OUR JAM MAKING TIPS

• Selecting fruit for your jam and preserves
• Equipment
• Sterilising Jars
• What makes a good set?
• Testing for a set
• Potting
• Storage
  

Selecting fruit for your jam and preserves
Choose ripe but not soft fruit and pick through thoroughly to remover any mouldy specimens.  Overripe fruit will contain too much water to obtain a good set.

Fruit tends to come in gluts at the height of its season.  ‘this is the time to buy or harvest, as they will be at their cheapest and best.  But just because you have a fridge full of raspberries, doesn’t mean that you have time to preserve them.  In this case, it is possible to do part of the preparation and finish off later.  For example, cook the fruit or jelly and leave it to strain, then freeze the resulting juice. Thaw, measure and add the sugar when you have time.

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Equipment
Although very little specialist equipment is required, a good preserving pan makes the job a little easier.  It should be large with a heavy base and made from good quality stainless steel.  Some pans also have measurements marked up the inside, which whilst not essential, is certainly helpful both when adding ingredients and when determining the yield of your preserve.  A pouring lip is also useful.

The pan will also have sloping sides and a wide top that allows maximum evaporation, essential for reducing the liquid in your preserve to the right concentration.  The large size is also important as it allows your ingredients to come to a rolling boil, vital for a good set, without boiling over.  Never fill your preserve pan more than half way.

Jars are fortunately re-useable though you may have to replace the lid. Make sure that if you are re-using a lid, it does not have the taint of its previous contents as this will ruin all your hard work!

Jam jars will come with twist-off lids lined with plastic or rubber, which helps to make an airtight seal.  You can of course use wax discs and cellophane covers for your jam.  Wax discs are not suitable for vinegar-based preserves as they do not form an airtight seal and vinegar has a tendency to evaporate.  You can use jars with plastic-lined screw tops for these or clip-top jars with rubber seals.

Other essential equipment include bowls and basins of varying sizes, for jellies - a jelly bag and stand, small freezer-proof plates, colander, nylon sieve, jam funnel, knives, measuring spoons and jugs, wooden spoons and a good sized chopping board.

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Sterilising Jars
Properly sterling your jars, no matter what type you are using is an essential part of your preserve making.  All your hard work will be lost if your jam is exposed to any contaminants.  As mentioned previously, its really important that you do not re-use jars or lids that have a taint from the previous contents, especially for vinegar based contents such as chutneys.

If you are re-using old jars or lids, wash thoroughly in hot soapy-water and remove all stickers.  Rinse in freshly boiled hot water.  Leave to dry upside-down on a clean tea towel or kitchen paper.

There are two main methods for heat sterilising your jars.  Option one: preheat your oven to Gas Mark 3/170ºC/325ºF. Stand the jars on a baking sheet, trying to avoid them touching and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and either fill with hot preserves or leave until cold and fill with cold mixtures.  Option two: place the jars in a deep pan and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove with tongs and either fill with hot or leave to cool as before.

It is also possible to sterilise jars in the microwave, please refer to the manufacturer’s instruction book for guidance.  As a general guide, fill jars half full of water, place in microwave and microwave on full power until the water boils. Using oven gloves, swill the water around the jars, empty and leave to drain upside-down on kitchen towel or clean tea towel as before.

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What makes a good set?
Jams, jellies and marmalades all rely on the right combination of pectin, acid and sugar to achieve a good set.  Fruit contains varying amounts of pectin and acid – in fact, the same type of fruit may contain different quantities of acid and pectin year to year, or variety to variety, hence why its important to test.

Acid helps in the process of extracting the pectin from the fruit.  It is essential for a good set and helps prevent the crystallisation of the sugar.  Fruit that is rich in pectin is usually rich in acid too.  There are fruits that require the addition of added acid in the form of lemon juice, redcurrant or apple stock.  Your recipe should offer guidance.

High pectin fruit includes blackcurrants, redcurrants, damsons, quinces, cooking apples, gooseberries and cranberries.  Medium pectin fruit includes raspberries, early blackberries, apricots, greengages and loganberries.  Low pectin fruit includes strawberries, pears, elderberries, cherries and late blackberries.

Sugar is not just for sweetness.  The concentration of sugar in the final preserve will determine whether it will keep well or not or whether the preserve will ferment or crystallise.  A good recipe should avoid this happening! Billington's sugar offers a range of unrefined sugars that can give your jams and preserves a subtly different taste.  For more information about their range of sugars, including Fairtrade sugar, please visit www.billingtons.co.uk

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Testing for a set
There are three main tests for determining whether your sweet preserve has reached setting point.  Take the preserve off the heat to ensure that it doesn’t over cook during testing.

Flake test: Dip a clean wooden spoon into the mixture in the pan.  Remove it and holding it above the pan, twirl the spoon to cool the mixture slightly.  Allow the mixture to fall off the spoon.  If the drops run together and form flakes that hang off the side of the spoon, the mixture has reached setting point.

Cold saucer test: Chill a couple of small plates in the fridge or freezer.  Put a small blob of mixture onto a small plate and tilt to spread it thinly.  Leave it to cool for a minute, then push the mixture around with your finger.  If it wrinkles, it’s reached setting point.

Thermometer test: Stir the mixture in the pan.  Dip the thermometer into hot water before dipping it into the pan.  If the temperature reaches 105ºC/220ºF, setting point should have been reached.  Double check using the saucer test to be certain.

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Potting
Follow the instructions as detailed in the recipes on the recipe pages of this website.

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Storage
Preserves like to be kept in cool, dark and dry conditions and if the recipe followed has been adhered to, should keep for up to one year.  Once opened, all preserves are subject to contamination by airborne bacteria and should be consumed within a few weeks.  Keep opened jars in the fridge.

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