The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today. Lewis Carroll
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The recipe
Jam recipes mostly comprise equal weights of fruit and sugar. You can play with this 1:1 ratio as much as you want, but too much fruit and you may lose the preserving effects of the sugar; too much sugar and it may crystallise during storage.The choice of fruit for jam-making is almost endless. I always try to use seasonal fruit to get the best flavour for my jam. Slightly unripe or "just ripe" fruit will form a jam more easily than very ripe fruit as it contains more pectin and is more acidic.Advertisement
1kg granulated sugar
Lemon juice and/or pectin (depending on the fruit you use)Start by removing any leaves and twigs, wash the fruit if you feel it necessary, and remove any stones. Add the fruit to a pan big enough to ensure the fruit does not reach more than halfway up the side.
Heating
Place your pan on a low heat. As the fruit heats through, a glorious fresh, warm smell will fill the air. Prolong this by heating slowly until a very gentle boil is reached. Cook until tender - any longer and the fruit will lose its shape. No sugar is added at this stage because a high sugar concentration can cause water to be removed through osmosis and result in hard, unappetising fruit. You might need to add a little water though if your fruit is very dry.Boiling is key to jam-making because it releases a long fibrous compound known as pectin. Even though pectin only makes up 0.5-1% of the jam, you will have to learn to play it like a snake charmer or you will add your tears to your mixture.Advertisement
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Adding the sugar
Add the sugar and stand back as it starts to foam up the sides of the pan. A sentimentality-inducing childhood smell of sweet fruit fills the air. Allow the sugar to dissolve over a low heat then bring rapidly to the boil. Avoid stirring at this point as you may break up the fruit or cause crystallisation. A foamy scum may form on the surface of the jam; this is normal and can be removed by adding a little butter (about 20g) to break the surface tension or by skimming it off with a spoon while your mixture is cooling.This is the exciting bit: the smell of jam fills the air and you're desperate to get it into jars and on to some toast, but patience is required. However, you will normally have to wait around 5-20 minutes for the pectin network to form. The time varies depending on the type of fruit, the type of pan etc. A wide-mouthed pan is ideal as it allows water to escape, helping to bring our precious pectin molecules closer together.Time to pour
There are many ways of telling when your pectin network has formed and you are ready to pour the jam out. It normally forms at around 104-105C, when the sugar content is high enough to allow the pectin branches to join. Unfortunately, temperature is not a reliable signal because it varies according to acidity, amount of pectin, etc. My preferred method is direct measurement. Pour a little blob of jam on to a cooled saucer, let the jam cool in the fridge and then push against the side of it with your finger. If the surface wrinkles it means the pectin network has solidified, setting point has been reached, and you should take the mixture off the heat. If you don't boil it long enough the pectin network will not form properly. Boil it too long you risk not only losing the fresh flavour and colour of the jam but having a jam with the texture of set honey.Cooling and decanting into jars
This is my favourite part, but I allow the jam to cool and thicken for about 10 minutes before pouring it into jars, to prevent the fruit from floating to the top. Try not to leave the jam too long, however, as lukewarm jam is a great breeding ground for mildew spores which are present in the air.To keep you busy while you are waiting, get your pre-sterilised jars ready. You will need five or six of them. My preferred method of sterilisation is to wash them in soap and hot water, rinse them with clean water to remove any detergent, and dry them in the oven at about 160C.Jams can remind us of summers past, even summers several years gone. It is the sugar and acid that makes this possible. Jams usually contain about 60% sugar, which is enough to stop most microorganisms growing. The high acidity also makes it an unpleasant place to breed. However, some moulds can grow even in these harsh conditions and so it is important to take care when preparing and sterilising your jars.The satisfying gurgle of jam being poured is music to the ears. Each jar should be topped up to just less than a centimetre below the surface.Capping and storage
I remember being puzzled why my parents always put a waxed paper disc on the surface of their homemade jam. I now know that it prevents the condensation of water on the jam's surface. Condensed water would dissolve sugar, producing an area of low sugar concentration and allowing mould growth. I must confess that jam never sits in my cupboard long enough to worry about this.Now that our jam-making is at an end, there is only one stage to go: eating. I always struggle not to get overexcited and try my jam straight away before it has developed its "quiver". I am torn; I feel I should wait until the autumn, when I can close my eyes and relive summer. But I'm realistic. I wait till the next day to spread the noble jam thickly on a delicious chunk of simple bread and butter.Photo: Getting the pectin content of your jam right makes the difference between a semi-rigid, elastic 'gel' and sloppy fruit sauce. Photograph: R White/Corbis For the latest food news, health tips and recipes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and YouTube.
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