Jammin'

If you 'like' us on Facebook, you may have seen the 'fruits' of my labour over the weekend.

 

Strawberry + Apple Jam

 

This was my first jam making endeavour and I'm not going to lie, I was pretty damned impressed with my efforts!

Here is the very simple recipe (thanks to 'Through my kitchen window' for sharing this and allowing me to hold my position as favourite granddaughter)

You will need:

500 grams of fresh (not too ripe) strawberries
3 green apples
1 kg castor sugar
1 and 1/4 cup of lemon juice
Pips from the lemons
A small cut of muslin


The process:

1. Hull and halve the strawberries. Cut out bruised spots and do not use any that are too ripe. Set aside in a clean bowl.

2.  If you're fortunate enough to have a lemon tree, pick your lemons straight from the tree as the pectin content will be at it's highest. Select lemons that are slightly under ripe as you will get the best possible jelling results.

3. Squeeze a whole lemon into a big bowl of water; peel and quarter the green apples; remove seeds and core; slice thinly. Place the apple slices straight into the lemon water.

4. Take some muslin fabric ($2 per metre at Spotlight) and cut out a small square. You only need enough to hold the pips from a couple of lemons.

5. Take a clean bowl; pour in some boiling hot water and place your muslin square into the water. This is the next best step to sterilising the cloth.

6. Squeeze a couple of lemons and reserve the juice.

7. Line a small bowl with the well rinsed muslin square and place all the lemon pips you can extract from the lemons. Secure the pips well and tie a knot with some string to create a small muslin bag. Lets hope your lemons are a bit 'pippier' than mine!
 
8. In a big saucepan place the strawberries, drained apples, muslin bag, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and three cups of water. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the apples have softened.

9. Take out muslin bag; pour the sugar into the centre of the pot; stir gently till the sugar has dissolved then simmer steadily for about 30-40 minutes or till the jam has set. Remember it will get the real 'jelly' look onces it cools.

10. Keep a close eye on your jam at this point or you might end up in a bit of a pickle like I did... 3 boil overs of a pickle! It was not pretty. I get distracted easily.

11. Allow the jam to sit for about 10 minutes before pouring into sterilized jars. You risk the fruit sinking to the bottom if you pour it in right away. Make sure that any foam has been removed before pouring into the jars.. You will find foam always rises to the top and moves to the sides of the pot so it is easy to spoon off. 

12. Your jars MUST be sterilized to ensure your jam keeps well. I found the easiest way to do this is to wash the jars as you would any other dishes, then while they are still wet, pop them one at a time in the microwave for 1 minute each (no longer or they may explode!). Using oven mits, remove the jar and pour the jam straight in,  sealing right away.

I filled about 4 small jars (which I found at a nearby $2 shop).

No jam is complete without a scone.....and some cream....and a cuppa tea.

A helpful tip from Nanna Norma herself - If you make your jam on the stove, it doesn't need to be refrigerated before opening. However if you make it in the microwave - it does. So keep this jam in the cupboard if you’re not planning to enjoy it for a while.