Basics Of Jam Jelly And Preserve Making
All jam starts with delicious fruit. A thick, firm textured jam depends on the correct ratio of four key ingredients: liquid, acid, sugar, and pectin (a vegetable based soluble fiber). Jam and jelly recipes are tested carefully to maintain this balance. However, occasionally jam fails. It's not your fault. Here are the most common reasons my batches of jam turn out syrupy or grainy and sugary even if I follow a recipe exactly.
Too little or too much sugar due to variations measuring cup size. A hot kitchen or high relative humidity. A pan that is different from the type used in the recipe's test kitchen. Most recipes encourage you to follow the recipe exactly and to find a creative use for a batch of fruity syrup or flavored sugar if the jam fails. But nearly every failed batch of jam or jelly can be fixed. That delicious fruit does not have to go to waste.
Nobody has to cope with extra jars of fruit flavored pancake syrup. Feel free to browse my jam rescue tips that I use to correct nearly every batch of failed jam. It is best to work from a tested recipe if you expect successful jam. A firm bright jam that keeps well depends on an ideal combination of liquid, acid, sugar, and pectin.
Sugar and acid are the preservatives. Pectin makes the jam firm. The amount of liquid and the quality of the fruit makes it tender. In general, the jam and jelly recipes that are printed on pectin boxes are designed to make a firm textured jam with excellent keeping qualities and the highest possible yield per pound of fruit. Following these recipes to the letter usually works.
The recipes usually call for exactly 1 minute of boiling time after adding the sugar. If the jam has not reached the jelly stage with the boiling time in the recipe, boil it a little longer, stirring constantly. A little extra boiling to reduce the amount of liquid in the pot will bring the jam to the jelly stage and reduce the yield slightly. Stir constantly and thoroughly to prevent scorching.
Treasured family recipes are designed to please individual tastes, honor people's memories, and incorporate a sense of tradition to everyday living. I do not know enough about everyone's family recipes. In general, do your best to learn from the person in your family who makes it best. Cook side by side with the person who makes jam in your family for several years and take notes. My favorite source for heirloom jam and preserve recipes is the New Orleans Times Picayune Cookbook.
Those recipes usually call for an equal weight of fruit and sugar, mixed and cooked over low heat stirring constantly until the jelly stage is reached. No pectin is used. The recipes rely on natural pectin present in seeds and underripe fruit. My variation on the Times Picayune preserve recipes is to prepare a batch of syrup (about 5 cups sugar to 1/2 cup water) and cook small batches of fruit in the syrup until they are transparent.
I keep cooking batches of fruit until the syrup itself almost reaches the jelly stage. Then I return all the fruit to the syrup and cook the mixture until it almost reaches the jelly stage before packing it into jars. An excellent collection of recipes is available at the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.
Recipes designed to make the best use of local produce are available at most Cooperative Extension offices, not to mention church cookbooks and over the back fence. I use the plate test to watch for the batch to approach the jelly stage. Cool a plate in the freezer. To test for the jelly stage, pour a small quantity of jam (maybe 1/8 tsp) onto the cold plate and chill it in the freezer for about 30 seconds.
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