figs, frozen strawberries, iron pot, black mess

I tried to make a jam with fresh figs and frozen strawberrries,
probably old. Cooked in an iron pot. It turned into a black mess
rather quickly. What is going on here? A reaction between the figs
and strawberrries, or freezer burned strawberries, or the iron pot and
strawberries?

I finally baked it down into a tar.

The recipe for fig/strawberry jam using gelatin is not for me. I would
not have used frozen strawberries, except they were given to me.

Also, I want to preserve figs without adding sugar. I tried just
cooking them down to jelling temperature, about 220F, and boiling water
bathed for 10 minutes. Is that safe? Has the USDA or FDA given
guidelines on no-sugar cooking? If not, why not?

[Only registered users can see links. ] wrote:
Figs and cast iron don't go well together. I put up numerous fig
preserves and fig jam jars annually and have never burned them. I always
use a non-reactive pot, either enamel or stainless steel. I do use sugar
as they jell much quicker with it but have done them sans sugar, you
just use a lower heat and have to stir continuously. Sounds like you got
in a hurry, and, IMHO, were using the wrong pot.

George

In article <1155127325.078521.33930@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups. com>,
[Only registered users can see links. ] wrote:


I don't know ‹ maybe Ellen, George, or Bob knows.


Lucky thing, you. :-0(

Did they actually gel or was the end result something more like thick
and gooey/gummy? Based on your comment about baking tar, I'm wondering
about the latter. I ask because in lists of pectin content for jamming
with various fruits, figs are Group III, (always require additional
pectin and/or acid).


Maybe not. In the U of GA's book, "So Easy to Preserve," figs are shown
(positioned in the list) to indicate a higher pH than tomatoes. Since
tomatoes are now considered borderline for safe waterbath processing
without the addition of some acid (lemon juice, citric acid, or
vinegar), I interpret that information list to mean that figs should
also be acidified for safe waterbath processing.

*Having said that,* I note that in the same book (SEtP above), their
recipe for Fig Preserves lists lemons as an optional ingredient. I will
ask TPTB at the NCHFP about that. I'll be curious to know if the
soon-to-be-published edition of SEtP has different information.

Here's what I found from my U of MN Extension Divn site. I'm including
the whole section but the reference to figs is in the third paragraph.

"Food Acidity and Processing Methods

[Only registered users can see links. ]
ion1.html

Whether food should be processed in a pressure canner or a boiling-water
bath to control botulism bacteria depends on the acidity in the food.
Acidity may be natural, as in most fruits, or added, as in pickled food.
Low-acid canned foods contain too little acidity to prevent the growth
of these bacteria. Acid foods contain enough acidity to block their
growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated. The acidity level in
foods can be increased by adding lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar.

The term "pH" is an index of acidity. The lower its value, the more acid
in the food. Low-acid foods have pH values higher than 4.6. They include
red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for
most tomatoes. Most mixtures of low-acid and acid foods also have pH
values above 4.6 unless enough lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar is
included to make them acid foods. Acid foods have a pH of 4.6 or lower.
They include fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades, and
fruit butters.

Although tomatoes usually are considered an acid food, some are now
known to have pH values slightly above 4.6. Figs also have pH values
slightly above 4.6. Therefore, if they are to be canned as acid foods,
these products with unknown pH must be acidified to a pH of below 4.6
with lemon juice or citric acid. Properly acidified tomatoes and figs
are acid foods and can be safely processed in a boiling-water bath.
Processing acid foods at boiling water temperatures will destroy yeast
and molds, the most common forms of spoilage microorganisms in these
foods. Heat-sensitive bacteria are also killed. Those that are heat
resistant, such as C. botulinum spores, are prevented from multiplying
because of the high acid conditions of the food.

Botulism spores are very heat resistant. They may be destroyed at
boiling water temperatures, but extremely long times are required. The
higher the canner temperature, the more easily and quickly they are
destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sterilized at
temperatures of 240 to 250F, attainable with pressure canners operated
at 10 to 15 PSI. PSI means pounds per square inch of pressure as
measured by a gauge. At these temperatures, the time needed to destroy
bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes. The
exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is
packed into jars, and the size of jars. The time needed to safely
process low-acid foods in a boiling water canner ranges from 7 to 11
hours. Such long processing times are not researched and are not
recommended. Losses in nutrients and quality would be unacceptable. The
time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from 5 to 85
minutes."


Fruits can be canned in water, fruit juice, or syrup of varying
sweetness. Sugar helps preserve the shape and color of the fruit.


Good question. My only-slightly-educated guess is that there hasn't
been sufficient demand for such information to influence more research
in that direction.

FWIW.
--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 7-27-06, For The King and His
Princess
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

In article <[Only registered users can see links. ]>,
Melba's Jammin' <[Only registered users can see links. ].invalid> wrote:


That didn't wrap well. Try this: [Only registered users can see links. ]

--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 7-27-06, For The King and His
Princess
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

I thought I had made fig jam the day before in the same pot, without it
turning black. So I don't think it is a reaction between the figs and
pot.

I definitely did not burn it, the strawberries turned black as soon as
I added figs and started heating.

The tar was sticky and stringy, not really a gell, more like apple
butter. Looks and tastes like stewed prunes.

Thanks Barb for the info on fig pH and on the role of acid. I do
usually add lemon juice. Yesterday I also made a no-sugar fig jam with
No-Sugar SureGel and a can of orange concentrate where they said to use
apple concentrate. Can't say yet how well it set.

I also am studying whether sugar is anti-biotic. I knew it was a
preservative, but what you said about "preserving shape and color"
makes me wonder whether it is necessary for safe storage. Too many
ambiguities of the word "preservative." Salt is a preservative too, so
I wondered if sugar had the same effect: in a high enough
concentration, supresses growth of bacteria.

Thanks for linking to GA and MN. I don't want to get off on a rant
here (but I will) but the FDA and USDA should have better information,
and more leading research on sugar reduction, than the states.

FWIW I just finished reading Organic, Inc., a book about the politics
and growth of the organic food industry. I found it very readable.

I grow my own figs. Easy to grow, no spraying or weeding required.
One trick to growing them is to root bind them, plant them isolated by
a layer of gravel or rocks. Helps to get them to fruit instead of
just make greenery.

[Only registered users can see links. ] wrote:

In article <1155135495.862654.115840@n13g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
[Only registered users can see links. ] wrote:

No offense, but sticky and stringy sounds icky and not at all like apple
butter, either. :-0(

Let us know, eh.


Inasmuch as you can can fruits (pears, peaches, etc.) without a sugar
syrup; i.e., with just water for liquid, I'd say it is not.


Where's Ellen?


And I should lose more weight and exercise more, too.

The USDA research came from a few land-grant universities: Penn State,
U of MN, one of the Iowa universities, Georgia (there may be others -
Alaska might be one). Right now, as I understand it, UGA is the only
university doing any current research and testing in home food
preservation. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is
operated out of UGA ‹ and is funded by the USDA. I attended a food
preserving workshop put on by the U of MN a couple years ago ‹ their
food safety folks ‹ and was told in pretty clear English that what's
done is funded by the USDA and money was tight and we're lucky to get
what we do get. It made me realize that what *I* want is actually
fairly low on somebody's priority list. Call your congressperson. :-)

Also, I like to consult my state's folks because they sometimes have
information and guidelines that are geared specifically for my area.

If you go to the usda.gov site and link to their Food Safety Information
Center, you'll see that there's a link to "Find Home Food Preservation
Guidelines" and, vióla!, that link takes you to the NCHFP. When the
NCHFP was being established, one of their folks lurked here and popped
up to invite us to take a look at the site and give them some feedback.
I believe that our comments were taken seriously as the site was
fine-tuned and I, personally, thought it was pretty cool that they found
a bunch of folks who are kind of dedicated to the concept of putting by
and took to heart what we had to say. They have continued to consider
suggestions from us, too.

I've mailed Dr. Andress about the optional lemon in the fig preserves in
the So Easy To Preserve book; haven't heard back from her yet.
--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 7-27-06, For The King and His
Princess
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
I don't know much about canning figs. Grew up with them all around, but
here in Vancouver they are expensive and not ripe. My preferred way to
eat them is fresh, though someone did give me a very nice ginger fig jam
a while ago..
Re sugar and safety, it is mostly in jams, in my understanding, a
question of making the water unavailable to spoilage organisms( as does
the pectin). In canning of fruit, a texture matter.
Ellen

I am in awe of the responses.

Making water unavailable is an interesting thought. I want to
understand the chemistry and biology. My ancient copy of "Putting Food
By" did say that sugar was not optional, needed for safety, in jams.
But it doesn't say how the sugar accomplishes that trick.

Then I reread the Low or No SureJell insert. A recipe for cooked and
BW bath canned jam with no sugar used only 1/6 c Splenda per pint of
strawberries versus 2 c sugar per pint for low sugar recipe. That only
makes sense to me if as you say, it is locking up the water, not so
much the sugar or Splenda itself a direct anti-biotic. I would think
the SureJell company would discuss this in their flyer. Consumers
today are more educated (and might have less common sense) : they might
want to understand rather than just be given a recipe. I do.

Putting Food By also says that canned figs (in sugar syrup) need 2 tsp
lemon juice per pint and 85 minutes (!) in boiling water bath, which is
much more time than I gave the low-sugar figs that I just cooked down
to a jelly temperature and consistency, without adding pectin. I guess
I will eat it soon, and on the next try for low-sugar, no pectin,
minced, and canned figs (not calling it a jam, just a spread) I will
make sure to use enough lemon to get the acidity up to beyond tomatoes,
and process much longer, or pressure can.

Or, make a jam, reducing the sugar but not eliminating pectin. Fully
ripe figs, which taste like they have a lot of fructose sugar in them,
ought to set with less sugar. If it sets well, assume it is safe?

Figs are popular in the South. The recipe for canned whole figs in
Putting Food By yields a honey-like product. Maybe thats mostly the
sugar syrup. My neighbor says "it gives a biscuit an education."

Again, thanks.

ellen wickberg wrote:

In article <1155155593.911244.39270@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups. com>,
[Only registered users can see links. ] wrote:


<grin> Pretty good, huh? And aren't we nice, too? :-) Of the many
groups I read regularly this and the computer groups seem to be the most
helpful and civil. There's never any *serious* name calling (we have
called George a couple things a couple times, though) and the resident
horse's patoot took his canning kettle and left about three years ago.
We've got a really good FAQ file; Jack Eddington is kind and generous
to host it for us, and he put in megahours when it underwent revision
about 2-1/2 - 3 years ago. You'll find it here:
[Only registered users can see links. ]

We're almost always on topic, too. Hallelujah! Many of us have been
posting here for the 11-12 or so years of the group's existence and have
developed a sense of camaraderie and certainly some healthy respect for
and knowledge of what one person knows that another might not. Heck,
I've even eaten some of Bob's pressure-canned stuff. :-)


What edition of PFB are you using? AFAIK, the Fourth Edition, appears
to be the last, about 1988 if I read the info correctly. I guess that
qualifies as nearly ancient, though I don't know what of it might be
revised in a newer version; I prefer the Ball Blue Book and info from
the NCHFP and the U of MN Extension Divn folks here.


Hah!


I agree with that. :-)


No offense intended, but I think you're wrong. Freezer Jam (gack,
phooey, and ptooey <I can say that because Gloria is in Sweden> ) is
popular in part because it can be done quickly and with nothing required
in the way of exotic-looking or -sounding equipment. It's what the
masses want ‹ fast. The Sure€Jell/Ball flyers are written so that even
a fairly dim bulb can figure out and follow the instructions and achieve
success. And believe me, there is nothing like success to encourage a
person.

Put too much information in front of some of us (maybe even me) and the
reaction is, "Ye Alexes, forget THAT!" If I'm just learning, just tell
me what I need to know for something resembling success and if I want
more info later I'll figure out where to find it or who to ask. I've
taught jam-making to beginners, "It's As Easy as 1-2-3-4" ‹ fruit,
sugar, pectin, acid. Brian Mailman here refers to the relationships
between those components as "a friendly handshake." I like that. I
keep the information pretty general and basic, though I can answer many
not-so-basic questions and provide pointers for many answers I don't
know.

And we're a home preserving group, not a bunch of food scientists ‹
that's a different group, sci.bio.food-science. A couple of the regular
posters here are pretty well book educated about the particulars and
most of the regulars have a fair amount of "field experience." :-)

(snip)


I'd include some lemon juice or citric acid, too.


You're welcome. Stick around. Come over and sit by me and I'll tell
you all about George Shirley, Father Inquisitor of the Holy Order of the
Sacred Sisters of St. Pectina of Jella.

-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
[Only registered users can see links. ]


(snipped)

In article <[Only registered users can see links. ]>,
Melba's Jammin' <[Only registered users can see links. ].invalid> wrote:


And now I have heard back. :-) I decided to not trim above. She's
allowing me to post her note to me:

The lemon is optional in the So Easy to Preserve fig preserves because
of the extremely high sugar content . Our FAQ on canning with Splenda
notes that traditional southern sugar-syrup whole fruit preserves cannot
be made and processed as preserves without the sugar.
[Only registered users can see links. ]

Canned figs with syrup or water to cover require the addition of acid to
be sure the pH is below 4.6.
[Only registered users can see links. ]

There is no research to tell us what the final sugar concentration,
acidity leveland water activity are in fig puree (or any version of figs
alone cooked down to a spreading consistency or the "jelling point" eg,
without added sugar). This caution is now given with the USDA Fruit
Puree canning directions:
([Only registered users can see links. ])

--->>>>Caution: These recommendations should not be used with figs,
tomatoes, cantaloupe and other melons, papaya, ripe mango or coconut.
There are no home canning recommendations available for purees of these
products.

The adequacy of a 5- or 10-minute BWC process for fruit spreads,
preserves or purees to prevent spoilage is dependent on acidity, water
activity and sugar concentration.

We do have some guidelines on no-sugar preservation spread throughout
many topics. Why isn't there more from USDA? No projects to study these
things are currently funded federally, and I am unaware of industry or
state-funded research at this time.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Andress

(Looks like I was pretty much on the money about the funding stuff.)
--
-Barb Schaller,
Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
[Only registered users can see links. ]