HINTS ON JAM-MAKING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 233, 10 December 1943, Page 23

HINTS ON JAM-MAKING

about the wet spring having cut down the supply of fruit this year, there is still much to be thankful for, and plenty of scope for ingenuity in devising recipes for "blended" jams -using some cheaper and more plentiful fruit to eke out the rarer and more precious kinds. We can use rhubarb to eke out strawberry and raspberry jam; plums will combine with these also, and apples with almost any fruit. Will the Links in our Daisy Chain please help out by sending us the results of their experiments? Recently I was told by a man that to savour the full flavour of a good jam, it is essential to spread it on plain bread without any butter! He assured me that butter blunts the flavour of jam, just as sugar does the flavour of a cup of coffee or tea. is spite of gloomy prognostications Warm the Sugar Although some jam recipes specify boiling the sugar and water together first for a certain time and then adding the fruit, the majority of jams are made by first cooking the fruit gently till soft, then adding ‘the sugar, stirring until this is properly dissolved, and then boiling very briskly till the jam will set when a little is tested on a cold plate. It is best to have the sugar well-warmed before adding; it then dissolves more quickly and thoroughly when added to the fruit. It is important that the sugar be thoroughly dissolved before the final rolling boil, if not, the jam is liable to crystallise later on. In factories, the jam boilers are surrounded by a steam jacket, so that the jam is heated all round as well as from the bottom, thus making for faster boiling. Time for Cooking Jam The times given in a recipe are of necessity, only approximate. If jam is boiled for too short a time, it will neither set firmly nor keep well, while if, on the contrary, it is cooked too long, it will become sticky and the colour is spoiled. Test jam by putting a spoonful on a cold plate.. This will set in a few minutes if done. Draw your finger through the blob on the plate; if the jam runs together again quickly like water, it is not done; if very slowly, you may take it up. Sealing Jam Jam must, of course, be sealed air- tight. A round of white notepaper cut to fit the jar, and dipped in vinegar, is a good idea for preventing mould from forming. Store in a cool place; the top shelves of pantries are not good, because the heat rises. Most jams are sealed down while very hot, but conserves of whole fruit, like strawberries, are bottled when half-cooled, stirring first, so thatthe fruit is evenly distributed through the jam. Five Minute Berry Jam This recipe applies to strawberries, raspberries, loganberries and red and black currants. It had a considerable — popularity a year or two ago. Of course the jam takes longer to make than it sounds, for the five minutes is counted

each time from the time the mixture reaches the boil. Remember the rule to have the sugar thoroughly dissolved before the second boiling. Six pounds of fruit, 6lb. sugar, pinch of salt. Put the fruit in the pan and sprinkle over llb. of the sugar with the salt. Boil exactly five minutes. Then add the rest of the sugar, bring tothe boil again. Then boil for exactly five minutes again. Pour into jars and when cold, it should be a beautiful firm jelly.

Gooseberry Jam (With Vanilla) This is said to taste just like strawberry jam. Use the same recipe and vary it by adding raspberry or strawberry essence instead of vanilla.- Also, leave some without any flavouring, as real honest-to-goodness gooseberry jam. Boil 6lb. sugar and 5 cups water for 10 minutes. Add 3lb. gooseberries, and boil about 144 hours. Take off stove, let stand half an hour, then add % small bottle of vanilla essence. Bottle.