Jam Making...

[Mike D]

I'm out tomorrow on Pick Your Own farm getting soft fruits so I can do some jams & chutneys.

I have made jam in the past with "Jam making sugar", can I just use 'normal' sugar instead??

Cheers!

[wheels]

Yes, I do often - the only one I make that really needs the jam sugar is strawberry - 'cos it's a pig to get it to set otherwise. I'm a reluctant and very poor jam maker, but did manage a nice apricot jam last week (it's on my blog). Blackberries are also good, and free! But my favourite is a toss up between raspberry and strawberry.

Phil

[captain wassname]

Mmmmm raspberry jam

Jim
and doughnuts.

[Ianinfrance]

I make about 200 pots of jam a year, and never ever use pectinised sugar, which I find gives a kind of "overlay" to the taste of all jams made with it. For strawberries, I poach them in redcurrant puree and then add sugar at the usual rate of 750 - 800g per litre of cooked fruit.

For some tips on jam making generally.

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/souvigne/re ... isc100.htm

I also have a few specific jam recipes there too.

I'm experimenting with a french pectin product that doesn't seem to overlay the taste of jams - called Vitpris. I tried some blackberry with it, and got a fast and excellent set. Will be making greengage and "cherry plum" (Mirabelle) jams tomorrow when I get back from the market with about 4 kilos of each.

[wheels]

Ian

I've heard of the redcurrant thing before, it's great to know it works. I'll use it next time - but I may have to mug my dad for the redcurrants!

Phil

[Mike D]

Well, I went picking!! Weather was great and came back with blackcurrants, redcurrants, strawberries, peas and broad beans.

I went here...http://www.kenyonhall.co.uk/ it was only about 1/2 hour drive.

This is the result...



The piccalilli was from stuff I already had in the fridge - has a bit of 'bite' too, as I bunged some chillies in

Just halfway through making the redcurrant jelly then I'm done for today (I also got 40 pints cider brewing & 40 pints lager brewing too this morning )

[wheels]

Superb

Did you buy all those jars? (They're all the same; mine's in all-sorts!)

Phil

[Mike D]

Well spotted Phil! A free jar of piccalilli to the chap in Thurlaston!

I too, have a odd collection of jars. As we don't seem to buy anything in 'standard' 1lb jars anymore I splashed out on some from eBay - I got 36 with lids for about 13 quid. As they will get used over and over I thought I may as well.

There were allsorts of shapes for sale and I was surprised at the availability. I may get some more in future esp as "management" now want a ploughman's pickle making. No doubt there will be some stuff produced for plums, green tomato chutney and blackberries (which all fall due in the coming months) so more jars could be a blessing (they can go with the collection of wine & beer bottles )

[wheels]

That looks a good price - they're a lot dearer from Ascott Supplies.

Phil

[the chorizo kid]

can also add sour cherries at volume 3:1, cherries to sugar; mulberries 2:1. both were the best thing i ever had, jamwise, especially on home-made bread. made some with wild grapes 2 years ago, no sugar, just boiled them down like crazy. tart, and probably an acquired taste, but superb .

[mitchamus]

HFW's recipe for raspberry jam is excellent, and works great for blackberries as well.

although I generally hate jam that is too sweet... so maybe it's just my palette that this appeals to. (he uses half the weight of fruit in sugar I think i.e. 1kg raspberries/500g sugar)

He made a strawberry jam with geranium leaves recently which I want to try as well.

[coastie]

Anybody wants cheap sugar for jam making try poundland 1.5 kg bag for a quid wife went beserk and bought 11 bags
coastie

[Mike D]

Coastie said:-

Wife went beserk and bought 11 bags

I know Vera Lynn is in the charts again, and there is a war on, but is your missus expecting rationing to come back??

[coastie]

Nope apparently the price of sugar will go up next year due to a poor crop
Plus were busy making jams etc from the stuff we keep seeing on the trips bacon to the hospital
tother day
11lb 11oz of damsons
3lbs of rowan berrys
5 bags of apples
10 lbs of wild plums (bugger had me shinning up tree for these)
12 lbs of brambles
2lb of haws
and thats just to name a few she`s busy making road kill jam as I call it or as she calls it hedgerow jam
Geoff

[dbairduk]

Last week i made sloe jam, and this weekend damson chutney

All picked on our own land.... tons of sloes this year! got some sloe gin brewing too!