This recipe is based upon Exotic Fruit Jam from the beautiful artsy cookbook Preserving by Oded Schwartz (DK Publishing, 1996). I have made this jam many, many times. Fresh pineapple, reasonably priced, has been readily available in Anchorage since the 1990s. I liked to use apples from a local orchard. The original recipe calls for litchis, but I don’t even know what those are, so I’ve never added them. This jam provides a bit of bright sunshine taste in the fall when it starts to get dark.

  • Pineapple Jam
  • Yield: 2-3 pints
  • 1 medium pineapple (about 2-1/2 lb.)
  • 2 lb. cooking apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (when using the little apples from the local orchard I did not peel them)
  • 1 cup water
  • Rind of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 5 cups sugar

Peel, core, and chop the pineapple. Process in a food processor with the apple until finely chopped.

Transfer into a very LARGE saucepan and add the water, lemon rind, and lemon juice. A spatter guard will come in very handy at this point. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until the apples are disintegrated and the pineapple is soft.

Add the sugar to the pan, stirring until it is dissolved. Return to a boil and boil, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes, or until the jelling point is reached (220 degrees F on candy thermometer). Remove from heat and skim off foam. Ladle into jars.

Wipe the rims of the jars and screw on the lids. Turn the jars upside down for at least thirty minutes (or as long as hours and hours–doesn’t matter). Turn the jars right side up and let cool completely before marking and storing.