Wheel of Jam Sabbat Project
What started out as a Yule gift to the members of Rose & Antler, a recipe for Rose Petal Jam pulled from the Blue Star Foundation’s newsletter I felt would be lovely and appropriate, turned into an all-out obsession. Little did I know the Rose Petal Jam would lead to an entire year’s worth of recipes, the “Wheel of Jam”. My aim was to capture the essence of the holidays in a jam or jelly, the flavors and feelings that would tell you all you needed to know about a Sabbat with a single taste.
The Wheel of Jam is a perfect example of a “Sabbat Project”, something every student of Rose & Antler must complete in order to achieve Initiation. A Sabbat Project can be started at any time, can address each holiday sequentially or not, can be a series of related expressions (crowns, jams, candles, poems, songs, table settings, home decor, etc.) or not, as long as it requires the student delve deeper into the meaning and significance of each of the eight Sabbats. This Sabbat Project took on a life of its own, followed by the “Jam-a-Thon” and culminating in the forging of the coven sword, as seen below.
Below this annotated gallery, you will find the recipes for the Wheel of Jam. Much credit goes to Pomona’s Universal Pectin, a “sugar free, preservative free, low-methoxyl citrus pectin” which is “specially formulated for making low-sugar jam and jelly”. I love their product because it allows me to use much less sugar than conventional pectin, thereby highlighting my flavors without being cloyingly sweet. I can also use alternative sweeteners, like honey, giving me more flexibility. I leaned heavily on their recipes for inspiration. Thank you, Pomona’s!
In addition to a sweetener, for Pomona’s Universal Pectin to work, the recipe will call for calcium water. A calcium packet is included in every box of Pomona’s. Just follow their instructions to prepare and set aside.
A word on lemon juice. Acid is essential to safe canning. When a recipe calls for lemon juice, always use pre-made juice from the store instead of squeezing fresh! I know this sounds crazy, but these recipes are based on the predictable acidity of the store-bought versions. This pre-made lemon juice can usually be found in the produce section of the supermarket.
Jamming requires equipment if you’re going to can. To undertake this canning project I acquired: endless flats of Ball 4-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, additional lids (lids can’t be reused to can once they’ve been opened), an enamel water bath canner with a chrome-plated rack, a jar lifter, canning scoop, canning funnel for regular and wide mouth jars, magnetic lid lifter and a bubble popper. I also used a spoon, a small saucepan to heat my lids, and ruined several kitchen towels which are now designated my “jam rags”. You’ll also need whatever kitchen supplies necessary to prepare your recipe, of course.
If you aren’t looking to can, then simple jars with lids placed directly in the fridge and consumed within 3 weeks is fine. But canning allowed me to ship the Wheel to faraway friends and family, recipe by recipe, without worrying about spoilage. Properly prepared and canned jam and jelly should keep for a year, unopened. Once opened, it needs to be refrigerated then consumed, or tossed, within 3 weeks.
Happy jammin’!
Rose & Anter’s Jam-A-Thon Fundraiser!!
We set out to raise funds to forge the coven sword! A good portion of which was received in donations from the Blue Star community, but we took it over the finish line by mobilizing the Wheel of Jam into a Jam-A-Thon! Info and order sheets were distributed. We sold to friends, family and frequently seen acquaintances for hand delivery. Nine recipes over nine days, a jamming marathon at the covenstead!
Forging the Coven Sword
We forged the coven sword over Imbolc weekend 2020, dedicated and consecrated to the Irish goddess of smithcraft, Brigid. Our fundraising efforts allowed the entire coven to attend the out-of-town event, our first full membership field trip. The space was opened on Saturday morning, our Imbolc ritual was held Sunday afternoon. As High Priestess, I stayed on another day for the finishing touches.
