Jam is made from different fruit. It is best that the fruit are in good condition, well ripened and fresh. Each fruit requires a different amount of time to boil. For example, strawberries and raspberries are boiled after being cleaned from their leaves and stems.
Cherries, in order for them to be made into jam, need to be pitted and this is done with the help of an appliance or, if you do not have one on hand, with the handle of a small coffee spoon.
Prune, peaches and apricots jam is prepared after the fruit are cleaned and their seeds are. You can also make jam from walnuts or figs, having previously been boiled in 1 or 2 waters. The cleaned fruit are then poured into a wide bowl or pot. Sprinkle them with crystal sugar and leave them overnight.
The longer jam is boiled, the more saturated the color is, otherwise the color turns out lighter if it is boiled for a shorter time. It is best if the fruit are no more than 4-6 lb (2-3 kg). Boil the jam over low heat, so that it doesn't burn and if there is any foam, remove it with a slotted spoon and discard it. The liquid should evaporate and then thicken.
Just so that the jam doesn't crystallize, at the end add 1 tsp. citric acid per 2.2 lb (1 kg) of sugar and stir it so that it dissolves well. The jam is well cooked, when a drop of the syrup on a plate isn't runny and retains its shape.
The ratio of fruit to sugar is 1: 1, but it also depends on how well the ripe the fruit are.
More sugar gives us more syrup. For of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry jam, the amount of sugar can be reduced by 2 times. It is best to put 2.2 lb (1 kg) of sugar on 6.6 lb (3 kg) of fruit and leave it to cool overnight.
The next day the fruit will have released juice and can be boiled until they thicken over medium heat. If you follow this rule, you will have whole fruit when boiling it. From experience I can say that the strawberry and cherry jam is boiled for about 1 hour and 40-50 minutes until it thickens.
I'm not a fan of ready-made jam fixes. With them, jam is boiled for 10 minutes and you're done, but no, it's not jam, it's chemicals. That's my opinion, I just thought I would share it.
Real jam is boiled for at least 1-2 hours, while stirring it over low heat. Then pour it into dry jars, close them with their lids, turn them upside down and leave them to cool. Store them in a cool place until winter or they can also be boiled for 10-15 minutes to sterilize the jars.
After you know how to boil jam, we suggest you try our recipes for:
- fig jam;
- cherry jam;
- or peach jam;
Comments