I think you could use the general fruit jam recipe. Does the insert include the directions for making your own "custom" jams?

Here's the link for one page of Pomona's recipes with the "Developing Your own Recipes" on the left.

Also, one of the other recipe pages has instructions for a grape butter that sounds good.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Pomona Recipes

I made a batch a couple of weeks ago. Some absurd amount, like two gallons of grapes, and I just dumped the calcium packet into the pot, and mixed the whole package of the pectin in with a couple cups of sugar, made sure it was all dissolved, then added a bit more sugar to taste. We got 20 pints, and it stiffened up perfectly.

Thanks david and readinglady - I took the plunge and it turned out fine.

I started with 3 lbs of concord grapes. I separated the skins from the guts and put the skins in the food processor to chop them up. I dumped the chopped-up skins in with the grape innards - big mistake! - and then cooked for about 10 minutes to separate the seeds from the grape goo. Unfortunately, my grand plan to push the mixture through a sieve was all for naught, since I had added the skins back in before I separated out the seeds. SO --- I spent the next half hour picking seeds out of the mixture. Not fun.

Anyway, after that was all done, I had 4 cups of grape sludge. Boy did it smell good! I then went by the Pomono custom jams recipe and used 4 tsp calcium water, a bit of lemon juice, and brought to a boil. Then added 1 cup of sugar mixed with 2 tsp pectin powder to the boiling mixture and did the "12 year old daughter taste test" - too tart, so I ended up adding another 1/2 cup of sugar. When all was said and done, I got about 4 1/2 jelly jars worth of the most amazing grape jam ever.

Actually, this is really bad. I won't be able to buy grocery store grape jam again!

Actually, this is really bad. I won't be able to buy grocery store grape jam again!

And..........WHY is that bad??? :+)
Hang around here long enough and there will be LOTS of things you won't buy anymore!

Deanna

Because Pomona doesn't need sugar to set, you can make jams and jellies out of mostly anything, including plain water! Grape jam, will be good so, but because Concords do have large seeds, they should be removed prior to cooking, if you want to keep grape skins left in. Halving each grape and removing the seeds can be a tedious task, but the end result is a more textured jam. To sweeten it a bit more, try adding some frozen grape juice concentrate. My batches of grape always had plenty of acid too, so the flavor of the grapes was not disguised by sugar.

Deanna - this forum is so inspiring! I have always made my own strawberry jam, but this year, this forum has been responsible for my making:

20- 1/2 pints strawberry jam
10- 1/2 pints strawberry-blueberry jam
6- 1/2 p. apricot jam
10- 1/2 p. peach jam
10- 1/2 p. spiced peach jam
4- 1/2 p jalapeno mint jelly
4 - 1/2 p. hot pepper jelly
peach salsa

I might have forgotten a few. My family is in heaven. We have a large farm store nearby (Lull farm) that's been the source of my fruits and vegetables this summer.

How do all of you store your canned items? I'm not happy that Ball is no longer selling their jars in boxes, but those flimsy cardboard pallets. Has anyone come up with a unique storage solution, rather than loose on a shelf?

Oh boy, have you hit a sore spot. I have a friend who sold her house and moved. She gave me some boxes of canning jars in the ORIGINAL boxes. Only a canner would understand when I say I kept the boxes and passed the jars on to my cousin!

I do place on shelves, but that doesn't work well for raspberry and strawberry jams, which tend to change color (fade and brown) if exposed to light. I keep an eye out for suitable boxes I can store them in.

Carol

That gives me a thought - doesn't U-Haul sell boxes with dividers in them for glassware? I don't remember the sizes that are available - it's been a long time since we've moved. Okay, I'm on a mission - I'll let you know.

ksrogers- I like that frozen grape juice concentrate idea. I'll probably end up making some more grape jam since it was such a hit yesterday. It'll be gone in no time, the way this family eats! I'm sad that I found the Pomona so late in the season. I would really have liked to make my strawberry jams without so much sugar. Next year!

Pomon a couple of moths ago was selling for under $2.50 per box, from a PA based store and farm stand. FrankFord farms was the name. I saw it advertised on their web site as they offer many all natural items, include their own whole wheat bread flour. They had to be called on the phone to place orders. Unfortunately, they only had that special sale for a short time. I bought 6 boxes from Pomona from them. as to frozen concentrates, I have also use frozen cranberry and a few other flavors to add to jellies. Another tip is to use Crystal Light drink flavors and mix with gelatin to make sugarless Jello.
I alway keep the empty canning jar boxes and usually have more empty boxes than jars, after a full season. I store many of my jars in a cabinet that has doors so they are not exposed to much light. Sometimes though, you can still get darkening even if you have them in the dark all the time. Thats usually from oxidation, so I will add ascorbic acid to most items that I know will darken later on.

Well, I paid about $3 per box for the Pomona - bought two. But, as you know, you can use the box for several batches. That, plus you save on sugar which is not cheap.

I bought some more Concords today, used grape concentrate as you suggested. It turned out just great. Had the whole family around "taste testing". I am so pleased with the Pomona - I will never willingly go back to Sure Gel from here on.

I agree about now being able to go back to store bought grape jam. Actually, I really didn't like store bought grape jam before I made my own. Last year's batch from purchased blue grapes never set up right but makes the most delicious belgian waffle topping. This year I got the grapes off the neighbor's vine. I chopped the skins more finely this time and made sure it set up before taking it off the heat. It all made it into the jars so I haven't tasted enough to evaluate how these grapes did relative to last years.

Made a batch of jam with Pomona and it turned out great. Used green Thompson Seedless grapes and just choped them up skins and all into a course mush. Used 4 cups of grapes to 4 teaspoons of calcium, 3 teaspoons of pectin, and 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and one cup water. Wonderful. Will never go back to Certo! Jim

Ken,
You're racking up converts fast!! LOL
I like Pomona's too. I still use Certo in some recipes, but only because I haven't experimented enough to know how to swap it out for the Pomona's.

ckknh: Try some homemade bread with all those jams. Your family is going to want it all the time though....beware!! Ha ha.

Deanna

Deanna: I've been making my own bread since college - don't get me started on that one! I must have about 30 Bread books! My husband bought me the best birthday gift ever last year: a heavy duty Viking mixer. I'd really wanted one for a long time, and my Kitchen Aid just wouldn't die. I love it! It makes the Kitchen Aid look like a wheezy old thing. I bet there's lots of bread bakers on this forum.

Back to Pomona - I just made some strawberry/blueberry jam yesterday with it. What I'm really liking about it is the freedom to make whatever quantity you want and not be confined to a rigid sugar/fruit/pectin ratio in order for the jam to set. If you've made jams and jelly for a long time like many of us, you have the experience to experiment with flavors and combos.

The biggest point of the use for Pomona is the making of items without any sugar added. Being diabetic, its very difficult to get some flavors in sugarless items. I also like to add some acid blend to some of my jellies if I over do the Splenda. This helps to bring up the flavor quite a lot. I do not like overly sweet jellies of jams, no matter how they are sweetened.
A side note, just made a batch of pizza dough for a friend, so he can enjoy topping with my tomatoes and also make use of the pizza stone I gave him. The dough has some whole wheat flour as well as regular flour, add some dried herbs and dried garlic as well as some olive oil. Its risen to twice its size while in the fridge overnight!

You'll have to be ready to photograph that pizza, Ken!
Might be huge. :+)

One of the things I like about Pomona's is that you can better estimate the number of jars you'll need. Rather than dumping in all the sugar at the end, it can be mixed in a large measuring cup and you know how many jars it will fill. Just an added bonus.

Deanna

My friend was amazed at how big the dough grew after it was in his fridge a few hours. I think he's planning on making a big 16 inch diameter pizza as thats the stone size I have him. My current pizza stone is 20 inches, and just barely fits in my oven front to back.

For the Pomona, I found that when I plan to add it to the liquid, its usually mixed and dissolved slightly in my blender, using some of juices of the jelly. Once blended, it looks like liquid Certo, and is quite thick. Its easily poured into the boiling juices. After a few minutes to totally dissolve it in the boiling juices, I add the calcium water. Even though you really don't need all of the calcium, I usually mix it all in if I am using a whole box of Pomona. Never saw a rubbery jelly yet, and for the slightly extra calcium, it doesn't seem to change the flavor, unless you have a really good set of taste buds. Even for that, calcium is good for you.

PS - Recipe Modifiacation
To the recipe above, also used a 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
Sorry - Jim

The directions with the Pomona pectin say to add the calcium water BEFORE the pectin/sugar. Not sure if it matters much, but I always do it in that order. As for Pomona pectic or any pectin with grape jam, if you are leaving in the grape skins why would you need any added pectin?!? Mashed or pureed grapes have lots of pectin in them, grape jam is one that doesn't actually need any pectin. Just cook it down a little bit. Not too long or you can actually make something like rubber. ;-) Mind you, if you ever make cactus fruit jelly, use a LOT of pectin, that stuff just doesn't want to set.

Marcia

The way I do the Pomona is the calcium water is added at the last. The pectin is mixed in a blender with some of the juices. I have never seen a failed set yet, even though I had made a big 24 jars batch of jelly uisng the Pomona.