Ball FreshTECH Jam & Jelly Maker + Giveaway

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This isn’t your mother’s jam…it’s better (and easier)!

Make Fresh, Delicious Jam In Under 30 Minutes

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It was late in the day, maybe 4pm when I began on my journey to make jam for the first time.  I picked fresh plums from our fruit tree, had Ball’s FreshTECH Automatic Jam maker out and ready to go when my mom came over.  She said, “oh honey, you should have started this in the morning because jamming an all day process.” I looked at my instructions, then at her and said, “but these instructions say it only takes 21 minutes.” You should have scene her mouth drop open in disbelief. Then it was “well, we will see how it tastes.”  She stayed with me through the whole process to see how this jam maker works.  And I will share my experience with you as well.

Making the Jam:

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Choose your fruit.  You will need roughly 2 2/3 cups of mashed fruit.  After picking my plums I needed to wash and de-seed them cutting them up to nickel size pieces.  Then the recipe recommends that you use a potato masher instead of a food processor.  A food processor can break down the fruit’s natural pectin, preventing a good set.

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Add pectin first sprinkling it evenly over the bottom of the pot. Add crushed fruit evenly over pectin.  For this recipe they say to add butter to help reduce foaming.

Press JAM button and the cook time will automatically default to 21 minutes.  Press Enter.

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After 4 minutes, there were 4 short beeps to indicate that it’s time to add sugar gradually while the stirrer continues running.  Place the glass lid on the pot.

The Jam Maker will continue to automatically stir your ingredients while it cooks.  When it is complete, the Jam Maker will beep again signaling jam cooking is complete and ready to be put into canning jars.

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Don’t forget to heat your jars prior to placing the jam in or you will crack the jars. I heated mine in a pot of hot water.

Now that your jam is hot and ready to be taken out of the maker, you can enjoy it 3 different ways:

  1. Enjoy it now – refrigerate jam for up to 3 weeks or serve immediately to enjoy now.
  2. Freeze – freeze jam for up to 1 year.
  3. Preserve and store – use a simple waterbath canning process to fresh preserve them.

The recipes usually make about 4 cups of jams or jelly.

Now, this is a Jam OR Jelly maker.  I chose to make jam with the fruit from our fruit trees, but you can make jelly too.  What’s the difference between the two?  Jams are made with crushed or chopped fruit plus the addition of pectin and sugar (and sometimes lemon juice).  They have a spreadable gel perfect for complimenting toast, biscuits, or desserts.  Jellies are made with fruit juice combined with sugar and pectin.  They typically have a crystal clear and shimmering appearance.  Jellies are firmer then jam but are still soft enough to spread

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Since my first plum jam experience, I have made apricot jam, strawberry jam, and a ton more plum jams for friends and family.  I think my Christmas gifts will be complete with a lovely jar of Caroline’s homemade plum jam. After bragging to friends about how easy and fast it was to make jam, we have had jam parties, and others have begged to borrow it.  Ball has definitely created a winner with this efficient product.

Oh, and at the end of the process I have to say that my mom tasted it, liked it, and took a jar home.

What’s in the Box?

  • Base Unit (Controls) with Heat Plate
  • Nonstick Pot
  • Stirring Paddle
  • Glass Lid
  • Sweet and Simple Recipe Book and Quick Start Guide

For more on this product check them out at:

http://www.freshpreserving.com/JamMaker.aspx

http://pinterest.com/ballcanning/

https://www.facebook.com/BallCanning

https://twitter.com/BallCanning

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky winner on The Mommy-Files will win a Ball FreshTECH Jam & Jelly Maker!!!

WIN IT!!! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

– Tell me in a comment what kind of jelly or jam you would make first if you won this giveaway.

EXTRA ENTRIES

– Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
– Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
– Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
– Share the giveaway on Facebook – 1 ENTRY DAILY
– Subscribe to my blog – 1 ENTRY
– Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
– Subscribe to The Mommy-Files YouTube Channel – 1 ENTRY
– Follow The Mommy-Files on Pinterest – 1 ENTRY
– Follow The Mommy-Files on Instagram – 1 ENTRY
– Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 2 ENTRIES per post comment (no limit)
– Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES

– Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on September 6th, 2013! Any entries after this time will be disqualified!
– Contest open to U.S. residents only.

 

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524 thoughts on “Ball FreshTECH Jam & Jelly Maker + Giveaway”

  1. Helen

    My neighbor has quite a few trees with all kinds of fruit, I would make one of each, but I really want to try peaches.

    Reply
  67. pamela james

    https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/complete?latest_status_id=365625833433477121&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.themommy-files.com%2F2013%2F08%2Fball-freshtech-jam-jelly-maker-giveaway%2Fcomment-page-1%2F&shortened_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.themommy-files.com%2F2013%2F08%2Fball-freshtech-jam-jelly-maker-giveaway%2F&text=Ball+FreshTECH+Jam+%26+Jelly+Maker+%2B+Giveaway&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.themommy-files.com%2F2013%2F08%2Fball-freshtech-jam-jelly-maker-giveaway%2F&via=themommyfiles

    Reply
  79. Paula Beeler

    I would probably make peach strawberry jam or peach raspberry. I usually buy my fruit in season and freeze it and make jam during the cooler months as so much other stuff I can has to be done right away and can’t be frozen and done later. Making jam usually requires a lot of time standing over a hot stove and stirring and checking to make sure it doesn’t scorch and will set up right. Would love to try this appliance!

    Reply
  140. Shelley Woodard

    I would make peach jam with peaches from my tree this spring. If I couldn’t wait that long I might grab some Rhubarb and Strawberries at the market for a good jam.

    Reply
  146. Billy J Jones

    I would make some crabapple jelly. Its in season now and I know where a tree that is loaded with crabapples in my neighbor’s yard!

    Reply
  187. Brandi F

    I would make Habanero Jelly! We’ve been trying to get the “perfect jelly” for 2 weeks now. And inconsistencies are really making it hard on us, so this would be PERFECT!! Thanks for the opportunity!

    Reply
  228. Jessica H.

    I would make thimbleberry jam. It is a local plant in my area and makes the best jam. Thank you so much for the wonderful giveaway!

    Reply
  235. Danielle

    I have a recipe for strawberry rose water jam that I’d really love to try in this jam maker. I am subscribed to you by pinterest, email, and youtube. Thanks for doing the giveaway!

    Reply
    1. Margot C

      I don’t know why that time-samp is coming out that way (it’s 12:19am here!, so it’s August 29th) are you in Hawaii?

      Reply
  445. Deb K

    I would make raspberry jam. We planted one raspberry bush last year, and they taste so darn good this year, that I want to plant more. If I don’t win this jam and jelly maker, and because I loved your review, I will be buying one in the future!

    Reply

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