Movement Magazine Issue 163

BEFORE YOU START. Jam is basically fruit and sugar boiled together. The golden ratio for jam making is 1:1. So if you
have 100g of fruit, you need 100g of sugar. Tip: don’t forget to weigh your fruit after you’ve peeled it and removed any
pips or stones. The best fruit to use for jam is slightly under-ripe as it has the most pectin in it. Don’t worry if your fruit is
over-ripe, the jam will still work but you might need more pectin. Pectin is a starch that has a gelling effect and is essential
to making jam. Pectin occurs naturally in the seeds and skins of fruit, but in differing quantities. Other sources of pectin
are lemon juice, powdered pectin, or jam sugar, which is caster sugar with pectin powder mixed in. If you are using fruit
high in pectin you won’t need to add pectin, but if you are using fruit low in pectin, you will need to add more.
EQUIPMENT
Big pan, wooden spoon,
sterilised jars, jug, small plate.
Optional: Jam thermometer, jam funnel.
METHOD
1. Roughly chop your fruit into chunks (or
leave berries whole). You can vary this
depending on how chunky you like your
jam
2. Soften the fruit in the pan on a low heat
– the harder the fruit the longer you
will need to soften it. For soft fruits you
might only need a couple of minutes
3. For harder fruits add 2 cups or so of
water, for softer fruits a splash will do
4. Bring to the boil – add more water if
you need it
5. Turn down the heat and simmer until
the fruit is soft – about 2-10 minutes
for soft fruit, up to 40 minutes for very
hard fruit.
6. Add the sugar over a very low heat,
and stir gently until dissolved
7. If not using jam sugar add the pectin or
a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice
8. Bring to a full rolling boil until setting
point is met
9. Remove from the heat and rest for
5-10 minutes
10. Pour into sterilised jars, seal, and
label
STERILISING JARS. To first sterilise your jars, wash them in hot soapy
water and drain. Then place them upside down on a baking tray and place
in an oven on 100°C or so. Put the lids in the oven too but not screwed
on. When you’re ready to pour your jam into the jars remove them
carefully one at a time from the oven and place on a heatproof surface.
WHAT IS THE SETTING POINT? Setting point is the stage at which the
jam will thicken and gel together. If you have a jam thermometer, the
temperature is 105°C. If not, you can test this by placing a plate in the
fridge before you make your jam, plop a bit of jam on the plate and push it
from the edge with your finger. If the jam wrinkles even slightly it will set.
Tip: When your jam is hot it might not look like it’s at setting point, but
once it cools it will set. It’s better to under set your jam than over set. If it
ends up being too runny you can just call it a ‘soft set jam.’
POURING. Ladle the jam from the pan into a clean jug and pour it into
jars. Any jam you spill on the rim of the jar needs to be wiped off with a
damp cloth or it may go mouldy. A jam funnel will help with this. Once
your jar is almost full swipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth before
screwing on the lid – this creates a seal between the jar and lid. Screw
the lids on very tightly – make sure to protect your hands. Once they are
cooled you can go back and tighten them some more. As long as
you’ve sterilised everything properly your jam should store
essentially forever, but it tastes best if you eat it within a year.
FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS. Jam doesn’t have to be just one thing –
you can combine fruits together or with herbs and spices to make exciting
jams you can’t get in shops. If you want to be very fancy you can add edible
gold leaf or edible glitter. Here are some ideas that I’ve tried: Pear & fresh
ginger: Just add a small knob of finely chopped ginger to your jam. Plum
and cinnamon: Add cinnamon powder or a cinnamon stick for a wintery jam.
Christmas jam: Plum and/or orange made with cinnamon, star anise, and
ginger. Rhubarb and ginger: Add some finely chopped fresh ginger. Plum
and vanilla: Add vanilla extract or dried vanilla. Plum and gin: Ad a splash of
the good stuff. Now you know what to do go and put your own spin on it!
Happy jam making!
MOVEMENT Issue 163
27