Cherry jam making gone wrong - help needed

kazmeister

Was in the process of making the above using marguerite patten's old cookery in colour book.

Was following the recipe for cherry jam (without commercial pectin) and thought recipe was a bit strange as it had no water in it. put fruit and pips in a muslin on a low heat with juice of half a lemon until soft . Thought it was a bit strange so put the fruit in the pan and the pips in the muslin and added a little water and put on a low heat. Unfortunately while eating tea it boiled dry but had only just done so. Ive rescued as much fruit as possible and transferred to another pan but should I add some water before adding the sugar or should I just abandon it. I'm hoping I can still rescue as I bought the cherries and they werent cheap.

Any thoughs please before I waste the sugar as well.

floyd

Sounds like a strange one, surely if the fruit and stones go in the bag then its more like a jelly than a jam? I would have done what you did by stoning and putting the stones in muslin and fruit in pan.

I would say that you would be hard pressed to get an accurate set if it has boiled dry but I'm sure if you make a concentrated sugar syrup and add the cherries you could at least get a lovely cherry compote for ice cream or yoghurt

Penelope_Penguin

kazmeister wrote: »

Was following the recipe for cherry jam (without commercial pectin) and thought recipe was a bit strange as it had no water in it.

Sounds odd to me, too Can you post the whole recipe so that we can take a look at it, the better to advise

Thanks, Penny. x

kazmeister

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Sounds odd to me, too Can you post the whole recipe so that we can take a look at it, the better to advise

Thanks, Penny. x

1lb stoned cherries
12oz sugar
juice 1/2 a lemon or 1/2 tsp citric or tartaric acid

Put the fruit, and stones tied in muslin, into the pan, simmer until the fruit is soft. Stir in the sugar and continue stirring until dissolved. Boil rapidly until set.

Thats it

kazmeister

floyd wrote: »

Sounds like a strange one, surely if the fruit and stones go in the bag then its more like a jelly than a jam? I would have done what you did by stoning and putting the stones in muslin and fruit in pan.

I would say that you would be hard pressed to get an accurate set if it has boiled dry but I'm sure if you make a concentrated sugar syrup and add the cherries you could at least get a lovely cherry compote for ice cream or yoghurt

It hadnt boiled completely dry as in baked to the bottom of the pan weird recipe, it cant be right. At first I thought that the cherries would make loads and loads of juice, but every other jam I've made (and i'm no means an expert) has had to have lots of water.

I guess I'll go and add some sugar in a minute and see what happens.

greenbee

Kaz - I think the comma means that you put the fruit in the pan and the stones in the muslin... so you did that bit right. I guess the no water was because the cherries should have enough juice to cook themselves in (so if they didn't, adding it was the right thing to do).

I suggest you find Valli... she should be able to help

kazmeister

greenbee wrote: »

Kaz - I think the comma means that you put the fruit in the pan and the stones in the muslin... so you did that bit right. I guess the no water was because the cherries should have enough juice to cook themselves in (so if they didn't, adding it was the right thing to do).

I suggest you find Valli... she should be able to help

Cheers greenbee, I'd missed the comma when I initially read the recipe, so glad I put them in the pan maybe I just had rubbish cherries and didnt add enough water. wonder where valli is, probably found a man on another thread to chase :rotfl:. Nope she's off line

Valli

Greenbee's got it. Cherries will be like plums in that the pectin in the fruit will be near the stones. In plum jam I cook the whole lot (having said that water is involved) and I count the plums so I count out, and remove, that many stones (a pig of a job).
If you have cooked the fruit and

oy just read your comment

greenbee

Valli wrote: »

Greenbee's got it. Cherries will be like plums in trhat the pectin in the fruit will be near the stones. In plum jam I cook the whole lot (having said that water is involved) and I count the plums so I count out, and remove, that many stones (a pig of a job).
If you have cooked the fruit and

oy just read your comment

Does that mean you're not going to help her

Valli

the stones (because I am not spiteful)
I would
(oh you are so going to love this)
redo it with JUST the stones in the bag...add a bit of water (just a bit) and try again. However I have not made cherry jam but I would put it in the plum class...very similar just different sizes (and flavours obviously)
Just so you know the lemon 'triggers'the pectin in the fruit (scientifically because that's where I come from it acts as a catalyst in effect)

My Rhubarb and Ginger Jam is waterless BTW I cook the fruit VERY slowly with the lemon juice - in all honesty at first I was very uncomfortable with the recipe as I was certain it would burn - and now I am much more relaxed about it - I leave it in the pan over a very low light and pop back and prod it from time to time. I probably slowly cook it for between 1-2 hours!

So go back and scrape the pulp out of the bag...

it's not a huge amount of sugar so worth a go.

While I have my jam head on I often do it over two days - one day to cook/prep the fruit then I would leave it until the next day to jam. Never a problem and useful if you're short of time. I just cover the pan with foil and leave it. (Also useful if you haven't enough sugar which, I am sorry to say, often applies in Valliland). With jellies, of course, I need the overnight bit to allow the draining of fruit through muslin into dish. Then I always put the pulp in the compost bin - I am not having a stained wheelie bin, me! (LOL - I wash my wheelie bin out every two weeks so have a standard to maintain!)

kazmeister

Thanks GB and Valli

I did just have the stones in the bag!

Not wanting to waste anything, I bunged in some more water, threw in the whole half of the lemon I'd squeezed in, boiled some more, took the lemon and the pips out, added the sugar, then a couple of jars of HM blackcurrant jam that hadnt set properly from the last batch I made and boiled it up some more. I now have something that looks like jam just a different flavour . Next time I'll find a different recipe!

Oh no Rhubarb and ginger was going to be my next attempt, not another waterless one