Making Jam and Preserves

The end of summer, when there is lots of fruit around, is a great time to make jam and preserves. Here are a few things you should know about making jams.

Tips

• Before you start, put four saucers in the fridge or freezer to chill ready to repeat testing for setting as needed.


• A large preserving pan with a wide top id essential for its size and shape – it helps the evaporation process, ensuring the finished preserve is not too runny. Stainless steel or non-stick pans are best.


• Preserving sugar is a superior quality course grain sugar that gives a clear set ideal for jellied preserves, but it’s not essential for marmalade and jam and it’s much more expensive than granulated sugar.


• Jam sugar is not the same as preserving sugar – it’s a granulated sugar with added pectin and citric acid to aid the setting of fruits that have a naturally low pectin content such as strawberries and cherries.
  

Setting Agents

• Preserving sugar produces less scum, dissolves easily and produces sparkling jellies and lams. Jam sugar is used for fruits with low pectin and acid level.


• Pectin makes preserves set when fruit is heated with sugar. However, many summer fruits are low in pectin, so if your jam or marmalade is not setting, add extra lemon juice – a good natural source of pectin. Alternatively, use an artificial pectin – add one sachet per 1 kg of granulated sugar.
  

Setting Point

When jam reaches setting point it’s ready to bottle. Test regularly for a set. If the preserve is boiled for too long it darkens and caramelises. There are two good ways of testing this stage:

• Spoon a little jam or marmalade on to a chilled plate, then chill for a minute or two. If it crinkles when you run your finger through it from the edge, setting point has been reached.


• Take the guess work out of getting the perfect set by using a jam thermometer. Generally speaking, the setting point will be around 105°C.
  

Bottling Tips

• Before use, wash jars in hot water, drain, then leave to dry in a warm oven (150°C). Boil the lids. Alternatively, a fast wash in the dish washer is ideal.


• Always pour hot preserves into warm jars.


• Always fill to the rim to allow for shrinkage on cooling.


• Cover with waxed discs, waxed side down, and dampened cellophane covers, dampened side up.


• For longer-term storage, cover the screw-on lids, too.


• For best results, store preserves in a cool dark place.
  

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