Homemade Jam Recipes

From LackingExperience.com

Mixed berry jam

Ingredients

• Water (Quantity depends on pan, see below **)
• 1kg strawberries, chopped into quarters or eighths. Remove tops before chopping.
• 450g blackberries
• 450g raspberries
• 100g blueberries
• 2kg sugar
• 50g Jamsetta or alternatively a pectin sugar.

Method

Place a large, heavy-based, preseving pan or pot on the stove. **Put just enough water in the bottom to cover the base of the pot and then apply a medium heat until the water is warm.

Wash the fruit then add to the pan. Cook on a medium heat with the lid off, stirring regularly to stop the fruit from sticking, until the fruit is soft. The way to check if your fruit is soft enough is to see if you can cut through a strawberry piece with your wooden spoon – if so, the fruit is soft enough.

Mix the sugar and Jamsetta together in a large bowl. It’s best to make this mix as pouring the Jamsetta alone into the pot will cause it to coagulate and stick and not work through the fruit). Add the sugar/Jamsetta mix to the pot and stir thoroughly, making sure there aren't any clumps until the sugar has dissolved.

Sterilize your jars. Before the mixture boils, place your jars in a cold oven. Turn the heat up to 80-100C and heat until the jam is ready. Boil the jam, continuing to stir every five minutes, for half an hour.

Test to see if the jam is set (or has reached 105C on a jam thermometer) If it is still too runny, continue boiling for another 15 minutes then test again. Fill jars and seal. When still hot, fill and seal the jars and turn them upside-down until cool (this will help create a good seal for the jam). Label and date each jar and store in a dry area.

Strawberry and vanilla jam

Ingredients

• 2 vanilla bean pods, split and seeded
• 800g caster sugar
• 1kg fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
• 50ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

What to do the day before: In a large bowl, mix together vanilla bean pods and seeds and sugar. Place strawberries into the sugar mix and stir gently to combine. Cover and leave in a cool, dry place overnight (not your fridge)

What to do on the day: Place the mixture including vanilla pods in a large heavy-based preserving pan or pot over a medium heat and slowly bring to the boil. Add the lemon juice and continue to cook until set. Test to see if the jam is set (or has reached 105C on a jam thermometer). When still hot, fill and seal the jars and turn them upside-down until cool (this will help create a good seal for the jam). Label and date each jar and store in a dry area

If your jam isn't quite what you expected, make sure you've already read Making Homemade Jam