I have a friend who raves about this jam mix but I too am quite concerned with the safety of it, let alone the need for it to be included in a jam for flavoring. Just because the NCHFP approves the use of Jello in that one recipe, it still concerns me. I would rather just make straight fig jam with pectin and put in some strawberry pulp for the flavor balance, which is quite tasty, I must say. Jello is made from the hides,tendons,and bones of animals - well refined and resulting in base collagen but still an animal by-product. I am not a vegetarian but I would rather eat a pure fruit jam, thank you very much. And, since I sell jam at the farmers market, I would (according to my ethics) have to put it in the ingredients list as an animal by-product although the USDA does not describe it as such! Shoot! I have enough trouble explaining the lard in my pie crust. Eaten as part of the pie crust, lard is quite delicious, and nutritious, but to be canned with fruit to sit on a shelf or refrigerator doesn't appeal to me one bit. Besides, pressure canning meat is what I have been taught is the only acceptable method and you wouldn't PC a jam, so this is a NCHFP conundrum. On another note, since I bill my products as being fresh, naturally grown (no -cides), and as being free of artificial flavors and colors, Jello is not that, by far. Nancy

cooksnsews, although Canada has guidelines for canning and they are different in some instances than ours here in the states, they just don't seem to have the "oh my G*d, you're going to die if you do that" reaction to some old canning methods that we do here in the United States. For instance, I didn't water bath Chase's dill pickles when I made them for Dad Pickles get soft and mushy if they are BWB. I told Dad it wasn't recommended by the government agencies and he told me he was over 70 and would eat the blasted pickles the way he liked them, LOL. The reaction I got from my Canadian family members when Dad brought out homecanned dill pickles was something like "eh, you know they say you shouldn't do that any more". Here, even if I tell people how I canned them and what the ramifications could be, I will be chastised about poisoning my family and ebe told how those pickles should only be disposed of while wearing a haz-mat suit for fear of contamination. I think everyone should know the risks they are taking and then decide whether they want to take them. Being poisoned by jam is pretty low on the risk factor scale. As for water bathing jam, I've done it for years, Grandma even did it because she hated paraffin and found that lids were just so much more consistent. LindaC is the only person I know that still uses the stuff but I would eat her jam without a second thought, it's just not that big a danger. As I mentioned, I wouldn't conjecture about the chili sauce, because I don't know what's in it. Annie

You can make the jam without pectin. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/jam_without_pectin.html You can make it with liquid pectin. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/strawberry_jam_liquid.html Or you could do strawberry preserves. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/strawberry_preserves.html Assuming you know the proportions of strawberries and sugar you used. Rodney

This is our favorite...old fashioned preserves. * Exported from MasterCook * Strawberry Preserves Deluxe Recipe By : 1995 Ball Blue Book Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Preserving Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 1/2 quarts strawberries 5 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice Combine strawberries and sugar in a large saucepot. Let stand 3 to 4 hours. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice. Cook rapidly until strawberries are transparent and syrup is thick, about 10-12 minutes. Ladle into a shallow pan, Let stand, uncovered 12 to 24 hours in a cool place. Shake pan occasionally to distribute strawberries throughout syrup. Heat strawberries and syrup until hot throughout. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 20 minutes in a boiling water canner. Yield: "4 half-pints" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -