Join the Jam Slam

We're Jamming and Slamming
Okey dokey. This sounds like a song by Little Richard. Max Wong at My Roman Apartment has challenged us all to "put up" 52 jams in 52 weeks. How close can you get to 52 jams?

Don't make jam?
That's fine. What do you preserve? The way I understand it, anything preserved counts. So my tomatoes and hot pepper jelly will be legal? I wonder if my pepper counts. Yes, I made pepper to sprinkle on food. I took some to a friend today. She could not believe anyone could make pepper...lol. Then, she snorted some. My friend, just sprinkle it!

According to Max
"For the sake of keeping things interesting and challenging, Jam Slam 2011 will count pickles and other varieties of preserved food as jam, because, frankly, Preserve Slam 2011 sounds scarily like one of those awful formal dances where your dad gives you a chastity ring."

Working bees
Her bees will be working too. Does honey from bees count as preserved? Even though the bees will be doing all the work making honey, Max will be the one to get the honey from the hive to the jars. I think the bees have the easier chores.

My plans
The first thing I will make is grape jelly. I have some Welch's grape juice, the kind in the glass jar, communion juice, if you will. I like grape jelly and won't consume it as quickly as I will consume grape juice. So, communion grape jelly, it is. The grape juice in big plastic containers has apple and pear juice, among other things. Now, I just despise apple juice, so will not buy the apple/pear/grape mixture. The Welch's in the small bottle is 100% grape juice, ONLY.

Next will be fig jam of some sort from figs I froze last fall. It seemed like a good idea at the time, so I whirred them in the blender. Now, it does not seem like such a good idea.

Winning at the fair
Max plans to win lots of ribbons at the fair. So do I. We both have won ribbons, and I am sure some of you have a clutch of ribbons, also, to brag about. No? Then, let's get started.

Picture on post
My pot in the picture is perfect for short jars. It can be used as a water bath canner with the insert pot. The inner pot is for steaming or for cooking pasta. By using this I can heat less water for the canning process. Fig jam selling or gifting is best in 8 oz or 4 oz jars. The little stick thing is the magnet for lifting lids. Yes, you can avoid buying this, but I boiled my fingers for decades and finally gave in. My funnel is at least 30 years old. I have another, given to me. Both are battered from having a drawer closed on them too many times. The small jar is hot pepper jelly and the larger is scuppernong jelly. Only the shorter jar will fit in the "canner" in the picture. That is not my house. I went on location for the photo.

Your turn
Who will click on My Roman Apartment and join the Jam Slam today? Have you ever won ribbons at the fair? Would you like to win one ribbon or more?