Jam 101

Making Jam

There's nothing nicer than to give a jar of preserves to a friend.  It costs little and it's from the heart.

Seasonal fruit is the best value for your jam making and really, you can make jam from a lot of different fruits and even some vegetables  Try combinations for different tastes or make a little go further by adding apple, pear or choko.  Adding a little liqueur to your jam makes it very special.

Pectin

This is what makes your jam set to a jelly consistency.  Many fruits naturally contain pectin, some more than others.  Fruits high in pectin include citrus and apples. guavas, quinces and to some extent, cherries, strawberries and grapes.  Mostly we need to add pectin to the recipe and the easiest way to do that is with lemon juice or by boiling citrus seeds and rind with the jam in a muslin bag for easy removal.

Commercial pectin (Jamsetta is available at the supermarket) can be used and is great for recovering a sloppy jam.  Some people don't like the taste but most don't notice.

Equipment

Selecting your fruit

Preparing your fruit

Boiling your fruit

Adding sugar

Judging when it's done

Bottling

Labelling

Storing