Just jamming about

Contents:

Jam Basics

Jam is primarily made of 2 components – fruit and sugar. The jam sets because of a naturally occurring substance called pectin, which is present in fruits and reacts with the fruit acids and gels the mixture. However, pectin is more abundant in some fruits, like apples, and less abundant in others, like strawberries. To overcome this problem, you can either add in pectin, which is in powder form and available from some supermarkets, and is extracted from apples. The other method is to make the jam with another fruit of higher pectin content – but this is not always desirable if you want to make a specific jam.

 

I find that using powdered pectin gives my strawberry jam a commercial texture, and not a natural looking set. To set my jams, I use lemon juice. It is high in pectin and natural acids. For a kilogram of fruit, I use 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice. I add a bit more sugar to cancel the sour taste of the lemon juice, but this is negligible considering the amount of sugar used in jam making.

 

One way of extracting more pectin, I have been told, is to take a fresh lemon and squeeze the juice out into a cup. Then, take the seeds and crush them until the break open, and then place into the lemon juice overnight. This apparently releases the extra pectin from the seeds.

 

I learnt about the process of jam making from my neighbour in South Africa. She had many fruit trees in her backyard, and like the previous Afrikaner woman who lived there before, she loved to make all sorts of confectionery using the fruits. She made chutney, jams and tarts, and would often bring them over to my mom.

 

She first taught me how to make fig jam, in the summer of 1989 when she had plenty of ripe figs. I made fig jam about 2 or 3 times, and then I decided one day to try and make strawberry jam. I never really enjoyed the store bought variety that came in cans, but rather the more natural preserves imported by some delicatessens, which have visible bits of fruit suspended in the jam.

 

I was driving to work one afternoon, when I was stopped at the traffic lights of an off-ramp and a vendor selling punnets of strawberries approached me. I’d normally shake my head politely, but on this day, I opened my window slightly to ask how much they were. They were selling for about R10 for 4 punnets, so that’s how many I bought. I made the jam later that evening, but not before scouring my vast resource of cookbooks to find a jam recipe specific to strawberries.

 

None of the recipes referred to strawberries, except for one, which I found in recipe book for Microwave Oven cooking. I decided to fall back on the basic method given to me by my neighbour, except I omitted her suggestion of using red wine towards the end.

 

To test if the jam is sufficiently set, I place 2 porcelain (or equivalent) saucers or plates into the freezer compartment, and when I feel that I am close to getting the right consistency, I place a bit of jam onto the plate and allow it to cool. If skin forms on the surface, and wrinkles as the jam is either touched or moved, then it is ready. As I don’t use a preservative, I keep my jam in the fridge. This means that it will thicken even more, so it is best to have a jam that is slightly runny at room temperature. In time, you will find out the best set suited to your needs.

 

Sterilising of jars:

Microwave method:

Using boiling water: 

Hongster’s Homemade Strawberry Jam:

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Wash and hull the strawberries (remove the green top, and any hard bits)
  2. Chop up the strawberries roughly, leaving the dark red bits more intact and cutting up the harder, white portions more finely.
  3. Place into a large bowl.
  4. Sprinkle 1/3 of the sugar over the strawberries and mix gently. Leave to stand for a few hours or overnight. (This will help soften the fruit.)
  5. Place the strawberries into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the remaining sugar, and stir until it dissolves.
  7. Add the lemon juice. Increase the temperature slightly, until it begins to simmer.
  8. Reduce the heat and simmer until it thickens.
  9. Test the set by spooning a small amount onto a cold saucer from the freezer.
  10. Once the jam has reached the right setting point (it takes about 30-60 minutes), turn off the heat.

There will be noticeable pink scum on the surface of the jam. To remove it, allow the minute bubbles to reach the surface, then cut out a sheet of greaseproof paper that is of the same size of the saucepan (use the lid as a guide). Place the sheet of paper and lay it onto the surface of the jam, and press gently until it makes contact with as much of the surface as possible. After a minute, gently lift the paper, and most of the scum will be removed as well. Use a spoon to remove any small bits of scum.

 

Pour the hot jam into jars and place a small sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the jam. Close the jar and allow to cool. (The clingfilm prevents condensation of water on the lid, which would then drip onto the jam and form a layer of water)

 

WAX DISCS:
You can also make wax discs to keep the jam for longer. When the jam has cooled, melt some candle wax in a saucepan, and pour it over the surfaceof the bottled jam in a thin layer. Place a length of string onto this wax (leaving a length of about 10cm of string free) and pour more wax on top. When you are ready to use the jam, simply pull on the loose string and gently lift the wax disc.

Note: Once you begin using the jam, it is best to keep it in the fridge as there are no preservatives, and make a point of using only a clean spoon or knife each time you use it.

 

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