Mango Jam

Because so many sweet fruits are stage two on the Feingold Diet, Jelly has been something that is very hard to find in an acceptable form.  Berries, apricots, peaches are all stage two items and we are still living deeply in a stage one world.  I'm surprised that my kids haven't made a big issue out of this, because before Feingold we were very much a peanut butter and jelly family.  In the last year we have substituted peanut butter and honey with great success - but we still miss our jelly. 

I found this recipe for Mango Jam and I thought I would try it.  I finally got to use my new Mango slicer, which I HIGHLY recommend.  Anyone who has ever tried to peel/cut a mango will understand the neccesity of this tool. 


Mango Jam

2 pounds ripe mangoes
1-1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup water

1.  If mangoes aren't already very ripe, boil or steam them until soft.  Cool, then remove the peel and inner seed.  Place the mango pulp in a large bowl and use a fork or potato masher to mash the pulp well. 

2.  Place the sugar and water in a large saucepan over low heat, stir mixture, and bring to a boil.  When it begins boiling, increase heat to medium-high.  Continue boiling until it reaches 270 degrees.  Stir in the mango pulp and boil until the mixture thickens - about 7 to 10 minutes. 

3. Pour cooked jam into sterilized jars and seal according to canning directions. 

I followed this recipe except that I used extra mangoes to lessen the sugar/mango ratio.  I also ran the mango through the food processor instead of mashing by hand in order to make a very smooth jam.  I used a very tall pot because once you add the mango to the sugar/water mixture, the whole thing "becomes like napalm" (as my dad likes to say when he's cooking polenta).  Even with the tall pot I had to stand back to not get splattered by the bubbling concoction. 

The result:  not bad.  It is a little too sweet to just have on toast, but it goes great with peanut butter.  I think next time I would add a little lime juice to the mixture to cut the sweetness a tad.  A work in progress.