Banana Jam!

I checked out an amazing book from the library this week.  Artisan Preserving by Emma MacDonald is a work of art.  She has creative recipes for preserving.  There are thoughtful tips scattered throughout the book, as well.  

I came across a recipe for banana jam and decided to satisfy my curiosity.  I had never heard of jam made from bananas before.

It's a pretty simple recipe and so delicious!

Ingredients:

~ 2 1/4# bananas - preferably very ripe

~ 3 1/2 C sugar

~ Juice of one lemon (I used 3 Tbsp)

~ 2 tsp Vanilla

Steps:

~ Puree the bananas (I used a stick blender).
~ Add the sugar and lemon juice.
~ Slowly bring to a boil and allow to boil gently for 10 to 15 minutes until thick.  The jam is ready when a wooden spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan reveals the bottom cleanly.  (There is no test for a set of this jam.)
~ After the jam is cooled off a bit, add the vanilla and stir to incorporate.

While the jam is cooking, sterilize the jars in the oven.  I had never sterilized jars in an oven, but it turned out to be fairly easy!

I ran them through the dishwasher and then let them "bake" at 350° F for 20 minutes.  Voilà!  Sterilized!  The bonus of using this method is that when you add the hot jam to the hot or warm jars there is less chance of cracking the glass.

I also placed the hot jars on a wooden cutting board to further reduce the chance of cracking a jar.

KidA loves this jam with peanut butter or with a chocolate hazelnut spread on toast.  KidR loves it on a grilled peanut butter banana jam sandwich!

Please note that these have not been run through a pressure canner and so should be kept in the refrigerator.


This nutritional information is based on a 2 tablespoon serving size.

Enjoy!

~Mrs. Wimberly