Jam making help for first timer

zippychick

Granulated sugar for jam confirms what i said .

Grimbal

zippychick wrote: »

The thread i linked to about sterilising jam jars, discusses that very issue from memory.

thankyou ! seems there is a variation in opinion. I guess the fact that I don't get mould growing on my chutneys & jams means that I'm doing something ok! (dishwash jars & lids, jars go in oven, lids paper towelled dry & put on jars when still very hot)

Liz
x

mardatha

Sorry ZC, I didnt search at all, was jsut asking before running away up to Sainsburys for ingreds for jam & yoghurt. The OH is notoriously fickle (arent they all !) and I wanted get ready and go before he changed his "mind" ...He seems to have settled down again to watch Emmerdale
I dont have lemons but I do have a huge bottle of Jif lemon juice.. will try ordinary sugar and a squish of Jif. TY!

zippychick

No problem - sure when you have time, have a go yourself and shout if you need help :A

report back on the jam making!:D

RAS

mardatha

I use whatever sugar I have, it all melts anyway.

Jam sugar is just sugar with powdered pectin added, so you get that really solid set like shop jam. Some people like it that way ?

Any other sugar, or even honey (EEK) will work but give a softer set. if you are using strawbwerries, add quite a bit of lemon juice but I like runny strawb jam.

mardatha

I like runny too Ok.... all sorted. But apparently the window for take-off to Sainsburys has closed. He is now set in cement on his bum in his chair. We will trty for take-off again tomorrow.

recovering_spendaholic

AFter making my jam before - the same way I always do - I have just seen that he strawberry jam is really runny still. Will it be alright to pour it all back in the pan and boil it up again and then wash and re-sterilise the jars? I boiled it for ages and I used Jam sugar too!

Patchwork_Quilt

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

AFter making my jam before - the same way I always do - I have just seen that he strawberry jam is really runny still. Will it be alright to pour it all back in the pan and boil it up again and then wash and re-sterilise the jars? I boiled it for ages and I used Jam sugar too!

Just call it strawberry conserve. I do.

meanmarie

Mardatha....you need to learn to drive...

Marie

foreign_correspondent

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

AFter making my jam before - the same way I always do - I have just seen that he strawberry jam is really runny still. Will it be alright to pour it all back in the pan and boil it up again and then wash and re-sterilise the jars? I boiled it for ages and I used Jam sugar too!

with jam sugar you only need to go to a rolling boil with strawbs for a few minutes... I had a recipe somewhere for one using jam sugar and I know it didnt take long to make... hang on... ok, this might be too late for you, but may be helpful for anyone else who is going to make strawberry jam with jam sugar

here you go...

You need:

1 kg Jam Sugar (the sort 'with added pectin' - mine is silver spoon, think it was 75p for a 1kg bag)
800g (1 3/4lb) strawbs, stalks taken off.
knob of butter

and -
a big pan (4.5litre/8pint)
a spud masher
wooden spoon
a saucer
3 or 4 clean jars and lids.

ok, first wash your jam jars and bung them in a low oven to sterilise, lids and all, (but dont fix the lids on!) and bung a clean saucer in the fridge, then...

clean your strawbs, if you wash them make sure they are really dry (pat with a teatowel or something - my old auntie who was an ace jam maker used to swear by not washing them, I think this is cos any extra water can affect the set)

chuck them in a pan, and mash them up a bit with the spud masher - or liquidise for 'no bits'

chuck in the sugar. Switch the ring on, and warm the jam and strawbs up, stirring all the time.

Do not bring to the boil till all the sugar is dissolved.

chuck a knob of butter in and bring to a full rolling boil, i.e. one that bubbles hard and cannot be stirred down (like a mad strawberry jacuzzi!).

Start timing - boil for 4 minutes only. The recipe says to jar it at this stage but I always test to see if its set - get your cold saucer from the fridge, and drizzle a little blob on jam onto it, maybe half a teaspoon. Let it cool a little, then push the blob with your finger if the skin on it wrinkles it is about ready.

When you are happy it has set, grab your jars out the oven, ladle the hot jam in (fill them pretty much to the top as it will shrink a bit!) and pop the lids on, and screw on tight.

Done! quick and easy!

Hope that helps

I think you can go past setting point - I would chuck it all back in tomorrow with some lemon juice and try again.

Good luck!