Channeling My Inner Betty Crocker. I Made AND Canned Jam!

Earlier this week I made it my Summer's goal to learn how to can and preserve.
Well....I decided I couldn't wait that long to try my hand at canning!
Not to mention I had 9 beautiful mangoes sitting on my counter just begging to be made into jam!
So I made mango jam!

Since I wasn't sure if I would actually like mango jam, I only made two half pints of it.
But I did make 5 half pints of mango pepper jelly (well, technically it's mango pepper jam, I didn't know you had to strain it to make it "clear" and to technically call it jelly, oh well, it still taste yummy!)

So, at first I was all gung-ho about getting a pressure canner, but decided to start my canning journey by getting a water bath canner.
Note: water bath canners are only safe for high acidic foods. (Fruits) so do your research if you want to start canning before you buy a canner!

And let me just tell you, canning is SO MUCH EASIER than I ever expected. It actually isn't hard at all.
The worst part (for me) was the prep and cleanup of making the jam. But I always hate the prep and cleanup of any type of cooking, so that's not surprising.

For this jam, I took two different recipes and made my own.

Ingredients:

4-6 cups chopped mango
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp pectin (I used no sugar/low sugar pectin)
1-2 cups Stevia, based on personal taste (called for sugar)
1-2 cup water

For mango pepper jelly/jam just add peppers (any type you like. I used jalapeños and Serrano peppers).

Directions:

Peel mangoes and mash with a potato masher (I just threw mine in the blender to purée)
Bring water lemon juice and sugar to a boil
Once water is boiling, stir in puréed (or mashed) mango and pectin
Stir as the mixture begins to bubble.
Let boil for 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick enough for you.
Ladle jam into hot jars
Process in a water bath for 10-15 minutes.
Set jars on towel lined counter and let sit for 12-24 hrs until cool then check the seal.

Yay rah! All of mine sealed right away!!

For pepper jelly add peppers when you add the mango and pectin.

That's it. Super simple! And I tasted both batches as the jam was cooking and boy oh boy they were both yummy. Definitely better than I expected!! ;)

I can't wait for the Pontchatoula Strawberry Festival next weekend to get some strawberries to make strawberry jam! YUMM!!! :)

I will definitely be canning all summer long!
What will you be canning?!?!