INGREDIENTS
1/2 - 1 CUP of diced ginger (peel ginger by scraping with a metal spoon or peeler)
1 1/2 cup of date sugar [ watch date sugar making video - see below ]
3 1/2 heaping cups of fruit (about 2 lbs); tangerine segments combined with cooked pumpkin. You may add apples and/or apple peals or mandarin oranges. Note: It all has to add up to 3 /12 cups
Zest* 3 tangerines [ use zest tool -see below] and soften in 1/3 cup of hot water [ use microwave ]
A big pinch of sea salt [enhances the flavour]
1 lemon (about a heaping tablespoon) (Add about 1-2 tsp of lemon zest combined with the tangerine zest )
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare ginger: Finely dice or purée in a blender. You can do half puréed and half diced ginger, for texture.
Dice/chop orange segments (or other fruit) to make up 3 1/2 cups of fruit.
Mix chopped fruit, softened zest and date sugar together. and set aside for 1 hour [ very important step ].
Add fruit mixture into a heavy pot. Add 1/2 squeezed lemon, ginger, salt and left over zest water. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat. TIP: Make sure your pot reaches a rolling boil for about 3 minutes.Your jam is very close to being done. At this point you should have reached the required temperature to set your jam/jelly)
Check for doneness: Cook fruit until your thermometer reaches 220 F or 105C. [ 30-60 minutes]
If you are not using a thermometer, test the jam by looking at the drips from your stir spoon. Slow, syrup-like drips indicates the jam is ready. I recommend this for experienced jam makers. More caning tips: freshpreserving.com. For newbies: Use the thermometer and spoon test together to see how the jam looks at the correct temperature. You may skip the thermometer test after you are more experienced.
Remove pot from heat when you have reached the required temperature.
Place jam in warm, sterilized jars and store in the fridge for 1 month, or freezer for several months.