Thread: tomato plinks and peach jam questions

Songbird.....I like hearing the plink sound to!

I bought a half bushel of peaches from S.Carolina (I'm in Ohio) for $16
so $20-$25 a bushel is a great price!.....this was my first try at peach
jam and my recipe called for 4 c.finely chopped fruit.....(the pieces
floated towards the top so next time I will run then through the food
processor first).....it tastes great and I got 6 half pints from the
recipe......I canned the rest......so if you make jam out of the whole
bushel you should get more than 18 pints......I found Red Haven were a
little more tart than S.Carolina.....I tossed them in Fruit Fresh then
added some sugar and ate them with milk poured over them........I didn't
toss the ones in the jam in Fruit Fresh so I hope they don't turn
brown....I water bathed the jam for 10 minutes.

Hopefully a pro can advise you better than me......Carol

On 8/28/2011 12:51 AM, songbird wrote:
> 17 quarts today.
>
> the plinks are nice sounds to go to
> sleep by.
>
> might need to pick again tomorrow
> already. we've been on a four day
> schedule so far this tomato canning
> season, but there were a lot of
> orange ones out there friday when
> we picked last time so there might
> be more ready. the sunny weather
> moves them along.
>
>
> and now for questions for the
> wise jam makers of r.f.p.
>
> i've been eyeing bushels of peaches
> for putting some up, but cannot quite
> convince myself what a good price would
> be for them (other than free )? i
> think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
> sounds expensive to me at that price
> but i can stretch it with some free
> rhubarb too.

Sounds expensive to me. When I buy fruit to make jams and jellies I try
to get the fruit at costs below $1.00 per lb. Often I can find marked
down stuff for that price. An example: the local Kroger store produce
people go through the delicate fruits on a daily basis. If I can get
there in time and talk to them I can get a net bag, weighing about 5 lbs
of peaches, plums, pears, etc. for a buck a bag. The fruit is slightly
bruised but okay for making jams and jellies.
>
> how many jars of peach jam would i
> expect to put up from a bushel? i'm
> guessing around 14-18 pints.

Look at your recipe, it should tell you how many lbs or cups of the
fruit would be needed for one batch, multiple that by the number of
batches you want to make or divide the weight or cups of your bushel and
you've got it wired.
>
> also as for variety, is there one
> that works well for jam (keeps color
> instead of turning brown)? at the moment
> there is some peach called red haven
> at the fruit stands.
>
>
> songbird
The only way I've ever kept peach jam from browning was to stir
constantly at a low heat. Maybe Barb knows how to keep it pretty, mine
usually ends up a light brown but tastes good.

On Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:51:51 -0400, songbird <[email protected]>
wrote:

> 17 quarts today.
>
> the plinks are nice sounds to go to
>sleep by.
>
> might need to pick again tomorrow
>already. we've been on a four day
>schedule so far this tomato canning
>season, but there were a lot of
>orange ones out there friday when
>we picked last time so there might
>be more ready. the sunny weather
>moves them along.
>
>
> and now for questions for the
>wise jam makers of r.f.p.
>
> i've been eyeing bushels of peaches
>for putting some up, but cannot quite
>convince myself what a good price would
>be for them (other than free )? i
>think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
>sounds expensive to me at that price
>but i can stretch it with some free
>rhubarb too.
>
> how many jars of peach jam would i
>expect to put up from a bushel? i'm
>guessing around 14-18 pints.
>
> also as for variety, is there one
>that works well for jam (keeps color
>instead of turning brown)? at the moment
>there is some peach called red haven
>at the fruit stands.
>
>
> songbird

I found this information in an older Ball Blue Book. They seem to
have stopped putting it in the book.

Peaches, 1 bushel should weigh about 48 pounds. It will take 18 to 24
quart jars, 2 to 3 pounds per 1 quart jar.

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

In article <[email protected]>,
songbird <[email protected]> wrote:

> and now for questions for the
> wise jam makers of r.f.p.
>
> i've been eyeing bushels of peaches
> for putting some up, but cannot quite
> convince myself what a good price would
> be for them (other than free )? i
> think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
> sounds expensive to me at that price

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/peach_sliced.html

Fifty-five cents a pound is mighty cheap, kiddo.
I can't get Colorado peaches for less about $1.15/lb. I think I paid
about $18 for a lug of 16# a couple weeks ago.

> but i can stretch it with some free
> rhubarb too.
>
> how many jars of peach jam would i
> expect to put up from a bushel? i'm
> guessing around 14-18 pints.
>
> also as for variety, is there one
> that works well for jam (keeps color
> instead of turning brown)? at the moment
> there is some peach called red haven
> at the fruit stands.
>
>
> songbird

My only concern about which peach to buy is that it be a freestone. I
dump a glug of vinegar into the cold water the blanched peaches go into
before I peel them. I've never had a big problem with the flesh
browning. I don't know what the early California peaches are but Mom
always liked the Elbertas for canning. She didn't make peach jam.

A pectin leaflet usually has information about how much (weight) fruit
to buy to make the measure of prepared fruit.


--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller August 24, 2011

In article <4e5a32ed$0$2977$[email protected]> ,
George Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 8/28/2011 12:51 AM, songbird wrote:
> > be for them (other than free )? i
> > think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
> > sounds expensive to me at that price
> > but i can stretch it with some free
> > rhubarb too.
>
> Sounds expensive to me.

If a bushel of peaches weighs 48#, that's pretty danged cheap, Jorge.

> When I buy fruit to make jams and jellies I try to get the fruit at
> costs below $1.00 per lb.


> > songbird

> The only way I've ever kept peach jam from browning was to stir
> constantly at a low heat. Maybe Barb knows how to keep it pretty, mine
> usually ends up a light brown but tastes good.

Hmm, I don't have any particular trouble with browning, George. <shrug>
This year's batch got a 3rd place ribbon at the state fair.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller August 24, 2011

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Carol S) wrote:

> Songbird.....I like hearing the plink sound to!
>
> I bought a half bushel of peaches from S.Carolina (I'm in Ohio) for $16
> so $20-$25 a bushel is a great price!.....this was my first try at peach
> jam and my recipe called for 4 c.finely chopped fruit.....(the pieces
> floated towards the top so next time I will run then through the food
> processor first).....it tastes great and I got 6 half pints from the
> recipe......I canned the rest......so if you make jam out of the whole
> bushel you should get more than 18 pints......I found Red Haven were a
> little more tart than S.Carolina.....I tossed them in Fruit Fresh then
> added some sugar and ate them with milk poured over them........I didn't
> toss the ones in the jam in Fruit Fresh so I hope they don't turn
> brown....I water bathed the jam for 10 minutes.
>
> Hopefully a pro can advise you better than me......Carol

Running them through the food processor isn't going to prevent the fruit
from floating, Carol. I use a potato masher to do the job (or my hands
if I'm feeling squishy about it all). Keeping the fruit nicely
distributed can be tricky -- if the fruit is too floaty I turn the
sealed jars upside down for a while and then right them.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller August 24, 2011

On 8/28/2011 8:00 AM, The Cook wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:51:51 -0400, songbird<[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> 17 quarts today.
>>
>> the plinks are nice sounds to go to
>> sleep by.
>>
>> might need to pick again tomorrow
>> already. we've been on a four day
>> schedule so far this tomato canning
>> season, but there were a lot of
>> orange ones out there friday when
>> we picked last time so there might
>> be more ready. the sunny weather
>> moves them along.
>>
>>
>> and now for questions for the
>> wise jam makers of r.f.p.
>>
>> i've been eyeing bushels of peaches
>> for putting some up, but cannot quite
>> convince myself what a good price would
>> be for them (other than free )? i
>> think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
>> sounds expensive to me at that price
>> but i can stretch it with some free
>> rhubarb too.
>>
>> how many jars of peach jam would i
>> expect to put up from a bushel? i'm
>> guessing around 14-18 pints.
>>
>> also as for variety, is there one
>> that works well for jam (keeps color
>> instead of turning brown)? at the moment
>> there is some peach called red haven
>> at the fruit stands.
>>
>>
>> songbird
>
> I found this information in an older Ball Blue Book. They seem to
> have stopped putting it in the book.
>
> Peaches, 1 bushel should weigh about 48 pounds. It will take 18 to 24
> quart jars, 2 to 3 pounds per 1 quart jar.
>
One of the problems I found at the local farmers markets is that it
seems their bushels are smaller than the bushels I grew up with. Looked
to be more like a half bushel. Since the produce wasn't in baskets but
cardboard totes it was pretty evident. I'll try to weigh them next time.

]http://www.pickyourown.org/pdfs/peachjam.pdf[/URL] here is a link I used and the jam turned out great, enjoy

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> songbird wrote:
>> > be for them (other than free )? i
>> > think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
>> > sounds expensive to me at that price
>> > but i can stretch it with some free
>> > rhubarb too.
>>
>> Sounds expensive to me.
>
> If a bushel of peaches weighs 48#, that's pretty danged cheap, Jorge.

i suspect it's not a 48 pound bushel.


....
>> The only way I've ever kept peach jam from browning was to stir
>> constantly at a low heat. Maybe Barb knows how to keep it pretty, mine
>> usually ends up a light brown but tastes good.
>
> Hmm, I don't have any particular trouble with browning, George. <shrug>
> This year's batch got a 3rd place ribbon at the state fair.




songbird

The Cook wrote:
....
> I found this information in an older Ball Blue Book. They seem to
> have stopped putting it in the book.
>
> Peaches, 1 bushel should weigh about 48 pounds. It will take 18 to 24
> quart jars, 2 to 3 pounds per 1 quart jar.

ok, so it's roughly the same as tomatoes...
thanks.


songbird

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>songbird wrote:

>> and now for questions for the
>> wise jam makers of r.f.p.
>>
>> i've been eyeing bushels of peaches
>> for putting some up, but cannot quite
>> convince myself what a good price would
>> be for them (other than free )? i
>> think i can get them for about $20-25/bu.
>> sounds expensive to me at that price
>
> http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/peach_sliced.html
>
> Fifty-five cents a pound is mighty cheap, kiddo.
> I can't get Colorado peaches for less about $1.15/lb. I think I paid
> about $18 for a lug of 16# a couple weeks ago.

i had talked myself out of canning peaches this
year because we are running short of jars already
and the processing is tough on my back, but then
i ran into a friend today who offered me free
peaches for the picking. so now i'm probably
going to do it after all.

she's not sure if they are freestone or not
but she says they are super sweet and white.
no idea what kind. i love canned peaches and
jams, this is too good to pass up.


....
> My only concern about which peach to buy is that it be a freestone. I
> dump a glug of vinegar into the cold water the blanched peaches go into
> before I peel them. I've never had a big problem with the flesh
> browning. I don't know what the early California peaches are but Mom
> always liked the Elbertas for canning. She didn't make peach jam.

all of the recipes talk about lemon juice,
citric acid or ascorbic acid to keep them
from going brown. i would hope they don't as
the strawberry jam i did early this summer
is turning and i'm not happy with that. the
taste wasn't that great either. it was a low
sugar recipe and pectin, followed the recipe
exactly. won't do that again. waste of good
strawberries.

i've not put up peach jam before.


> A pectin leaflet usually has information about how much (weight) fruit
> to buy to make the measure of prepared fruit.

about three pounds to the quart seems good
enough for what i needed to know. how many jars
to make sure i have on hand.


songbird

In article <[email protected]>,
songbird <[email protected]> wrote:

> all of the recipes talk about lemon juice, citric acid or ascorbic
> acid to keep them from going brown. i would hope they don't as the
> strawberry jam i did early this summer is turning and i'm not happy
> with that. the taste wasn't that great either. it was a low sugar
> recipe and pectin, followed the recipe exactly. won't do that again.
> waste of good strawberries.

> songbird

Red fruits tend to get brownish if there's no sugar involved when
they're made into jam. How does your jam taste? Did you use any sugar?
Sugar helps preserve the color. I've never had cooked peaches go brown.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller August 24, 2011

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>songbird wrote:
>
>> all of the recipes talk about lemon juice, citric acid or ascorbic
>> acid to keep them from going brown. i would hope they don't as the
>> strawberry jam i did early this summer is turning and i'm not happy
>> with that. the taste wasn't that great either. it was a low sugar
>> recipe and pectin, followed the recipe exactly. won't do that again.
>> waste of good strawberries.
>
> Red fruits tend to get brownish if there's no sugar involved when
> they're made into jam. How does your jam taste? Did you use any sugar?
> Sugar helps preserve the color. I've never had cooked peaches go brown.

it did have some sugar added. i used the
recipe off the label of the low sugar pectin.

the jam is rather bland, i know i didn't
add too much water or over process it. i'm
hoping it isn't a problem with the variety
of berry, but next season i'll have a second
kind to work with. also, the berries were
ripe as i was eating them as i was picking
them.

thanks for info on peaches, was just talking
to a neighbor who has put up a lot of peaches
and she said she never had them go brown on her
when doing them in syrup and she dipped them
in diluted lemon juice after slicing. also
she said to put a few pits in each jar which i
had just read about in an ancient cookbook but
had not seen elsewhere.


songbird