Good home-made jam is a luxury that everyone can enjoy, and afford these days, and what better way to preserve home grown fruit. If you are not fortunate enough to grow your own fruit, keep an eye on the knocked-down fruit section at your local supermarket, it's really surprising what bargains you can grab.

Jams can be divided into two sections, jam as we know it, and conserves. Conserves, or preserves, as they are sometimes known, are a little more syrupy than conventional jam, tend to taste sweeter and have a stronger flavour.

If you follow these few simple rules when making jam, your jam recipe will not fail you.

Rules for Jam Making

1. Always use dry, barely ripe fruit and either preserving (loaf) sugar, or granulated sugar.
2. Wash or wipe the fruit accordingly, pick out any damaged parts.
3. Warm your sugar before adding it to the boiling fruit, either in the oven or microwave.
4. When the sugar has completely dissolved, boil briskly, stirring gently and slowly, until the jam sets when tested. Do not start to boil the fruit until ALL of the sugar has been dissolved.
5. To test the jam for setting, remove the pan from the heat and pour a little onto a pre-cooled plate. Cool the jam quickly and run your little finger through the cooled blob. If the jam is ready, it will crinkle slighly and remain in two seperate portions. It will also form a drop om the end of a finger which will not fall. If not ready, return the pan to the heat and boil for a further few minutes and test again.
6. Skim the jam (if necessary) towards the end of cooking only, as continuous skimming is wasteful and unnecessary.
7. Have your jam jars warm, perfectly clean and dry before filling.
8. Once filled, wipe the jam jars with a cloth wrung out in very hot water.
9. The top surface of the jam needs to be covered with a circle of wax paper. Simply cut out discs to size, making sure that the whole surface is covered, press down the wax paper disc (wax side down) to form a seal. Cover with a screw top lid or cellophane circle when the jam is either still hot or when completly cold. Store in a cool, dry place.
10. The setting power of jam all depends on the amount of pectin present in the fruit being used. Pectin is a natural, gum-like substance, of which small quantities can be found in strawberries, cherries and raspberries,but is plentiful in blackcurrants, red currants, damsons, apples and gooseberries.
11. When using fruit with a low pectin content, it is advisable to use one of the following ingredients to make sure that the jam sets properly
    • The acidic juice of gooseberries, apples or red currants
    • Commercially prepared pectin
    • Tartaric acid (dissolved in a little water) or citric acid (the juice of a lemon).

How to test jam for setting

After boiling for the appopriate time, remove the pan from the heat and pour a little onto a pre-cooled plate. Cool the jam quickly and run your little finger through the cooled blob. If the jam is ready, it will crinkle slighly and remain in two seperate portions. It will also form a drop om the end of a finger which will not fall. If not ready, return the pan to the heat and boil for a further few minutes and test again.

How to pot and tie down jam

After filling clean, warm jam jars, place a waxed paper disc over the surface of the jam, wax side down. It is important to make sure that the whole surface is covered. Dampen one side of a cellophane disc and place this, dry side down, over the neck of the jar, pull tight and secure with an elastic band.

Screw top lids and cellophane covers can be decorated with small circles or squares of cotton, tied around with a piece of string or co-ordinating ribbon.

Further hints and tips on making jam:

• Warming the sugar prevents lowering the temperature of the fruit, thus ensuring that you don't overcook the jam.
• Fresh, soft garden fruits need less cooking than shop bought fruit.
• Boiling your fruit for too long darkens the colour of the jam and spoils the flavour.
• When filling jam jars, fill them quite full to allow for shrinkage.
• Strawberry or cherry jam needs to be left in the pan (off the heat) for 30 minutes or so to thicken before being poured into jars. This ensures that the fruit does not rise to the top of the jam jar when setting. Once it has stood for half an hour, stir thoroughly but gently, and pour into clean, dry, warm jars.
• To sterilise jam jars first wash the jars in hot soapy water and rinse in clean warm water. Allow them to drip-dry, upside down, on a rack in the oven set to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Leave them there for at least half an hour while you make the jam.
• If your jam slides about as a liquid when tested, then it hasn't reached setting point and should be returned to the heat and boiled for a few more minutes before testing again.
• Always label your jam, and include the date you made it.
• The amount of pectin in any fruit is always greater when the fruit is slightly under-ripe.
• Jams can be stored in a cool, dark cupboard for up to a year.

Reasons for Jam not keeping

MILDEW may be caused by:

1. Using wet, cold jars
2. Covering when neither hot nor cold
3. Insufficient sealing when covering
4. Storing in a damp place

CRYSTALLIZATION may be caused by:

1. Using too much sugar
2. Allowing the jam to boil before all the sugar had dissolved
3. Too much stirring when boiling
4. Leaving uncovered for too long

FERMENTATION may be caused by:

1. Insufficient boilng
2. Using too little sugar
3. Storing in a warm place

Jam Making Equipment

Homemade Jam Recipes

Apple & Ginger Jam | Apple Preserve | Blackberry & Apple Jam | Blackcurrant Jam | Morello Cherry Jam | Strawberry Jam