Cranberries, Apples and Cinnamon, Oh My!
What says holidays more than cranberries, apples and cinnamon? Well, presents, maybe. And bills, probably. But I much prefer the smell of cranberries to the smell of my smoking credit card.
I have been doing a lot of canning this year, and I recently contributed for a partial case of cranberries through Bountiful Baskets. I made homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, which was good and oh so much easier than I thought. But post-cranberry sauce, I was sort of at a loss for what to do with the rest of my cranberries. I froze some, dehydrated some, and made this amazing jam out of the rest. If I had started with the jam, I'm pretty sure none of the cranberries would have made it into the dehydrator.
I got this recipe from www.sbcanning.com. Her site is amazing, whether you're an experienced canner or a beginner. She has great, safe recipes, tips and tricks, and she's more than happy to answer questions. I'm giving you the recipe exactly as it is on her site, because you should always follow an approved recipe for canning.
Cranapple Cinnamon Jam
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 cups chopped apples
- 2 cups apple juice or water
- 2 - 3" cinnamon sticks
- 2 T. bottled lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 T. Ball flex batch low sugar no sugar pectin
Prepare 4 half pint jars, lids, and rings.
In a stainless steel pot combine cranberries, apples, and juice/water. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Once at a boil reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes until cranberries start popping and apples are becoming soft. Add cinnamon sticks and cook an additional 15 minutes stirring occasionally at a simmer. Add sugar and bottled lemon juice to the mixture and bring back to a boil. Remove cinnamon sticks. Add pectin and boil for an additional minute without stirring. Turn off heat and remove from flame. Stir recipe and it should be thicker than before.
Ladle into your sterilized jars and fill to 1/4" headspace. Remove air bubbles and refill to proper headspace if needed. Wipe rims, add hot lids and rings and place jars in water bath canner. Process jars in canner for 10 minutes once the water come back to a full rolling boil.
Remove jars and let cool on the counter overnight. Remove the ring for long term storage.