Mango Strawberry Jam

This was my second round of canning and it wasn't as successful as my first round, unfortunately. Though the Jam tastes great, it was a bit runnier than the plum jam I had made the same night. I believe this is due to the amount of sugar I used since I cut it down a bit due to the sweetness of the Plum Jam. But, I don't know enough about making jams yet to know this for sure. I will say, though, it tastes WONDERFUL!

Note: Before canning you should santize and heat the cans. I do this by putting them in my dishwasher with a bit a detergent and turning heat dry on. The jars NEED to be hot when you pour in your jam or else the cool glass will crack when it's filled with hot jam.

Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 Mango
1 Box of Strawberries
1/2 Cup of Water
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
3 Cups Sugar*
1 Package of Powdered Pectin (I used Sure-Jell)

Directions:
-Chop up the mango and the strawberries. The larger the fruit chunks the chunkier your jam will be. If you want your jam to be more jelly-like make the pieces smaller.

-Combine the mangos, water, and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil while stiring constantly. Then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes (longer if you want the jam to be less chunky), stir occasionally.

-Add the Pectin to the fruit and stir well. Then stir in the sugar. Increase heat and bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 10-15 or until you get the texture you desire.

-Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Scoop the foam off the top if desired.

-Scoop the jam into canning jars leaving a 1/4 inch space from the top of the jar and wipe the rims and threads of the can to remove jam (to reduce spoilage). Secure with lids and bands.

-In your canning pot, bring water to a boil and then place the jars onto the raised rack or using whatever canning method you desire. Make sure the water covers the jars with 1-2 inches of water. Boil between 5-10 minute (the higher your elevation, the more you need to boil the jars, I am in Phoenix and usually boil for 8 minutes).

-Remove jars from the boiling water and set on a cooling rack to cool for 12-18 hours. After the cooling period you can test the lids by pressing in on the top. If the lids move up and down they are not secure and you need to refridgerate and use these jars right away. Any others can be stored and kept for up to a year!

*You can substitute the sugar for Agave if you prefer a sugar-free mixture. I haven't tried this yet but I'm told about one cup of Agave for every cup of fruit works. It will yield less jam than sugar, though.

My Results: Great tasting but a little runny. I think if I had boiled it longer after adding the sugar it would have jellied up a bit more. However, it still tastes wonderful and I look forward to getting more strawberries soon so I can prepare it again.   http://www.ecofriendlyandfrugal.com/2010/09/bountiful-basket-recipe-3-mango.html