I've been making jam - the fig tree has been loaded (the birds have been having a fine time) and the quinces are ripening too.
I often find that people are nervous about jam-making, maybe it's the mental image of a bubbling cauldron, or the idea that it's a mysterious process, akin to following a witches' spell. So I thought I'd put together a Jam-making 101 post for those of you who are a bit nervous.
It's pretty simple actually. You cook the fruit with a little water until it's soft, add sugar, and cook again to reduce the water content, until it reaches 'setting point', then pour it into jars and seal them. That's it, really.
The equipment is simple too.
A pot - I use a heavy-based medium sized stockpot. The thick base helps to prevent the mixture from burning. (don't be tempted to buy a cheap stockpot - they are useless). You could use any large saucepan, really, as long as it has a heavy base. I also use a heat-diffusing pad under the pot. You can get them at the hardware store. I don't think they are made with asbestos these days :-)
A long-handled wooden spoon for stirring the jam.
Scales to weigh the fruit and sugar are nice, but not essential, you can just measure cup-for-cup.
Clean, dry jars, recycled are good. I don't sterilise them exactly, just wash them well, then scald them with boiling water and allow to air-dry - the lids too. When you're sure they are bone dry, store with the lids on. Not a good idea to use lids from spicy stuff (pickles, curry sauce) for jam, it's hard to get the smell off them.
Apart from tasting yummy, you want your jam to keep, and you want it to set (not be too runny).
My mother used to cover her jam with a layer of wax to seal it and prevent mould, but that's not necessary with modern jars, which have a rubber seal built into the lid. Screwing the lid on immediately will create a vacuum seal as the jam cools. But the jars must be dry! The sugar in jam is a natural preservative, too.
Setting depends on pectin, a natural fibre found in plant cell walls and most
concentrated in the skin of fruits. It is water-soluble and binds with
sugar and fruit acid to form a gel
I usually make small batches - no more than a kilo or so at a time (a kilo is 2.205 pounds or about 35 oz)
This amount cooks faster and, I think, tastes better.
Most jam recipes require that you cook the fruit first in a little water, then add the sugar and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. The reason for this is that adding sugar toughens the fruit skins, so they should be softened first. There a few exceptions to this method - fig jam for instance.
My recipe recommends soaking the figs and half the sugar overnight, and adding liquid and the rest of the sugar next day, then cooking all together.
Here's the exact recipe -
2 lb figs (32 oz), 1 lemon, 28 oz sugar, 11 fluid oz water, including 1/2 cup of lemon juice.
PM - Mince figs, or chop finely, add finely sliced whole lemon (seeds removed) and half the sugar.
Stir well, and leave overnight.
AM - Add liquid and remainder of sugar, cook about one hour, until setting point is reached.
I've modified this a bit, because my variety of figs are large and
very juicy, so I don't see the need for extra liquid. And I like my fig jam lemony, so I use 2 lemons.
Here's what I did the other day -
PM - chopped the figs and weighed them = 1 Kilo. Put the deseeded and chopped lemons in the blender,
then added them to the figs with 500g sugar (half the weight of the figs). Stirred well to mix, and left to stand overnight.
AM - A very liquid mixture resulted, so I didn't add any water at all, just another 500g of sugar. If your figs are a bit dryer, you could add a bit of water, maybe up to a cupful.
Cooked just below a rolling boil until setting point was reached. Yummy!
NB these are different from my figs (picture from the internet) and you might need to add water with them.
How to tell if your jam is ready. When I start to cook the jam, I put a couple of saucers in the freezer.
When I think the jam is nearly done (you can see on the side of the pot how much the mixture has reduced, plus the texture changes) I put a teaspoon of jam on a saucer, and put it in the fridge -
not the freezer - for at least 5 minutes. If the surface of your jam sample wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it's ready.
No wrinkles? Try again in 10 minutes or so.
A few other things about figs - don't use them for jam if they've been rained on recently - it won't keep;
and did you know, figs are flowers, not fruit?
Next time - quince jelly.
