Meet Me at the Fair! Competition-worthy jams, jellies, and what-not

Today kicks off the county fair in my area. Yesterday I lugged a box full of jars filled with various creations to enter in the fair competition.

Entering canned goods in the fair is a lot of fun and it's also a good exercise in perfecting your canning skills. By preparing things with the intention of entering them into competition forces you to be hyper-alert to the canning process. Once you see the steps involved in canning something PERFECTLY, then you start applying those steps to your everyday canning, resulting in higher quality, safer canned foods.

I noticed that there are a lot more entries this year. Last year, there may have been 4 or 5 jars in each category. This year, there are 10 or more. In green beans alone, I counted 15 entries. More people are growing gardens and, therefore, canning. It was encouraging to see!

I also noticed, however, that there were a lot of substandard entries. I spotted a lot of errors.
Things like:

• Incorrect headspace
• Dirty jars
• Cloudy jelly/cloudy liquid
  
• Floating fruit/vegetables
• Damaged fruit/vegetables

So, let me share with you some "secrets" to prizewinning canned foods.

1. Uniformity. If you're canning fruits or vegetables, make sure your pieces are uniform. No strings, jagged edges, stray seeds or peels. Whether it's pear halves or green beans, make sure all the pieces are the same size - no extra large chunks of food. The food should be well packed and evenly distributed in the jar - not crowded. There should also not be an abundance of vacant space - no floating food.
   
2. Color. The food should all be a natural, uniform color with no dark spots. There should be no evidence of any artificial color or preservative.
3. Texture. The food should appear tender, plump, firm - not overcooked or mushy.
4. Liquid. The liquid should be clear - not cloudy. There should be no sediment and no foreign matter (no "mystery floaties"). THERE SHOULD BE NO BUBBLES! (This is a HUGE discount in points. Jellies and jams should be bubble-free. Fruits and vegetables should be bubble-free. The only void in the jar should be the headspace at the top.
5. Container. The food should be in a standard canning jar (aka "Mason" jar) and nothing else - no mayonnaise jars or other glass jars that have been reused. The jar should be clean - no dust or water spots.
6. Headspace and process. The food should be packed to the correct headspace and the jar should have a good seal, processed in the method appropriate to the type of food.

For uniformity, I make sure I cut/slice the food carefully, taking my time to make sure I get the pieces as close to even as possible.

For color, I make sure that I can fruits/veggies that are at the peak of ripeness and not overripe. I also make sure that I process them exactly the amount of time required. Overprocessing can cause food to darken. Underprocessing can cause spoilage.

For bubble control, I make sure to run a plastic spatula into the jar several times to free any bubbles. I do this slowly to make sure that I'm not forcing any extra air bubbles inadvertently.

I will tell you a secret to get extra-clear, shimmery jelly.
Double-strain your juice.

After you make your juice for jelly, strain it through a jelly bag, cheesecloth, or flour sack towel.
Let the juice set in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, ladle the juice into another container, being sure NOT to disturb any sediment that may have collected at the bottom.

Strain this juice again through several coffee filters. You'll have ultra-clear juice for prizewinning jelly.

I hope you'll consider entering something you've canned in your county fair this year. It really is fun. You learn a lot and you might even walk away with a prize! If you do enter your county fair, please let me know. Maybe I'll post a Wall of Fame for this year!

Good luck!

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