Jam help please

thenanny2die4

Okay, I'm totally skint, DH insists on toast and jam every morning and there's only a scraping left in the jam jar. I've never made jam before but needs must.

So, I've identified the bramble bushes, I have a couple of jars to fill and I have some lemon juice in the fridge. My problem is sugar - I have a bit of granulated and a lot of caster. Does it matter what I use? Logic tells me caster will be fine but I need someone to tell me I'm right. I really don't want to waste anything from the cupboards right now!

I'm off to pick the berries now.

Dark_Star

any sugar will do.... jam sugar just has added pectin - which you will get from the lemon juice anyway.

bung it all in - just give it time to set.

possibly 1lb sugar to 1lb of fruit BUT I can't be certain...

ah - from bbc site:

Preparation

When making jam, always use fruit that's in peak condition, preferably slightly under-ripe, when the pectin content will be at its highest. Over-ripe or damaged fruit is not ideal - the jam will not set well and is likely to deteriorate rapidly. The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit). Coarse-grain white granulated sugar is best for jam-making as it ensures a good clear jam, but fine caster sugar can also be used. The coarse grains dissolve more slowly and evenly, giving a better result. Granulated sugar with added pectin is also available, but it shouldn't be necessary to use this. Instead, if using fruit with a low pectin content, such as strawberries, try adding some fruit with a higher pectin content, such as apples, damsons or redcurrants to improve the result. Alternatively, adding a few squeezes of lemon juice to low-pectin fruits will help them set.
The magical temperature in jam making is 104C/220F, also known as the 'setting point'. You can buy a preserving or sugar thermometer to test when jam reaches this point, but it's not essential. To test for setting without a thermometer, put a drop of the jam onto a very cold saucer (you'll need to put the saucer into the fridge or freezer first to ensure it's really cold). After a few seconds, push the jam with your finger. If the jam surface wrinkles then it has reached setting point and is ready. If it's not ready then continue to boil, testing every few minutes.
How to sterilise jam jars: wash in soapy water, rinse well and then place into a cool oven - 130C/250F/Gas ½ - for 15-20 minutes. As soon as you've poured the jam into the sterilised jars you should immediately cover the surface of it with wax paper discs. This ensures a good seal and prevents mildew appearing on the surface of the jam.

suzybloo

quick point for your bramble jam - please steep your brambles in cold salted water then rinse and pat dry before using.

brambles can be added to any apples to give you more volume - especially when making bramble jelly,if you can pick up some windfalls etc. Bramble jam has lots of little bits.

There are many bramble jelly recipes online - delia's is a good one and always works :-)

starlight29

Dark star thanks for that ive always wanted to try making my own jam and could never find some simple instructions
Thanks

Starlight

thenanny2die4

Thank you both very much. :T Good point about the salty soaking; I'd forgotten that.

I've had an excellent blackberrying trek, although, to begin with, I was clearly following another forager so I was out for rather longer than expected and certainly walked further than planned. Had a lovely time though... We've lived here for 14 years but today I discovered fields and a lake I never knew existed.

I shall give my berries a cold bath now. :rotfl:

Seakay

This is Elizabeth David's recipe for

Thick Blackberry Jelly

"Stew some blackberries in a very little water until they are quite soft. Put them through a sieve [I find it helps to use a mouli or to liquidise and then sieve] so that you get all the pulp, but no pips. To each pint of pulp put a pound of sugar and boil till the mixture jellies".

I've made this and it works. From this I assume that
a) blackberries have enough pectin (make sure you pick from different bushes to get a variety, add a little lemon juice for flavour if none of yours are the sharp sort)
b) you don't need special sugar to make jam. I always use the cheapest granulated that I can find and add pectin in the form of lemon juice, muslin bag of apple peelings/pips/cores to be removed after cooking or Certo (commercial liquid pectin available in bottles) if necessary

thenanny2die4

In my kitchen I have two fabulous jars of bramble jelly. :j

Thank you for your advice. DH will thank you in the morning too when he's eating toast made from homemade bread and my first ever jam! :rotfl:

suzybloo

Well done! There is nothing nicer than home made preserves. Have a look to see what else is around at the moment, the wild raspberries should be really ripe now, or try free cycle to see if anyone has windfall apples or rhubarb. Any jam should keep upto about a year in a cool dark cupboard.

Savannah02K

The only time I've ever used 'jam making sugar' is when I made strawberry jam once. I've only ever used granulated. At the mo the cheapest I can get it is at my local Morrisons, 82p for a big bag. I tend to buy it when it's on special offer and stock up. I collect a lot of fruit at this time of year but as I work full time and have a family I tend not to make my jams now, usually just wash all the fruit and freeze it in 1 kilo bags so that when I come to make the jam (one of my long Christmas holiday jobs!) I can just chuck in 1 kilo sugar.

danih

What sort of pot do you use?

Just a large saucepan with a lid?