As the mixture bubbles and boils it will gradually thicken and take on a caramelised sheen. Once you see this change you can commence to test the jam to see if it has reached its setting point. The setting point can be easily tested by dropping a small spoonful of jam onto the surface of a chilled plate.
If after a few minutes it forms a crinkly skin and you can run a finger through the jam and it does not seep — it has achieved the setting point. If not continue cooking and try again in 5 minutes. Once the jam is set, carefully pour into sterilised jar and screw on the lid. Then turn jars upside-down and allow to cool. Jars can then be labelled and stored in a cool dark place until needed or given as gifts. Little Hill Farm.
Making jam is as easy as boiling water, but there are lots of little details that go along with the process. To delve into the subject further, Canning on the Food In Jars website is a goldmine.
This basic jam recipe is the one I come back to again and again. Squeeze the lemon juice into the fruit mixture, add the lemon halves to it, and stir until combined.
Prepare your jars during this time. Stir the jam mixture well to make sure there are no sugar clumps at the bottom of the pot, then bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep it from boiling over. Keep the jam at a lively simmer until it is set. Carefully wipe the edges of the jar openings 6 , then close the lids tightly. Turn each jam jar upside down to cool. Makes 3 to 4 jars.
Cup amounts will vary from fruit to fruit. If it's a low-acid, low-pectin fruit like ripe strawberries, then I'm going to have to add more sugar, closer to the percent level. If the fruit is higher in pectin and has more natural acid—such as perfectly ripe blueberries with a handful of greener ones thrown in—then I'd add less sugar, closer to the percent level. Let's say our prepped apricots, now halved and pitted, weigh 6 pounds and are perfectly ripe.
I'll often go for about 45 percent sugar same for plums; whereas, with dark red cherries and tender peaches, I'd do a little more, about 60 percent. Almost all fruit contains some acid, but I always add lemon juice or another acid to a jam mixture, just to be sure the acidity is high enough and because I like the flavor. There's no great rule of thumb for how much acid to add to a jam, but you can get it right by adding it bit by bit and tasting along the way.
I generally add one ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice for every two pounds of fruit when jamming higher-acid fruit like tart plums , and about two ounces for lower-acid fruit like sweet strawberries. So for my six pounds of apricots, since they're on the more tart side, I'd probably end up adding around three ounces of lemon juice.
Remember: We can always add more acid but we can't take it away, so it's good to hold back a little and then add more as needed.
To figure out if more is needed, start tasting. If the mixture still tastes mostly sweet, not tart or sour at all, add a little more of the lemon juice it's just like making lemonade: you know when it tastes right, perfectly balanced between sweet and tart. One more note: If you add lemon juice towards the end of the process, you'll be introducing additional water, which can set you back a little in the pectin-web-making process.
The solution then is to cook the jam a little more to get out that extra water from the lemon juice. Still, it's better to try not to add too much liquid too late in the process. It is possible to add too much acid, which would be detrimental to the jam structure and the flavor, but as long as you start out on the conservative side and then add more by taste, you won't risk crossing that line.
Feel free to experiment with acid sources: limes or sour oranges can add great flavor to some jams. You can also add neutral-flavored, water-free acids like powdered citric acid, or even malic or tartaric acid if you can find them, but those really pack a punch, so you have less margin of error. I think of adding commercial pectin to jam as an artist's choice.
Some people use it to good effect, but I tend to avoid it because I have gotten much better results by just using pectin-rich fruit that is just ripe enough, and then dialing in on the sugar and acid and heat. Jams that I've made with added pectin have often turned out too thick and rubbery, with a dull flavor.
I do occasionally add a satchel of lemon wedges to a jam when I know there is likely to be lower amounts of pectin, like with strawberries. This helps add extra pectin that the berries don't have, but in lower amounts than if I were adding commercial pectin. When the jam is finished, I open the satchel and squeeze any remaining jam back into the pot, then discard the lemon wedges.
Still, I'm not saying that commercial pectin is never useful or that it's bad. Some jellies or jams made with low-pectin fruit like melons couldn't exist without it and are very much worth making.
Whether to use a recipe that calls for added pectin is a personal choice, and I know that many, many successful jam makers have crafted delicious jams with it. If you do decide to use added pectin, make sure that you use the specific type specified by the recipe—some types require higher levels of sugar, some require calcium to set, some are rapid-set, and some are slow-set.
Recipes will call for different sugar amounts and cooking methods depending on the pectin type that's used. Now that you know all of the inner workings of jam-making, go ahead and start jamming. However, each package of regular pectin does contain some sugar. Artificial sweetener is often added. Recipes Using Gelatin: Some recipes use unflavored gelatin as the thickener for the jelly or jam. Long-Boil Methods: Boiling fruit pulp for extended periods of time will make a product thicken and resemble a jam, preserve or fruit butter.
Artificial sweetener may be added. Remake a trial batch using 1 cup of jelly or jam first. Measure jelly or jam to be remade. Heat the jelly to boiling and boil until the jellying point is reached.
Remove jelly from heat, skim, pour immediately into sterilized hot containers and seal and process for 5 minutes. Stir the package contents well before measuring.
Mix the pectin and water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add jelly or jam and sugar. Stir thoroughly. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Adjust new lids and process in a boiling water bath for at least 5 minutes or for time specified in the recipe.
Place jelly or jam in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Quickly add the sugar, lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Wipe jar rims. Adjust new lids and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Stir well until sugar is dissolved about 3 minutes. Pour into clean containers. Cover with tight lids. Let stand in refrigerator until set.
Then store in refrigerator or freezer. Stir well until dissolved about 3 minutes. Place in small saucepan and place over low heat, stirring, until the powdered pectin is dissolved. Add to the sugar and fruit mixture and stir until thoroughly blended about 2 to 3 minutes.
Why should cooked jelly be made in small batches? If a larger quantity of juice is used, longer boiling is needed causing loss of flavor, darkening of jelly, and toughening of jelly. Should jelly be boiled slowly or rapidly? It should be boiled rapidly since long, slow boiling destroys the pectin in the fruit juice. Discard all of the product.
Why did my jellied fruit product ferment, and what do I do? Jellied fruit products may ferment because of yeast growth. This can occur if the product is improperly processed and sealed, or if the sugar content is too low.
Fermented fruit products have a disagreeable taste. Discard them.
0コメント