How to Fix (or Remake) Jam or Jelly That Turns Out Too Soft
or Runny
Sometimes after you have bottled (canned) your jam or jelly and let it cool,
you open a jar, only to find it hasn't set properly an d is too runny! If your
jam or jelly turns out too soft or runny, don't despair, and don't throw it
away! It can be fixed! Here's how!
If the jam is too thick, before you put it in the jars, just heat 1 or 2 cups
of grape juice (or any other fruit juice of similar or neutral taste, like apple
or white grape) to boiling. Then, gradually pour and stir it in until you
reach the desired consistency, then continue canning!
If the jars are already sealed / canned, then when you
use them, just stir in a little grape juice until you reach the desired
thickness.
If the jam turns out too runny, that is a little
different to fix. Here's how:
Step 1 -Determine how much jam or jelly needs to be remade
Measure the jam or jelly to be recooked. Work with no more than 4 to 6 cups
at a time. Check all the jars from the batch - if one failed to set, most or all
probably failed. You can check by just turning them upside down and seeing
how quickly the jam or jelly shlooshes* around in the jar.
(* - Shoosh - from the old German verb, "schushen" meaning to flop around like a
freshly caught trout)
Add up the volumes of all the jars to be reworked, to figure out the size of
the batch (in quarts) for step 2.
1 qt = 32 oz = 2 pints = four 8oz jars = eight 4oz jars).
Open the jars to be fixed and dump them all into a large pot.
Step 2 - Measure out additional pectin, water, sugar and lemon juice
If you are using powdered pectin:
For each quart of jam or jelly to be fixed, mix ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons
bottled lemon juice, and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin in a large pot.
If you are using liquid pectin:
For each quart of jelly, measure ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons bottled lemon
juice, and 2 tablespoons liquid pectin in a large pot.
Step 3 - Bring to a boil
Bring the pectin mixture to a boil while stirring. Add the jam jelly and
bring to a rolling boil again, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Once it is a rolling boil, boil hard for 45 to 60 seconds (1 minute).
Step 4 - remove, from heat, skim and fill the cars
Remove from heat, and quickly skim the foam off jam or jelly.
Fill sterile jars (automatic dishwashers often have a sterilize setting,
otherwise, wash and dry and add 5 minutes to the processing time), leaving
¼-inch headspace. Adjust new lids (don't reuse the previous lids, they
are single use) and...
Step 5 - Process in the water bath
... process as recommended in the table below.
| Recommended process time for Remade
Soft Jellies in a boiling-water canner. |
| |
Process Time at Altitudes of |
| Jar Size* |
0 - 1,000 ft |
1,001 - 6,000 ft |
Above 6,000 ft |
| Half-pints or pints |
5 min |
10 |
15 |
*Larger sizes are generally not recommended for jams and jellies
Lessons learned
If the jam was too runny, then next time you might want to add about 20% more pectin to start with, or make
sure you bring to a full hard boil for 1 minute (not less, and not more than a
few seconds longer).
If it was too thick, add a little less pectin, and/or a but of fruit juice
before you cook it! | 