Mango Jam

 

I recently came across a recipe that called for Mango Jam and since I make whatever I can from scratch, I decided to make and can some of my own. we don't eat a lot of jam or jelly so I'm going to can it in very small jars for marinades and glazes.

 Mangoes come into season in late summer and will be much cheaper if you can wait for them. Choose mangoes that give slightly when pressed and smell fresh and fruity at the stem end.

 

 

 

 

 

You will need:

3/4 cup water    2 pounds ripe mangoes

1C sugar  Jars, lids and rings for canning.

 

Sanitize your jars, lids, and rings first by either running them in the dishwasher or boiling them for a couple minutes. Keep them warm if possible. Some dishwashers have a plate warmer setting on them.  I put mine in the warming oven at 170 degrees. If you let them cool there is a chance they will break when you put the hot jam in them, but honestly, it has never happened to me.

 

Boil the mangoes for 60 seconds and remove the skin. You can use a mango splitter or just cut the mango away from the pit. Don't worry about being neat, we are going to mash them up.

Mash well using a potato masher, you could also use a ricer or food mill.  You can also puree it in a food processor if you have one. Mine were a little lumpy because I hated my current food processor and threw it in the trash in a fit one day. You want the mangoes to be quite smooth. Like baby food.

I had quite a bit of mangoes and we love smoothies for breakfast so I decided to freeze some. Normally I would put them in ice cube trays but I could not find mine so I washed a egg tray and froze them in that, then stuck them in a zip lock bags, they are perfect for smoothies.

 

 

 

Back to canning:

 

Place sugar and water in a large saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, stir in mangoes and bring to a boil.

 

 

 

Continue to boil until fine soft threads for or until it reaches 270 degrees. Simmer until thick as desired, think jam consistency.

 

Pour into jars leaving 1/4 inch head space (space between the food and the top of the jar) Wipe the rims of the jars very carefully with a clean wet cloth. Place lids on jars and tighten rings on them just until they are snug. Bring water bath to a rolling boil with the rack in the upper position. Place your jars in the rack using a jar lifter. Lower the jars into the pot and make sure there is at least 2 inches of water above the jars.  Bring the water back to a rolling boil and process for 15 minutes from the point of boiling. Carefully lift the rack using tongs or your jar lifter, lift the jars from the water bath and set on a folded kitchen towel to cool over night.

 Once in a while you should hear your jars "pop" as they create a seal (At this point I like to throw my hands in the air and yell "I did it!!") Check all your jars the next morning by pressing on the lids. If they move than your jars did not seal. You need to put the jam in the refrigerator and use it up or you can re-can and process them again.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

By the way here is the recipe that started the mango jam adventure. My whole family really enjoyed it.

 

 

Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze

 

 

Shown with sauteed vegetables and Chimichurri Mac n Cheese

 

2/3C mango jam    2T finely chopped chives   2T rice vinegar

1T EVOO   4 leg quarters    1/2t salt    1/4t pepper

 

Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to med-high and leave one side off. Combine mango jam, chives, vinegar, and Sriracha, stirring until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup and brush the rest over chicken. Salt and pepper. Remove grill rack. Place foil pan on unheated part of grill. Return rack and place chicken on cool side of the grill.  Grill 90 minutes basting every 20 or until thermometer reads 165.  Transfer to platter and drizzle with reserved sauce.