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Ever made your own jam?


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Old 14-07-2009, 13:49
Franglais
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I fondly remember, when I was a kid, (many moons ago!) going into the countryside with the whole family and picking blackberries and so on. Then, later, my Mum would make the best home made jam I've ever tasted!

Nowadays it's all ready made from the supermarket shelves.

I would'nt have a clue how to make me own!
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Old 14-07-2009, 13:53
neon tiger
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I made loads the other day, I do it every year. i went strawberry picking because it's cheaper. You put the fruit with some sure set sugar in a big saucepan and leave it to cook on a very low heat. You put in some lemon juice, mix it about , put it in jars and bob's your uncle! It's so much nicer than shop bought jam
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Old 14-07-2009, 13:54
Slipstreem
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My Mum's in her 80s now and still makes a few jars, usually from fruit being sold off cheap at the local orchards. You're right. Nothing beats it.
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Old 14-07-2009, 13:54
indianwells
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I made a big batch of marmalade a couple of months ago. Gorgeous. Simple to do as well.
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Old 14-07-2009, 13:56
TheMask
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I made a big batch of marmalade a couple of months ago. Gorgeous. Simple to do as well.
I'm waiting ..is the recipe a secret
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Old 14-07-2009, 13:59
alan29
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Fruit and sugar.
That's it.
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Old 14-07-2009, 14:39
Saishoyw
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The making is no problem but it's the storage that I fret over.

How do I ensure the jars are clean and sealed properly. How long does it keep etc?

ta
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Old 14-07-2009, 15:32
indianwells
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The making is no problem but it's the storage that I fret over.

How do I ensure the jars are clean and sealed properly. How long does it keep etc?

ta
I just wash out some jam jars with hot soapy water (and the lids), rinse, then upside down in a warm oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, fill with jam then lids on tight. They last for months unopened. Once opened they last a week in the fridge. I'm still using my batch which I made in March.
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Old 14-07-2009, 16:04
breppo
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Fruit, equal measures of sugar and depending on the fruit add some pectin. Some fruit have less natural pectin and won't gel easily, that's why you have to add pectin.
Apples and citrus fruits are rich in pectin and that's were the stuff comes from. It's a powder you can get in sachets in some supermarkets and most chemists.
Stawberries are low in pectin, so I add some. You can also use lemon juice, but I prefer the more neutral pectin.

I love making my own jams and confitures.
My favourite is made from juicy deep purple plums.

I use the old fashioned Weck jars to preserve and store the jam.
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Old 14-07-2009, 16:34
Sallysally
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I've always made my own jams. It is easy really.

General method for all fruit that you eat entire eg strawberries, plums, apricots etc. You wash and prepare the fruit eg remove the green parts, stones, cut into smaller pieces etc. Then weigh.

Place in pan and cook under very gentle heat until the fruit is soft. This is essential, otherwise your fruit can end up really tough! If you must, add a little water to prevent catching, but the less water you use, the more intense the flavour.

Then, for each pound of fruit add 1 pound of sugar. Some fruits eg strawberries, raspberries, you use sugar with pectin (Tate and Lyle do this). For fruits like plums that are rich in pectin, use ordinary granulated. (I would recommend you look up whether you need to use pectin or not)

Then, you bring to boil. I have a sugar thermometer which tells me when it is 105C. Otherwise, you stir until a drop of your jam, when placed on a cold plate wrinkles when you push at it with a finger nail.

Pour into really clean, hot jars. I put mine in the dishwasher to finish just as the jam is ready to pour.

For jelly, the same sort of thing, except you cook the fruit with enough water to cover it, strain it through muslin or a fine sieve. Then 1 pound sugar to 1 pint liquid. This is lovely for things like quince or blackberries, which really has too many pips for my liking.

Hope this helps. I would really advise you to start with something simple like strawberry. If you like it (and there really is no comparison in taste between home-made and shop bought) there are loads of preserving recipes on the net.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
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Old 14-07-2009, 22:47
Ignazio
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Love homemade jam - recalls those days when strawberry jam had whole strawberries etc. As for raspberry jam, the intensity of taste can only be appreciated when the jam is homemade.

The taste of blackcurrant jam, bramble jelly, gooseberry and rhubarb and ginger takes me back to childhood and picking the harvest of my grandmother's fruit garden.

btw lemon curd is so very easy to make and tastes nothing like the commercial variety.
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