Making any jam this summer?

[Fraxinus]

With the fruit being so amazing this summer, is anyone making any jam?

I am thinking of buying some fruit tomorrow to make a batch of jam with.

I have a small amount (prob 300g) red currants from the garden.... Any suggestions about what I could get to go with them?

Please share your jamming experiences on here, and tell us how delicious they came out!

[DramaAlpaca]

I think raspberries traditionally go well with redcurrants. Yum!

[steppemum]

for redcurrants you really need to make jelly rather than jam, as it is impossible to get all the bits out.

redcurrant jelly is lovely though! And you can eat it on bread or with roast pork

[Fraxinus]

Hi steppe mum, thanks for the suggestion, but I quite like bits and do not have the patience for a jelly bag.

Drama alpaca, raspberries, you say? I might google a recipe to see what proportions might work.

Thanks for the comments

[Fraxinus]

I did strawberries, at is was four boxes for a quid. It is delicious but rather runny......

[JamNan]

If your jam is too runny boil it up again and add some Certo. their website recipe book here then repot it in clean jars. Strawberries are low in pectin which is the 'magic thingie' that makes jam set.

Looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of blackberries and apples this year.

The redcurrants in our garden will be picked tomorrow. They freeze well if you don't have time to make the jam immediately. I will strain through a jelly bag because we prefer redcurrant jelly (don't like pips).

Jam and chutney makes lovely Christmas presents.

[BlueChampagne]

Looking at our plum tree there will be jam-making to be done early autumn too!

[throckenholt]

On Monday (morning before it got too hot !) I made redcurrant, raspberry, and red gooseberry - just what happened to be ripe from the garden. Cooked them all up, sieved, then added sugar and a bit of water. Have to say it is very yummy.

[ouryve]

I'll probably be making a bit of blackcurrant again, this year. When I've run out of vodka to flavour with them. Not too much, though. I made loads of it, last year, and it isn't gone, yet!

I have a very productive bush - I get several kg of the bloody things, every year. At least I don't have to top and tail them for vodka!

[Fraxinus]

Ooh black currants. Yum. I am thinking of who I could persuade to drive with me to the pick your own. They say they have black currants and gooseberries... Also I might go for a walk and try to pick some wild bilberries to add into some strawberry jam... What do you think?

[Wiifitmama]

My dh is the jam maker in our family and this past weekend he made cherry jam. This weekend he is making peach jam. And he desperately wants to make apricot jam this season too. We have a shed full of orange marmalades from the winter season too!

[Fraxinus]

Throckenholt... Sounds lovely.


Plum is one of my favourites too. I'll be looking out for damsons and greengages for jam though.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

I have a big big bowl of red currants looking at me waiting to turn into jam / jelly. What do I need to strain it through? probably the muslins from DS that I have recently finally thrown out

[Fraxinus]

Can you make gooseberry chutney?

[Fraxinus]

Hmm, I used a handkerchief instead of muslin for boiling the pectin out of the pips... But not planning on making jelly, as I like the bits.

What do you think about half lemon marmalade, strawberry jam combo?

[JamNan]

@ Fraxinus
Yes you can make gooseberry chutney and it's lovely. I just found a good website with a recipe for goosegog chutney here. One day I must write all these recipes down.

Big bag of redcurrants in the fridge ready for a jamnan jam-making session tomorrow.

Two carrier bags of peas safely in the freezer. After all that shucking they only made one large freezer bag full.

[AWeeBitConfused]

I made strawberry and elderflower jam at the weekend. It was my first ever attempt at jam making and it turned out great I'm still feeling so proud of myself
Although I have learnt one lesson do not make jam when the weather is hot because it was unbearable standing over and stirring the boiling liquid but completely worth it in the end.

[duchesse]

Have jam pan full of blackcurrant in kitchen right now. I always wait one night to see if it will actually set (bitten too many times by discovering jarred jam still runny when cooled). I suppose I ought to have put it in jars today. Oops.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

Making gooseberry jam tomorrow from a very productive bush in my mums garden. Never made jam before.

Also want to try foraging for blackberries again and making jam, but that won't be for a while yet.

[confusedofengland]

I usually try & make jam each late summer/autumn, as we used to live right near a park that had plum trees (red & yellow), blackberries, sloe bushes etc - all free (council run park so not private property iyswim) & delicious Sadly, we have recently moved, but only a few miles away so we may well pop back

This year I may take the DSes fruit-picking at a local farm, where the prices are very reasonable. I think they do lots of different fruit there, I know they certainly do at least strawberries & gooseberries. I will then make jam with the fruits of our labour

I have discovered a jam recipe book that my mother has which is in French, and has gorgeous recipes such as Strawberry jam with vanilla and a hint of pepper, as well as compotes and preserved fruits in syrup. I am actually thinking about translating it into English (am a translator) & maybe self-publishing on Amazon etc - would you jammy ladies be interested in something like that?

[JamNan]

This jammy jamnan would!

[confusedofengland]

Yay, a potential customer

[Taffeta]

I made some raspberry jam last weekend and am pondering a blackcurrant raspberry mix as we have masses of both.
Anyone ever mixed these two?

[Fraxinus]

Ooh, sounds good. I have not done this before, but think the raspberry might be overpowered by the black currant a little. Perhaps try a batch 800g rasp to 200g black? I did raspberry and blueberry, it's turned out ok.

[Caboodle]

Oooh....I am a jam novice (done the easy bit...been to Lakeland and bought the jam thermometer etc)...was going to do strawberry but now a bit concerned re previous post about the pectin. Ladies, what are your top tips / essential know-hows?

[Fraxinus]

Do small batches while you get the hang of it. Then if it goes wrong, you have't wasted a lot of ingredients.