooks.com, and I chose the process I would follow from the directions found on the Ball Canning website. During my research, I was a little surprised to learn that peppers are a fruit and not a vegetable as I had thought. In researching the types of peppers that I had growing, I also learned from The Nibble – Great Food Finds that the heat, or the pungency level, is produced by the capsaicin found in peppers. A website called Miss Vickie’s Pressure Cooker Recipes outlined the Scoville Scale. It is the scale by which the heat or intensity of peppers is rated. The greater the number of Scoville Heat Units, the hotter the pepper. In my garden I had four varieties of peppers; bells, bananas, jalapenos, and cayennes. On the Scoville Heat Units Scale, the bell pepper ranks a very low of zero heat units, the jalapeno scores 5,000 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units, The bananas is scored at 5-10,000 Scoville Heat Units, and the hottest of my four peppers is the cayenne, which is typically rated from 30,00 to 50,000 Scoville Heat Units. I gathered fresh, vine-ripened fruit from the garden, and then washed them in preparation for making my jam. Along with pictures of the peppers that I used, here are some pictures of my garden that I took prior to making the pepper jam.

     Once I had gathered my fruit, I began the process of washing and preparing the peppers. First, I had to dice and prepare the fruit. Removing the seeds and ribs of the peppers is required before placing the peppers into the food processor. The recipe from Cooks.com instructs that peppers are to be processed until they are “finely diced”. The Nibble – Great Food Finds site cautioned that handling hot peppers is best done with gloves on so the capsaicin contained in the ribs and seeds of the pepper is not absorbed by the skin and cause pain. Here is a picture I took of my peppers once they had been diced in the food processor and mixed with the ingredients.

     Now that the fruit has been prepared, the glass jars sterilized, and the supplies gathered, it was time to begin the cooking process.  Using my recipe from Cooks.com, I cooked all of my ingredients until they reach a “bull boil”, which is a hard rolling boil that can not be stirred down.  The Ball Canning website explained the critical importance of adding pectin so that your jam will “set”. When shopping for this assignment, I found both a powdered and liquid variety of pectin. I selected liquid over powdered pectin based on the recommendation of the recipe from Cooks.com. The pectin is added at the point that the bull boil is reached. I was unable to take pictures of my jam as it reached its boiling stage because I was preparing to add my pectin. My Cooks.com recipe advised to continue the boil for a full 60 seconds after the last package of pectin was added.  I never imagined that one of the side benefits to this assignment would be clear sinuses!  The smell of all of those peppers and apple cider vinegar sure cleansed my nasal passages and filled the whole house with the unmistakable aroma of freshly cooked peppers.

     Now that I have followed the recipe, it is time to ladle the jam into the sterile, previously prepared canning jars. Preparation of the canning jars was completed based on the directions found at the Ball Canning website.  Per the Ball Canning website, in order for the rubber gasket to make a complete seal around the perimeter of the jar, it is critically important to ensure that the rims of the jars are free of jam and are clean.  I used a canning funnel to reduce any spills while ladling my jam into the jars, and then placed the lids and bands on the canning jars. I photographed the ladling of the jam and the jars with the lids and bands.

     Now that the jam is in the jars, it is time to clean up and prepare the jars for the water bath which will ensure they are sealed. According the Ball Canning website, placing your jars in a water bath is the final step to ensuring a complete seal which will preserve your jam and ensure the safety of your consumers. Bacteria, including Botulism, can form in your jam if your jars are not properly sealed. Step by step instructions on this process can be found on the Ball Canning website.  Pictures of my dirty dishes ready for clean-up, along with pictures of my finished pepper jam both in canning jars and served on cream cheese were taken to share the finished product with the audience.

   I would like to conclude my demonstration today by sharing that I have learned a great deal about peppers and the process of making jam through my research for this presentation. My goal today was to share with you the steps to making and preserving pepper jam using fruit grown in my garden. I hope this presentation has been interesting enough for you to try pepper jam, or at least to try making a jam out of your favorite fruit.  I hope that you have enjoyed “Jammin” with me, and that you  feel your “hot pepper” juices flowing. Thank you! I appreciate your time, and hope I have raised your interest in “Jammin”.