WHEN YOU MAKE JAM

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 490, 20 October 1928, Page 20

WHEN YOU MAKE JAM

You may not know that if you boil fruit for a long time without sugar and without covering the preserving pan, you will an excellent and economical preserve. You must remember, though, to skim it well. Most of the scum in jam making rises from the fruit and not from the sugar. Boiling without a cover allows the evaporation of all the watery particles from the fruit, and that ensures jam which is firm and well flavoured. When to Add the Sugar The time to add the sugar is after the skimming is completed, and the proportions then are: Three-quarters of a pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Lemon juice added to any jam, when boiling, will improve the flavour. Never put jam into jars that have contained fat, or it will not keep, no matter how carefully you have washed the jar. To give a clear appearance, and en-'

sure the jam not sticking to the jar add a piece of butter about the size of a small egg to the preserving pan a quarter of an hour before removing from the fire. if Your Ja jrt is Sugary If you have made jam which has become hard and sugary, do not'throw it away; put it into the oven for a little while till the sugar melts and then leave it to cool; it will be as good as ever. Covering the jam is an important part of the task. Let it cool in the jars, then lay over each one a piece of thin, kitchen paper dipped in brandy or glazed over with the white of an egg. The pots should stand a night before they are finally covered. Thin paper immersed in milk or gum-water and pressed while wet over and round the edge of the pot forms a good covering, as it dries firmly and makes the pots airtight. G.R.