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How to Fix (or Remake) Jam or Jelly That Turns Out Too Soft or Runny
Related topics
Sometimes after you have bottled (canned) your jam or jelly and let it cool, you open a jar, only to find it hasn't set properly an d is too runny! If your jam or jelly turns out too soft or runny, don't despair, and don't throw it away! It can be fixed! Here's how!
If the jam is too thick, before you put it in the jars, just heat 1 or 2 cups of grape juice (or any other fruit juice of similar or neutral taste, like apple or white grape) to boiling. Then, gradually pour and stir it in until you reach the desired consistency, then continue canning!
If the jars are already sealed / canned, then when you use them, just stir in a little grape juice until you reach the desired thickness.
If the jam turns out too runny, that is a little different to fix. Here's how:
Ingredients
- The jars of jam to be remade
- No-sugar type pectin
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
Supplies
- New lids for the jars (you can reuse the rings and wash the jars.)
Step 1 -Determine how much jam or jelly needs to be remade
Measure the jam or jelly to be recooked. Work with no more than 4 to 6 cups
at a time. Check all the jars from the batch - if one failed to set, most or all
probably failed. You can check by just turning them upside down and seeing
how quickly the jam or jelly shlooshes* around in the jar.
(* - Schloosh - from the old German verb, "schushen" meaning to flop around like a
freshly caught trout)
Add up the volumes of all the jars to be reworked, to figure out the size of the batch (in quarts) for step 2.
1 qt = 32 oz = 2 pints = four 8oz jars = eight 4oz jars).
Open the jars to be fixed and dump them all into a large pot.
Since you will probably want to reuse the jars, get the now emptied jars washing in the dishwasher.
Step 2 - Measure out additional pectin, water, sugar and lemon juice
If you are using powdered pectin:
For each quart of jam or jelly to be fixed, mix ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup water or white grape juice, 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin in a large pot. For the average batch of about 4 quarts total, that would be 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water or juice and about 1/4 cup lemon juice, plus about 1/2 box pectin, preferably the no-sugar variety.
If you are using liquid pectin:
For each quart of jelly, measure ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons liquid pectin in a large pot.
Step 3 - Bring to a boil
Bring the pectin mixture to a boil while stirring. Add the jam jelly and bring to a rolling boil again, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Once it is a rolling boil, boil hard for 45 to 60 seconds (1 minute).
Step 4 - Remove, from heat, skim and fill the jars
Remove from heat, and quickly skim the foam off jam or jelly.
Fill sterile jars (automatic dishwashers often have a sanitize setting, otherwise, wash and dry and add 5 minutes to the processing time), leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust new lids (don't reuse the previous lids, they are single use) and...
Step 5 - Process in the water bath
... process as recommended in the table below.
| Recommended process time for Remade Soft Jellies in a boiling-water canner. | |||
| Process Time at Altitudes of | |||
| Jar Size* | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| Half-pints or pints | 5 min | 10 | 15 |
*Larger sizes are generally not recommended for jams and jellies
Lessons learned
If the jam was too runny, then next time you might want to add about 20% more pectin to start with, or make sure you bring to a full hard boil for 1 minute (not less, and not more than a few seconds longer).
If it was too thick, add a little less pectin, and/or a bit of fruit juice before you cook it!
Feedback
- A visitor writes on November 05, 2010: "Your "How To Fix Runny Jam" worked great for me too. I made the "Grapefruit Marmalade" from the "Ball Blue Book of Preserving", but it didn't set at all. Marmalade is not usually as set as jam, but it's not liquid, which mine was. I reprocessed using your instructions and it worked perfectly, for a 16-cup batch no less. "
- A visitor writes on July 17, 2010: "Thank you for your method to fix runny jam. I used it on my kumquat jam and it worked beautifully. My three little kumquat trees bear lots of fruit and I make jam every year with more or less success. This year it is the best ever - I have never made such beautifully set jam. Wish you could taste it too. Kind Regards, Claire"
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