Strawberry Jam… let the fun begin

Just a quick post to explain how I will be making my jam today. Wish me luck! It is really more of a rule or a technique than a recipe.

Weigh Fruit and use this ratio

• 1 pound of fruit
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¾ pound of sugar
• If you have it….5 -9 tablespoons of homemade pectin made with currant juice or green apples (2 pounds of chopped green apples and 2 cups of water, cook for about an hour and drain in a jelly bag)

Instructions:

Prep all the ingredients. Just hull the strawberries, only half them if they are big. Combine the berries, the lemon juice and the homemade pectin if you have it. Cook over low heat till it comes to low boil. Stir occasionally.Add the sugar and stir till dissolved over medium heat.Cook with very little stirring till setting point. To tell if it is done take some out and let it cool on a plate. If no juice or moisture gathers about it and it looks dry and glistening, it is done thoroughly. Also if you nudge it with your finger tip and it crinkles it is done, after slightly cooled.

These instructions are based on my experience and the reading of many historic cook books, most notably “The New Buckeye Cook Book” published in 1904. A modern cook book that thoroughly explains  the old way of making jam and jelly, “The River Cottage Preserves Handbook” by Pam Corbin has also been most helpful (and I don’t consider that cheating!)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 at 8:47 am and is filed under Preserving food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.