Me: Oh hey, there’s a group of us making preserves for our blogs, what type of jam would you like? More strawberry, cherry, maybe peach? I know we’re almost out.
Husband: Banana.
Me: Uh, banana? I don’t think I can do that.
Husband: Why?
Me: (googling) Oh crap, there is a banana jam out there. I had no clue.
Husband: Me either honestly, I just wanted some bananas to mix into my yogurt instead of jam.
Yes, my husband is the king of choosing the non-option. But that’s how Banana Jam came to be in our home. However I was worried. The FDA says a big “hell no” to water canning bananas. But I did find some big corporate recipes and they did water canning. I opted to increase the lemon for the acidity and add pectin. If you still are uneasy about canning banana jam, just keep it in the fridge.
The recipe is dead easy. Most jams and jellies are easy in all truth. The longest part of this one though is getting the water bath to a boil. The jam itself doesn’t need to cook for long, that’s a nice change, and it smells amazing on the stove. If you don’t want to change the banana colour you can use more white granulated sugar instead of brown. I wasn’t thinking when I pulled out an orange backdrop, it really cast a hue on the jam, it’s more golden than orange. But honestly, the little bit of brown is worth it for the flavour. Brown sugar and bananas are a match made in heaven. I’ve seen a few recipes that had walnuts and cinnamon, so think banana bread when you are canning and have a good time.
And the flavour? I was expecting not to like it but it’s really good. I had some on its own and it held up as a jam on bread: sweet and tasty. No banana texture at all. But what really made my afternoon was a toasted peanut butter and banana jam sandwich. I’m now glad I have 6 pints!
Banana Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ripe bananas mashed (need 3 cups)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 Tbsp margarine
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 box pectin
Instructions
- Bring boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
- Mash bananas thoroughly. Add prepared fruit into 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Stir lemon juice and fruit pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add margarine to reduce foaming.
- Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
- Stir in all sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
- Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
Cool Condiments:
Chow Chow Relish from Magnolia Days
Homemade Hot Dog Relish from Juanita’s Cocina
Fabulous Fruits:
Apricot Ginger Jam from Happy Baking Days
Banana Jam from Killer Bunnies, Inc
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream from Gotta Get Baked
Blueberry Lemon Basil Jam from Daily Dish Recipes
Candied Watermelon Rind fromWhat Smells So Good?
Fig and Strawberry Jam from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Mixed Berry Rhubarb Jam from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Mulberry Jam from Curious Cuisiniere
Quick Peacharine Chutney from Shockingly Delicious
Pineapple Upside Down Cake Freezer Jam fromCookin’ Mimi
Strawberry Butter from The Urban Mrs
Other Outstanding Recipes:
Fireweed Jelly fromThe Foodie Army Wife
Flavoured Butters from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Gravlax fromThat Skinny Chick Can Bake
Vivacious Vegetables:
Corn Cob Jelly from Blueberries and Blessings
Deep South Dilly Beans from Eat, Move, Shine
Fermented (Sour) Pickles from Growing Up Gabel
Fire Roasted Salsa fromPeanut Butter and Peppers
Hot and Spicy Giardiniera from The Messy Baker
Hot Italian Giardiniera from Healthy. Delicious.
Jalapeños en Escabeche (Pickled Jalapeños) fromLa Cocina de Leslie
Oi Kimchi (Korean Cucumber Kimchi) from kimchi MOM
Refrigerator Dill Pickles from Country Girl in the Village
Spicy Sweet Tomato Chutney fromFood Lust People Love
Traditional Escabeche (Pickle) fromBasic N Delicious
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I had no idea there was a banana jam out there! It looks great. I did the same thing when I canned Lemon Curd…I found some sites that said don’t do it! But then I found a few that said go ahead. So I made it, kept it in the fridge, and everyone loved it 🙂 Great job!
I probably would have gone ahead and canned the lemon curd because of the acidity. Then again I seem to live on the “wild side” of canning!
Shannon recently posted…Banana Jam Recipe #SundaySupper
I’ve never heard of banana jam before. How interesting! Talk about an awesome PB&J sandwich with this. Yummy!
Wow, I would never of thought of banana jam, such a great idea! It looks fabolous!! Welcome to the group, glad you are part of it!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers recently posted…Fire Grilled Salsa #SundaySupper
Thanks so much Jennifer, your posts totally inspired me. Now I need to up my game to keep up with this great group of bloggers!
Shannon recently posted…Banana Jam Recipe #SundaySupper
Okay, you totally had me at the pb and banana jam sandwich!
Jen @JuanitasCocina recently posted…Homemade Hot Dog Relish ~ Preserving the Harvest #SundaySupper!
Seriously, I just had a toasted pb & banana jam sandwich. SO good.
Shannon recently posted…Banana Jam Recipe #SundaySupper
What a great idea, your husband is brilliant! Love the banana and brown sugar combo.
I made banana jam once before, it’s so unique but delicious!
Nice to know Sarah! Did you use it in any fun ways? My husband just mixed it into yogurt with chocolate chips and granola. I had a pb & jam sandwich.
Shannon recently posted…Banana Jam Recipe #SundaySupper
Bananas are one thing I haven’t even attempted to preserve yet, and this looks so good and I can image the wonderful flavor on a sandwich or toast. Yum!
This is a first for me….never heard of banana jam! Looks and sounds awesome though!
Very creative and delicious looking and sounding!! Thanks for sharing!
I would have never thought to can bananas. I like the idea, and your jam looks amazing.
My elder daughter loves peanut butter and banana sandwiches so I am sure she would adore this. Bananas that never get brown and always taste delicious? Yes, please. I don’t know if you or your husband is the genius for 10 points for each of you!
Stacy recently posted…Liquid Cocaine (Espresso and White Chocolate) Muffins
I’ve never heard of banana jam – but why not?! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never heard of banana jam before. Good on your husband for totally thinking outside the box! I would’ve never guess that this was made with banana. A PB & banana jam sammich sounds pretty darn good right about now!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked recently posted…Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (No Machine) for a Preserve the Harvest #SundaySupper
I’ve never had banana jam, but this looks amazing! Such a good idea to preserve bananas. I’m sure it would be just delicious on a piece of toast!
Family Foodie recently posted…The Food and Wine Conference | #WeekdaySupper Inspiration
I have never heard of banana jam before. My banana obsessed daughter is going to be so excited.
I want to make this recipe. Any one know how much pectin exactly? Recipe calls for one box….how many ounces? Liquid or powder? Thanks to anyone who may help!
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It would be a 1.75oz box (49g), sorry about that.
I had never heard of banana jam either, but when I ran out of homemade jam and it wasn’t fresh fruit season in MI, I started thinking what I could possibly make jam out of. Well, I had 30 bananas in the freezer and was getting tired of banana bread! I bet I could make banana jam, and sure enough, I found several recipes. This one fit the bill!
I did make two changes though.
1. I didn’t have pectin, so I used Certo and followed the directions on the package.
2. I have been making jam for 45 years and have never used a boiling-water canner. I merely sterilize the jars, pour hot jam into them through a funnel made from a plastic milk jug, and pour a thin layer of melted Gulf Wax over the jam. I let that cool and then pour another thin layer of wax over top, let that cool and then screw on a lid. The trick is to pour the jam past the point where the jar narrows, if it does. The wax seal works better that way.
I LOVE the jam! It’s a great use of bananas that always seem to ripen before you can use them up. It’s great on yogurt.
Thank you!!!