How to make homemade jam - easily!

[Kitchen Witch]

How to Make Homemade Jam - Easily!



Making and canning your own jam is also quite easy. Make any jam you want - strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, peach, plum, damson plum, boysenberry, dewberry, gooseberry, loganberry, tayberry, marionberry, youngberry, etc.; by themselves or as a mixed berry jam.




Answers to Common Questions

* Why should cooked jelly be made in small batches?
If a larger quantity of juice is used, it will be necessary to boil it longer thus causing loss of flavor, darkening of jelly, and toughening of jelly. It really doesn't work.


* Can I use frozen berries instead of fresh?
Yes! Raspberries can be particularly hard to find fresh and are expensive! Frozen berries work just fine, and measure the same. Just be sure to get the loose, frozen whole fruit; not those that have been mushed up or frozen in a sugar syrup!


* Should jelly be boiled slowly or rapidly?
It should be boiled rapidly since long, slow boiling destroys the pectin in the fruit juice.


* What do I do if there's mold on my jellied fruit product?
Discard jams and jellies with mold on them. The mold could be producing a mycotoxin (poisonous substance that can make you sick). USDA and microbiologists recommend against scooping out the mold and using the ramaining jam or jelly.


* Why did my jellied fruit product ferment, and what do I do?
Jellied fruit products may ferment because of yeast growth. This can occur if the product is improperly processed and sealed, or if the sugar content is low. Fermented fruit products have a disagreeable taste. Discard them.



Tips for making jams

Always select fruit that is ripe. Use only the firmest, ripest fruit. The better the fruit quality, the better the jam.

By using the best fruit, you will help ensure a proper set and texture. This will give you the best possible flavour.

Don't use overripe or under-ripe fruit for jam as it will affect the taste and set.

Delicious jams can be made all year round. You can make them with fresh, canned, or dried fruits. You can even use frozen fruit that you picked during the summer months or bought frozen at the supermarket.

Paraffin seals are no longer recommended for jams as mould growth could occur and will spoil your jam. Instead, for cooked jam, seal jars while they are hot using sterilized two-piece lids with new centres. You can buy these from most retailers.

Always use the amount of sugar called for in the recipe, never reduce the amount. Sugar helps the jam to set and acts as a preservative. Reducing the amount of sugar will upset the balance of fruit, sugar and pectin needed to produce a well-set jam. If you want less sugar, use light products and recipes for jams and jellies.

There are two types of jam: cooked jam - one which must be boiled and stored in glass jars with sterilized two-piece lids - and no-cook jams which does not require any cooking. No-cook jams should be stored in clean, sealed jars or plastic containers in the freezer.

Many recipes have a preparation time of only 15 minutes. It is so quick and easy, you can easily fit it into a busy schedule.



Triple Berry Jam

Prep Time:
45 minTotal Time:
45 minMakes:
About 8 (1-cup) jars or 128 servings, 1 Tbsp. each

5 cups prepared fruit (buy about 3 pt. fully ripe strawberries
1-1/2 pt. fully ripe red raspberries
1 pt. fully ripe blackberries)
1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
7 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 2-1/2 cups prepared strawberries into 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Crush raspberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 1-1/2 cups prepared raspberries into saucepot with strawberries. Crush blackberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 1 cup prepared blackberries into saucepot with other fruit; mix well.

STIR pectin into fruit mixture in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)




Best Peach Jam

8 c peaches, pitted, peeled, chopped, slightly mashed
4 T lemon juice, freshly squeezed
6 T powdered fruit pectin
7 c sugar
1 T crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/4 t gingerroot, freshly grated
1/2 t nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground allspice
1/2 lemon, zest of
2 T amber rum

Sterilize the jars, rings and lids according to manufacturer's directions. In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the peaches and lemon juice to a boil. Add the pectin and return the mixture to a boil. Stirring constantly, slowly add the sugar. Stir in the crystallized ginger, fresh ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and lemon zest and continue to boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and skim any foam from the top of the jam. Carefully pour the jam into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch space between the jam and the neck of the jar. Cover with the lids and screw the bands on. Seal the jars according to manufacturer's directions. Makes 6 pints.

[ChunkyPickle]

My mum always sent us out blackberrying when I was a kid and turned our harvest into bramble jelly - I just tried it recently and with almost no effort at all have enough for me and my family for the year!

You need about 3lb of blackberries, 2 cooking apples (I just roughly chop them - keeping the skins on). Put it all in a pan, pour in just enough water to cover and simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the fruit is soft). A shot of lemon juice (or the juice of one lemon) if you have it is a good idea.

Wait for it to cool a little, then pour it into a jelly bag to sift out all the fruit mulch. I didn't have one, so I used a fine sieve over a deep bowl. Don't scrape it through, just leave it sitting there overnight/all day (cover if flies are hanging around).

Once you've got all the delicious juice, return it to a pan, with 1lb of sugar for every pint of juice and slowly heat - stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring it up to the boil, and simmer for another 15 minutes (or if you have a sugar thermometer, until setting point). Skim of any scummy bits, and pour into clean jars (not plastic! The jam's too hot and will melt them).

We always cut little circles of greaseproof and carefully dropped them onto the top of the jam to stop air (and germs) getting to it while it was being stored.

All those instructions make it seem complicated! But really it isn't, and you get lovely seedless jam which I use for my cakes as well as sandwiches. Best of all, all it costs is the sugar (and apples if you don't have a father-in-law with apple trees as I do).

I forgot! Some people on the homebrew forums I go to use a paint strainer bag to sift the fruit out when making fruit wine (the start of the process is pretty similar to making jam) - apparently you can get them very cheaply in hardware stores in the US (I've not seen them here so I'm splashing out and buying a jelly bag instead). I'd probably recommend washing it hot before you use it though, just in case.

[Kitchen Witch]

Chunky Pickle -

Being sent out to pick fresh for making jams and jellies is the best! Those were the days! Now if I go picking - I don't can till the next day - getting old I guess! The last picking I did was 4 bushels of peaches for canning. No way could I can the same day after that!

Do you ever freeze your jams/jellies?

[ChunkyPickle]

LOL - I completely understand with that kind of fruit picking - I remember spending the best part of a week getting wrinkly fingers bottling a bumber peach crop once!

I've never tried freezing the jam - I don't see why it wouldn't work though.

We just kept it cool at the back of the larder - so long as the jar wasn't opened it kept for years. The only change was that the really old jars seemed to lose their colour a bit and go brown.


I think my worst job recently was processing a sack full of apples to get the juice.. it took *ages* and you really start to feel the acid from the fruit on your hands after a while.