Jam making newbie (advice please!)

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Catsat

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2 Dec 2016
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12:53 PM
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UK
Morning all,

I made jam for the first time yesterday and it didn't go too badly, but if anyone can answer any of the questions below I'd be very grateful - I've read a lot of things on the internet about jam making and I think i've just confused myself!

- Apparently high pectin fruits need a lot of sugar. If low pectin fruits don't need lots of sugar, what is it that makes them set? I've read that adding acid using lemon juice is important, but I thought that was just intended to draw the pectin out of the fruit, and then you're back to needing sugar for the pectin? I'm confused.

I used a 50% sugar, 50% fruit (plums) recipe, no other ingredients, not even lemon juice. I had to reboil a few times because I was doing the cold saucer wrinkle test and couldn't see any wrinkles. The recipe said 10mins of hard boil, but I ended up doing more like 16mins, and even then I wasn't sure if the jam was wrinkling on the saucer. I potted it anyway as I didn't want hard jam. I sterilised used jars and lids from shop-bought stuff. The lids had seal buttons on them and all of them popped down after a few hours.

I opened one this morning as I actually had run out of jam, but also wanted to see what my first attempt was like. I'm pleased with the set, not too runny or hard, but a couple of problems:

- it's too sweet for my liking. If I reduce the sugar content what else do I need to add in order to ensure that it still sets, and do I need to cook it for more or less time if i add other ingredients? I don't want to add commercial pectin or use jam sugar. I don't mind adding some cooking apple if that's the only way - do I just substitute the plum for apple in equal measure? I've heard that you can substitute all sugar for fruit juice, can you do that without adding commercial pectin? Would I need to add loads of apple, too?

- there are quite big pieces of plum skin in it. The recipe said to halve the plums, but I assume it won't matter if I cut the plums into smaller pieces?

Last thing, I read that lemon peel has a lot of pectin. How do you use it in jam recipes? A lot of recipes include lemon juice but not lemon peel.

Thanks!
 
It sounds like you have done a good job.
Basically, the old rule of 60% of the weight of the fruit in sugar is designed to maximise gelling. So 1kg fruit/600g sugar. But you can get away with less sugar - it just means your jam won't set as much. I'm not sure whether cooking for longer will counteract that, but I doubt it (and you will lose flavour). Plums are high in pectin so there is no need to add pectin. How much sugar did you use?

I must confess I have no qualms about using jam sugar or liquid pectin if making jam from low pectin fruits (so much easier). But it is possible to make your own pectin from apples or lemon pith (google it!). Its not the lemon peel, but the pith (white bit under the skin) and lemon juice that contains pectin.

You can cut the fruit as small as you want, it won't make any difference to the setting.
 
Thanks. I used 50% sugar, but it's definitely too sweet for me. The set was good though, so I'll have to do some experimenting!
 
Quick follow-up question: I've seen instructions on the internet for sealing jars in a water bath - the jars are completely submerged in hot water and then taken out to cool. When should I use that process? Not many jam recipes mention sealing the jars in this way.
 
Catsat said:
Quick follow-up question: I've seen instructions on the internet for sealing jars in a water bath - the jars are completely submerged in hot water and then taken out to cool. When should I use that process? Not many jam recipes mention sealing the jars in this way.
Click to expand...

I use that method to sterilise the jars. Why don't you want to use jam sugar?
 
Breadman Bread Machine..jpg



I make my jam in THIS, then I have just enough to put into a container & into the fridge, to use when needed. :wink:
 
Catsat said:
Quick follow-up question: I've seen instructions on the internet for sealing jars in a water bath - the jars are completely submerged in hot water and then taken out to cool. When should I use that process? Not many jam recipes mention sealing the jars in this way.
Click to expand...
You can speed up the cooking down process this way if you want to, but I have never bothered personally. I don't see the point unless you live in a really hot climates that is and I don't think the UK qualifies as a really hot climates. I just leave mine out on the counter overnight to cool and will hear them pop during the evening.

One tip, if you have run out of jam jars from recycled jars and need some quickly. I read somewhere that sainsburys, Tesco, asda and Morrison's all sell lemon curd, orange curd really cheaply at around 22-29p per jar. it is much cheaper than buying jam jars where ships sell them for £1.99 or more each! You just have to throw away the dubious contents!

morning glory said:
I must confess I've never heard of that!
Click to expand...
I have. It is simply a cooling method designed to be air tight. The problem is that if your lid is not on correctly, then you will end up with water in your jam.

I also use apples in most of my jams and reduce the sugar to anything near to 30% weight, so half what a recipe often states. I do sometimes have setting problems but I would rather have slightly runny jam than something testing only of sugar. .
 
Ellie said:
You can speed up the cooking down process this way if you want to, but I have never bothered personally. I don't see the point unless you live in a really hot climates that is and I don't think the UK qualifies as a really hot climates. I just leave mine out on the counter overnight to cool and will hear them pop during the evening.

One tip, if you have run out of jam jars from recycled jars and need some quickly. I read somewhere that sainsburys, Tesco, asda and Morrison's all sell lemon curd, orange curd really cheaply at around 22-29p per jar. it is much cheaper than buying jam jars where ships sell them for £1.99 or more each! You just have to throw away the dubious contents!

I have. It is simply a cooling method designed to be air tight. The problem is that if your lid is not on correctly, then you will end up with water in your jam.

I also use apples in most of my jams and reduce the sugar to anything near to 30% weight, so half what a recipe often states. I do sometimes have setting problems but I would rather have slightly runny jam than something testing only of sugar. .
Click to expand...

Sounds like you know more than I do about jam making. Perhaps you should post a recipe.:D
 
morning glory said:
I thought he meant sealing jars, not sterilizing...
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I thought that making jam the normal way requires that the jars be sterilized - since it is strongly recommended for protection against bacteria, pathogens, Salmonella and food poisoning, as well as botulism. :eek:
 
Shermie said:
I thought that making jam the normal way requires that the jars be sterilized - since it is strongly recommended for protection against bacteria, pathogens, Salmonella and food poisoning, as well as botulism. :eek:
Click to expand...

I think you are thinking about the procedure called double boiling canning. Everything will already have been sterilised once. Doing it again after the jam is in there is the second time it can be done. not everyone does it and it is not common in the UK. I think it is now an American custom than a British one.


Personally I only sterilise the one because having done the jars and lids, poured blisteringly hot jam into the jars and sealed them immediately ,that tiny amount of air in the space between the hot jam and the lid is going to get heated up very quickly to very hot temps before cooling down in a vacuum . I've never had an issue with an unopened jar going mouldy.
 
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