Friday

JAMS - HOW TO MAKE THEM

JAMS - HOW TO MAKE THEM
There are only a few basics to follow when making jams FOR YOUR OWN USE......NOT COMMERCIALLY. Fruit jams are particularly easy and if you follow the seasons and make jams
with seasonal fruits it is also very inexpensive and very very healthy............especially if you are health conscious like me and would like to moderate the quantity of sugar you consume as well as eliminate the preservatives, colouring agents, stabilizers and a hundred other chemicals that most commercially made jams are full of.
Most people would imagine that this is a very difficult process and who likes to do more than they have to..........but the satisfaction of eating your own home made jam and giving your family the best is what will spur you on.
Most jams are in the ratio of 1:1, i.e. if you are using 2 kg fruit then 2 kg sugar is what most recipes will tell you to use.
I would tell you to simply use 50% of sugar..........and not to worry about the fact that the jam is not set thick. It does not interfere with the taste. It is more important to worry about the fact that less cooking means that the jam definitely has more of its food value intact and all of it is not evaporated in the excessive heat required to set jams.
Always wash the fruit well and allow to air dry .....then cut the fruit using a clean board and sharp knife.
If you use about half a kg of fruit you will end up with about 2 bottles of jam.That's quick work and in about half an hour you will have done it all.
You ought to use some herbs like cloves or cinnamon. They act like natural preserving agents.
The bottles for storing jam should be washed well and dried in the microwave.
Refrigerate the jam as soon as it is made and it will last long, more than a year too if not finished.
Always use a clean dry spoon to serve the jam.

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