Making Jams

Alison_B · 25 March 2005 at 8:47PM

I have recently become obsessed with all the additives that are in foods and the possible effects on my children.

One thing one of my sons likes more than anything is jam. How easy is it to make your own jam, does it keep for a while and do I need any special equipment for making it. Or is it cheaper to buy organic jams?

Thanks

Alison

Magentasue · 25 March 2005 at 10:19PM

Jam is easy but you do need a big pan - I use my pressure cooker (without the lid on). For me it's a summer thing and I haven't done it for a few years but intend to this year. So, best thing now is to start saving jars. Cheapest way is when fruit is really cheap so that has to be summer for me. I'm also planning on making Rumtopf. Back on jam, family favourites are plum and strawberry. Plums are often cheap after our Sunday market , strawberries only cheap enough when we do pick your own. And sugar ... granulated is fine, you don't need expensive preserving sugar. Basically you cook your fruit, dissolve the sugar and boil until the jam will set. Then you pour into jars and seal. I think Delia has recipes for freezer jam too - check her site.

foreverskint · 25 March 2005 at 10:45PM

I recommend you hunt around the charity shops for an old cookery book. Different fruits have different levels of pectin (required for the jam to set), and many old books give you correct recipies for the type of fruit you want to use. Soft fruits such as strawberries jave a low pectin level and so do not set easily and people often make the mistake of boiling and boiling until they end up with a toffee flavoured brown yuk. Pluums have a very high pectin level and is one of the easiet jams to make and is a good one to start on if you've never made jam before.

If you want to use a fruit low in pectin, you can add a commercial pectin such as Certo, or use a jam sugar which has pectin in it..

The most important thing when making jam is to cook your fruit before you add the sugar, or the fruit skins will stay hard. with soft fruit it is better to add the sugar when the fruit goes into the pan, so that you get nice whole bits of strawberry etc.

The nice thing about homemade jam is that the flavour is fresher and you can have it made to the set that you prefer. we like the soft french style set, which can be really expensve in the shops but cost about half when made at home.

look out a car boots and charity shops for a preserving pan. New they are at least £25-30 for a reasonable quality, but can be picked up second hand for £2-5. these are great when you want to make large quantities.

For a beginner try making a quantity of 2lbs of fruit and 2lb sugar,. This is a manageable quantity and if it does not turn out right first time, you haven't wasted a lot.

Don't forget to clean and sterilise the jars, and heat them in a low oven before adding hot jam to them of you can crack the jars. Seal the pots with wax discs and cellophane and store in a cool dark place and it will keep well for up to a year. for better keeping make sure the fruit is unblemished and fresh, although I do use mushy fruit,if we are gong to make a small quantity and eat it quickly.

Lots of fruits can be used, peaches apricots anything you can get in quantity as a bargain. markets are great I often get things like a box of peaches or apricots at the end of the day.

mink35 · 26 March 2005 at 12:31AM

Making jam doesn't have to be complicated and you don't always need pectin as lemon juice can do the job.

Strawberry jam in a microwave is easy and can be done one jar at a time.

One pound strawbs, juice one lemon, 7oz sugar. (low sugar recipe)

Slightly cook strawbs with juice (on the cooker will be fine but leave some 'lumps'). Put into big microwaveable bowl with sugar. Cook on full power for about 6 mins then stir. Continue to cook and stir every minute or so after that. Should be done after about 20 mins. Test by putting some on a plate and running a spoon through - if it stays 'wrinkled' it's done.

Most berries will work with this recipe. If you do plum jam you need to add about 2 tbsps water before cooking. Not tried blackcurrant.

Ted_Hutchinson · 26 March 2005 at 10:30AM

Lakeland sell new lids for screw top jam jars and you can also get them from WI Country Markets.

I don't always use new lids but I do prefer to use metal lids than the cellophane method referred to above. I've had no problems re-using clean and undamaged lids but I wouldn't re-use a curry pickle lid or anything which still carries an odour after coming out of the dishwasher.

You need to ensure that the jars are hot from the oven before putting the hot jam in and if you have a full 10lb load to do keep the jampan on a low heat to ensure the last jar to be filled gets piping hot jam.(If you have a jam thermometer then it needs to be above 180F 82C when it goes into the jar) You can fill the jars nearly to the rim as it will shrink as it cools.

After screwing on the lid I invert the jars while hot to ensure the lids are sterilised, some fruits tend to sink to the bottom of the jar so allowing the jar to cool slightly upside down for a bit helps keep the fruit evenly distributed when you turn it back, but do this while it is still warm and not completely set. You need a good pair of oven gloves to manage this technique but as many lids have a pop up section they give a visual/audible signal that the seal is good.

mink35 · 27 March 2005 at 10:52PM

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

I don't always use new lids but I do prefer to use metal lids than the cellophane method referred to above.

Same here Ted. It's much easier and they self-seal as well.

Alison_B · 28 March 2005 at 6:31PM

Thanks everybody for the posts. Will give it a go in the summer. I have Le Creuset pans so I presume they will be OK to use. Not terribly confident about having a go though.:(

Alison

Ted_Hutchinson · 28 March 2005 at 9:10PM

I haven't got a Le Creuset pan large enough for Jam making and I'm not sure I would want to.

Jam pans, which can often be picked up cheap at car boots, usually have tallish sides in relation to their base diameter. When the Jam comes up to a full rolliing boil it needs quite a bit of room and I wonder if the sides on large Le Creuset pans are actually high enough.

Another problem with you pans might be the fact that when you get to the point where the Jam is about to set you need a bit of time when the Jam isn't going flat out. Aluminium and Stainless steel pans don't keep the heat like Cast Iron so when you think the jam is nearly ready and you put a spoonful on a cold plate to test if it crinkles when cold, you need a couple of minutes to "hold" the jam where it is rather than continue at full rolling boil.

You wouldn't want to be moving a large Le Creuset about full of boiling jam and particularly if your on an electric hotplate you might find by the time the test plate was showing the setting point was reached you might also find the jam had continues cooking and the set was stronger than desired. You really need to speak to someone whose used cast iron for jamming.

One more tip if you've got a pressure cooker they are excellent for speeding up the preliminary cooking of the fruit and because you only use half the recipe water quantity you find it speeds up the boiling time after the sugar has been added.

ocemeer · 28 March 2005 at 11:45PM

marmalade is good for now as there isnt any seasonal fruit around but loads of oranges and lemons. Lemon curd is very easy to do and for something different ginger marmalade. I dont have a jam pan at the moment (am getting my grans when she no longer makes jam) so use the biggest widest saucepan i own as the wider they are the better. will look up some simple marmalade recipes amd jams that are in season now and pm them to you if you want.

Sarahsaver · 29 March 2005 at 9:04AM

Surely theres not a lot of additives in jam?
It is easy to make jam but from a safety point of view, only when the kids are well and truly out if the way - either in bed or at school;)

HOLsale · 29 March 2005 at 10:35AM

i can recommend a few excellent books for all sorts of preserving not just jam!

Book of Preserving - Sonia Allison ISBN: 0715378171

The Country Store: Traditional Food, Country Crafts, Natural Decorations
Stephanie Donaldson ISBN 1840382457

Sloe Gin and Beeswax
Jane Newdick ISBN: 1853689734

all of these books are available on amazon, i just checked!

i haven't made a lot of jam, chutney is more my thing but it's nowhere near as difficult as you think it will be. if you keep your opened jars of jam in the fridge they will keep longer (this works with store bought jam as well) the instructions given by the others are excellent advice!

Magentasue mentioned a rumtopf (rumpot) we will be doing that this year ourselves, this is covered in the sonia allinson book for anyone that is interested

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Making Jams

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