Making your own jam is a wonderful way to preserve the season’s fruit and reduce your kitchen waste – apricots and berries, rhubarb and garden apples are ripe for the picking right now. Our jam-making guide will help you navigate all your need-to-know jam-making basics. Scroll down for a raspberry jam recipe.
You can use almost any fruit but there are some factors to consider. Pectin occurs naturally in many fruits, usually in the pips, cores and peel, and it helps to set and thicken your jam. Some fruits are higher in pectin than others. Medium to high-pectin fruits include blackcurrants, plums, gooseberries, cooking apples, redcurrants and lemons as well as raspberries and apricots. Fruits that are low in pectin include blackberries, strawberries, rhubarb, peaches, cherries and dessert apples. Jam made with fruits lower in pectin will be looser and softer, and that’s fine. If using low-pectin fruits and you want more of a ‘set’ jam, you could balance this out by adding in fruits that are higher in pectin; combine blackberry and blackcurrant for example.
TIPS:
Alternatively, you could use ‘high-pectin’ sugar (also known as jam sugar). The addition of lemon juice also helps to activate the pectin and set your jam.
Slightly unripe fruit contains more pectin and is more acidic than very ripe fruit and will also help to set your jam more easily.
THE SUGAR: HOW MUCH SUGAR IS NECESSARY?
Don’t skimp on the sugar as this is what helps to preserve your jam and will also help it to set. Traditional recipes call for equal weights of sugar and fruit but you can play with this. At least 60% to 70% sugar to fruit will work well; so 600g to 700g of sugar to a kilo of fruit. As mentioned above, you could use ‘jam sugar’ but that’s not entirely necessary, especially if you prefer a looser jam. You can use caster or ordinary granulated sugar.
TIPS:
For a chunkier jam pre-soak your fruit in sugar You don’t have to do this but this will help to keep your fruits intact during cooking and stops them from breaking down completely. Prep your fruit and place in your saucepan in layers, sprinkling with the sugar between each layer. Set aside for a few hours or overnight. Delia’s recipe for apricot jam works wonderfully.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?
A medium, wide saucepan. This is important as the wide surface area helps to create a thicker, more concentrated jam
TIPS: Alternatively, you could use 'high-pectin' sugar (also known as jam sugar). The addition of lemon juice also helps to activate the pectin and set your jam.
Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set. With low-pectin fruits like strawberries, help them along by either mixing with pectin-rich fruit like gooseberries or by using jam sugar (with added pectin and citric acid).
Over-ripe or damaged fruit is not ideal - the jam will not set well and is likely to deteriorate rapidly. The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit).
Do no stir jam once boiling, but use a wooden spoon to check it is not sticking on the base of the pan. Stirring lowers the temperature and delays setting point being reached. It is wasteful to remove scum too often. Do it at the beginning and at the end.
Cornstarch is a common thickening agent for jams, sauces, soups, and glazes. It's also a viable option for jam recipes with less added sugar or ones that feature fruits with naturally less sugar or pectin.
Doubling the batch. If you're overrun with sweet strawberries, it's pretty tempting to just grab a bigger pot and double or triple the recipe you're following. ...
If, on the other hand, the jam is rock solid, that means you've gone too far and cooked it too long. You can try adding a little water to thin it out, but bear in mind that after overcooking a jam, you can't really get those fresh fruit flavors back.
While this trick won't work for jam recipes that already call for pectin, adding pectin to a loose batch of jam while re-cooking it almost guarantees that the jam with set back up nicely. Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam.
It's important to add the jam sugar at the right time. If you add it in too early, the sugar can cause the fruit to break down and become mushy. If added too late, the jam may not set properly.
To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.
One of my favorite tricks for jam-making is macerating the fruit first. Macerating is the process of coating the fruit in sugar and letting it rest for a few hours or overnight, which pulls some of the juice out of the fruit and creates a syrup with the sugar.
Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.
Boil hard for 5-10 mins until the jam has reached 105C on a preserving or digital thermometer, then turn off the heat. If you don't have a thermometer, spoon a little jam onto one of the cold saucers. Leave for 30 secs, then push with your finger; if the jam wrinkles and doesn't flood to fill the gap, it is ready.
For every two cups of fruit puree, add to the pot one scant cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir to combine, and taste. Very tart fruit (such as sour cherries or some plums) might need a little more sugar. Very sweet fruit (such as white peaches) might need a little more lemon juice.
If there is too little acid, the gel will never set; if there is too much acid, the gel will lose liquid (weep). For fruits low in acid, add lemon juice or other acid ingredients as directed. Commercial pectin products contain acids that help to ensure gelling.
Citrus Peels - Naturally high in pectin, you can substitute citrus peels for pectin. Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin. Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency.
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