Canning Squash Jam

When you are growing squash... it's feast or famine! When squash grows well, it REALLY grows well. You eat squash every day... you can it, freeze it, fry it, bake it, casserole it, make it into bread, soup, salad... give it to your friends, neighbors, co-workers... leave it in baskets on strangers' doorsteps, ring the bell and run!

So... while browsing the www looking for squash recipes, I happened upon this recipe for squash jam and was immediately intrigued... some creative person apparently with a bumper crop of squash, had put together this recipe and I just had to give it a try.

Here's what I did...

The recipe...

6 cups squash, grated or shredded

5 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple

1 package powdered pectin (Sure-Jel)

3 oz. package strawberry Jello (or any other flavor Jello that strikes your fancy)

4 teaspoons minced crystallized ginger

I grated my squash.

In a saucepan, I put the grated squash and the 1/4 cup of water, brought it to a boil and simmered until the squash was soft.

Then I added the pectin and brought the mixture to a hard boil (hard boil is a boil that cannot be stirred down)

I added the 5 cups of sugar, all at once.

Stirred in the can of crushed pineapple.

And added the minced ginger.

I brought the mixture back to a hard boil and boiled for 5 minutes.

I removed the pot from the heat, then added the package of strawberry Jello, stirring it in well.

I ladled the hot mixture into hot half-pint canning jars, leaving a half inch of headspace.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth.

Using my magnetic wand gadget, I took the hot lids from the simmering water and sealed them onto the jars to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars of jam from the water bath using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

The jam is so pretty in the jars with the addition of strawberry Jello giving it a rosy red color. With the texture of the grated squash, this jam is kinda marmalade-ish in texture, and very sweet. I think, next time I may use orange or lemon Jello.

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