Remove the jars to a protected surface and cool, away from drafts, undisturbed for 12 hours. Altitude Adjustments: The processing times given for processing jellied fruit products are for altitudes of 0 to feet.
Most areas in South Carolina will fall within these altitudes. Add 1 minute of processing and sterilizing time for each feet of additional altitude. To Extract Juice: Use only firm fruits naturally high in pectin. Select a mixture of about three-quarters ripe and one-quarter under-ripe fruit. Do not use commercially canned or frozen fruit juices; their pectin content is too low.
Wash all fruits thoroughly before cooking. Crush soft fruits or berries; cut firmer fruits into small pieces. Using the peels and cores adds pectin to the juice during cooking. Table 1 provides instructions and proportions for extracting juice from specific fruits.
Put fruit and water as instructed in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Then simmer according to the times in Table 1 or until fruit is soft. Stir to prevent scorching. One pound of fruit should yield at least 1 cup of clear juice. When fruit is tender, strain through a colander, then strain through a double layer of cheesecloth or a jelly bag. Allow juice to drip through, using a stand or colander to hold the bag.
Pressing or squeezing the bag or cloth will result in cloudy jelly. To Make Jelly: Use no more than 6 to 8 cups of extracted fruit juice at a time. Double batches do not always gel properly. For jellies made without pectin, it is important to know whether there is enough natural pectin to form a gel. There are three ways of determining this.
Heat slowly, stirring constantly until all the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil rapidly until it gives the sheeting test.
Pour the jelly into a clean, hot jelly glass or a small bowl and let it cool. If the cooled mixture is jelly-like, your fruit juice will gel. Alcohol Test: Add 1 teaspoon of juice to 1 table-spoon of rubbing alcohol. To mix, gently stir or shake the mixture in a closed container so that all the juice comes in contact with the alcohol.
Fruit high in pectin will form a solid jelly-like mass that can be picked up with a fork. If the juice clumps into several small particles, there is not enough pectin for jelly.
Jelmeter Test: The jelmeter is a graduated glass tube that measures the rate at which fruit juices flow through the tube. It gives a rough estimate of the amount of pectin present in the juice and how much sugar should be used.
There is no home test to determine the amount of acid present. If your fruit juice does not taste as tart as this mixture, it is not tart enough. The biggest problem in making jelly without added pectin is to know when it is done.
It is particularly important to remove the mixture from the heat before it is overcooked, as there is little that can be done to improve an overcooked mixture. Signs of overcooking are a change in color of the mixture and a taste or odor of caramelized sugar. When cooking jelly remember that it should be boiled rapidly, not simmered. Temperature Test: This is the most reliable of the doneness tests. Then place the thermometer in a vertical position into the boiling jelly mixture and read at eye level.
It normally forms at around C, when the sugar content is high enough to allow the pectin branches to join. Unfortunately, temperature is not a reliable signal because it varies according to acidity, amount of pectin, etc. My preferred method is direct measurement. Pour a little blob of jam on to a cooled saucer, let the jam cool in the fridge and then push against the side of it with your finger.
If the surface wrinkles it means the pectin network has solidified, setting point has been reached, and you should take the mixture off the heat. If you don't boil it long enough the pectin network will not form properly.
Boil it too long you risk not only losing the fresh flavour and colour of the jam but having a jam with the texture of set honey. This is my favourite part, but I allow the jam to cool and thicken for about 10 minutes before pouring it into jars, to prevent the fruit from floating to the top. Try not to leave the jam too long, however, as lukewarm jam is a great breeding ground for mildew spores which are present in the air.
To keep you busy while you are waiting, get your pre-sterilised jars ready. You will need five or six of them. My preferred method of sterilisation is to wash them in soap and hot water, rinse them with clean water to remove any detergent, and dry them in the oven at about C. Jams can remind us of summers past, even summers several years gone.
It is the sugar and acid that makes this possible. The high acidity also makes it an unpleasant place to breed. However, some moulds can grow even in these harsh conditions and so it is important to take care when preparing and sterilising your jars. The satisfying gurgle of jam being poured is music to the ears.
Each jar should be topped up to just less than a centimetre below the surface. I remember being puzzled why my parents always put a waxed paper disc on the surface of their homemade jam. I now know that it prevents the condensation of water on the jam's surface.
Condensed water would dissolve sugar, producing an area of low sugar concentration and allowing mould growth. I must confess that jam never sits in my cupboard long enough to worry about this. Now that our jam-making is at an end, there is only one stage to go: eating. I always struggle not to get overexcited and try my jam straight away before it has developed its "quiver".
I am torn; I feel I should wait until the autumn, when I can close my eyes and relive summer. The weather, the fruit type and its ripeness as well as, the amount of fruit used in an individual jam making session will all affect the time taken for jam to develop a setting point.
Most fruits will develop a setting point with 30 minutes of constant cooking but some especially the berries may take up to an hour. Ingredients 2 kg season fresh fruit chopped small 2 kg white sugar 1 lemon zest and juice 1 orange zest and juice 1 cup water. Preparation 1. Place fruit and water into a heavy based pot stainless steel, copper or enamel — not aluminium and heat over a medium heat. Cook for between 5 and 10 minutes until the fruit is well softened.
Add the sugar and allow it to melt and be absorbed by the fruit and liquid a few minutes , once absorbed add the zest and juice and mix through. The mixture needs to be cooked at a low and steady heat for anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes depending on the fruit used and the size of the pieces. The mixture should not boil vigorously but instead at a steady gently bubble. Once the sugar is visibly starting to dissolve, increase the heat slightly until you see a gentle bubbling.
Stir frequently. It is at this stage you taste and add sugar as needed. Continue to cook for 15 minutes or longer if using a deeper pan — the juices will have weeped out from the fruit, thus increasing the amount of liquid in the pot.
As the jam reduces, it will thicken. You may need to reduce the heat to a slower boil as the jam thickens but keep stirring frequently.
This stage should take about 30 minutes, but the deeper the pot, the longer it will take. It should take about 10 minutes if using a small 1 kg amount. You need to rely on other techniques to judge when your jam is ready. The bubbles also, become more volcanic and flat.
Placing a small amount of jam on a saucer or dish and chilling it is another good method for checking the consistency: when cool, run your finger through the middle — you want to see a clear line of plate underneath. Any juices that flow into the line should look like lovely liquid jam, and not at all watery, and should have body. If you are sterilising by boiling, about 30 minutes before your jam is ready, bring a large pan of water to the boil, or place in the oven as described on page Sterilise your funnel and ladle by boiling for 12 minutes.
While they are boiling, remove the jars and lids from the oven, keeping them on their trays. Remove the funnel and ladle from the boiling water and shake a little to remove the water, allowing the air to dry them off. As soon as the jam is ready, ladle the warm jam through the funnel, into the warm jars.
Seal the lids tightly, then leave to sit until totally cool. Can you recommend a good brand or place to buy jam jars? I live in Melbourne and used all my jars on plum jam, and now the apricots are nearly ready!! Hi Ceinwen, my apologies for the delay, I totally missed this!!! I am using the Ball mason jars these days as they are so easy to get, and such a great system. Big W sell them.
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