How To Make Jam
Learning how to make good fruit jam is a long process
, like making the jam itself. It's taken me years to really perfect the method I use to make and can bottles of jam every fall. I've tried and erred many times and am more than happy to share a few of my tips here to help other "jammers" in their fruity pursuits.
Making god jams or jellies begins way before anything is cut, diced, or boiled. At the beginning of canning season, usually in late August, I start looking for good prices on fresh fruit.
To make jam you need lots of fruit. Apricots are usually the first fruit used to make jam at the end of the summer. Very few grocery stores sell fresh apricots, at least not in sufficient enough quantities for the price. If you wan to make apricot jam, I'd recommend just finding a friend who has a tree they're not going to harvest. Apricots produce so heavily that most times people with apricot trees are begging someone to come help them pick all the fruit.
If you can't find a good hook up with a tree, haunt local farmers markets to find good deals.
Peaches come out next and are usually in high abundance by mid September. I buy my peaches by the bushel at a local farm produce stand.
I've found these fresh peaches to be the largest and tastiest of any I've bought. A bushel of peaches will yield about 7-8 batches of jam, depending on the size of jar you use and the recipe. Peaches are relatively easy to peal. I'd recommend soaking the peaches in hot water for about ten minutes before pealing to loosen the skins.
After you've peal a few peaches, begin cutting them and dicing them. If upon reading a recipe for the jam you feel like you need to buy translator software to interpret it all, don't worry, you're not alone. I always use the recipe found in the pectin box I buy for the jam. The recipes there are easy to follow and use step by step instructions.
On the topic of pectin, I prefer to buy the lower sugar boxes. This pectin isn't made with artificial sweeteners or anything yucky like that. It just has recipes in the box that call for less sugar. I like the less-sugar recipes because they bring out more of the taste of the fresh fruit and don't over power the jam with sugar. And they're healthier for you. So it's a win all around.
On with the jamming. We'll keep on talking about peach jam because it's a standard jam making process. Other fruits require certain methods of cooking but peach jam is pretty par for the course. So, after you peal your peaches dice them and measure the fruit according to the recipe. I like to leave the fruit in larger chunks because I like to have chunkier jam in the end but most people like to mash up the peaches to a pretty pasty consistency. Either or works just fine and comes down to a matter of taste and preference.
After you measure out your fruit into a large pot, follow the recipe for what you add first. Peach jam recipes usually call for a little lemon juice to keep the jam from turning brown. After adding the next few ingredients, and before I turn the heat on the stove, I make sure I have everything I need to finish up the jam at arm's reach. Once you start cooking the jam you really can stop stirring so it's a good idea to have everything right next to you. I like to measure out the rest of the sugar and have it waiting by the pot. I put all my cleaned jars next to the stove and get out my ladle and a wet rag to clean off the rims of the jars.
Also, if you're going to use the inverted method (more on that in a second) you need to boil the lids of the jars while you make the jam. I usually put about two cups of water in a frying pan and submerge the lids in the water. I let them boil while I'm making the jam.
So, dump the fruit, sugar and pectin in the pot and let them warm up. Once the fruit begins to liquefy (and it will in the heat) you need to stir the mixture continuously. If the jam burns on the bottom of the pot it will ruin the whole batch. Each recipe calls for different timing on the jam but usually you have to let it get to a rolling boil (that's a boil that can't be stirred down) before you add the last of the sugar.
Once the timing is all done and the jam has been boiled with the sugar and pectin for the right amount of time, the fun and furious part begins. You need to get the jam into the jars are quickly as possible before it starts to set. I use a canning funnel to keep the rims clean. For the jars to seal the rims have to be perfectly free of any jam or moisture. Ladle each jar full but leave about a 1/4 of an inch at the top. Clean off the rims with the wet rag and then dry off a lid from the boiling water. Place the lid on the top of the jar and then screw on the metal rim from the canning supplies.
I use another dry rag to hold the jar in place while I screw on the lid because the jars will be hot after pouring boiling jam in them. Screw the lid on as tightly as possible and then turn the jar upside down to seal. This is called the inverted method. If you have a pressure canner or cooker use the directions from the manufacturer's instructions.
Repeat this process with each jar of jam. Let it set at least over night. Now all that's left is enjoying fresh , homemade jam on a tasty piece of bread!
by: Art Gib
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