General Method for Making Jam
General steps for making jam, including preparing the fruit, cooking, testing the gel point, and bottling for storage.
Ingredients
Fruit (fresh and intact; slightly underripe is better than overripe; large fruits need to be halved or quartered)
to taste
Sugar (use 600g per 480g of fruit for pectin-rich fruits; equal weight for medium pectin; 360g per 480g of fruit for low pectin)
depending on pectin content
Acid (low-acid fruits need some added, such as lemon juice or tartaric acid)
to taste
Water (hard fruits such as plums and apricots need pre-cooking with water; soft fruits need no water)
up to 1/2 pint (3 dl)
Instructions
1
Selecting Fruit
Choose intact, fresh, ripe fruits. Slightly underripe is better than overripe.
2
Pre-treatment
Wash and prepare the fruits. Large fruits need to be halved or quartered.
3
Pre-cooking
Place the fruits (and the acid, if using) into the pot. If the fruits are hard, pre-cook them and stew until soft first.
4
Dissolving Sugar
Add the sugar and heat on low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.
5
Boiling
Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to a rapid boil as quickly as possible until reaching the jam's setting point.
6
Testing the Setting Point
The setting point varies by fruit type, ranging from about 2-20 minutes. Test methods: spoon test — the last few drops of cooled jam should form a sheet; or plate test — drop some on a cold plate, and the surface wrinkles when pushed with a finger.
7
Skimming
After reaching the setting point, carefully skim off the foam and remove any pits.
8
Cooling
Let the jam cool slightly and thicken so that whole fruits (such as strawberries) stay evenly suspended and do not rise to the top of the jar.
9
Bottling
Stir, then pour into clean, dry, warm jars.
10
Sealing
Immediately cover the surface of the jam with a wax paper disc.
11
Storage
Finally fit the final lid, label with the jam type and production date, and store in a cool place.
