Does anyone make jam?

[RubyFakeLips]

Our usually very unimpressive London garden has suddenly produced absolute bumper crops with clearly more to come.

Currently drowning in Rhubarb, Gooseberries and Plums. I’ve gifted, frozen and covered so much in crumble already now want to go the preserving route.

I’ve dutifully bought the Diana Henry book but is a preserving pan essential?

Any other tips I should take on? Stocked up on jars today but I’m a complete novice and quite shit at this sort of thing.

@Mum2jenny I’m using jars from IKEA that are a bit like Kilner Jars. Think they’re called Korken.

They have a rubber seal and was going to put a wax disc on top before closing.

My mum uses them for mincemeat so figured would be ok.

You inspired me to look up making jam in an Instant Pot. Most of the recipes use cornstarch to thicken, but you can also use pectin. I just might try it...

Always count the amount of plums/stones going in and count the ones you take out to prevent yourself fishing around like a mad thing.

I've got the full jam kit, maslin pan, thermometer, funnels, skimmer, jelly bag and frame. I buy jam jars from Wilkos as they are much cheaper than Hobbycraft for example.

Cornstarch? Never seen that. I usually throw in a half a squeezed lemon (then throw in the lemon for good measure).

Lots of great advice already for you OP. Plum and ginger jam is delicious, made with stem ginger in this house. If you make plum chutney now it will be perfect as Christmas gifts. I use Kilner type jars for jam and chutney - work brilliantly. Have fun. Sounds like you have an amazing garden. And if the jam doesn't work and is runny, don't panic, just use as sauce over ice cream.

@soupmaker It’s the best the garden has ever been. We bought from someone who had it since the fifties. Fruit bushes/trees/climbers around the entire edge with veg beds in the middle and a rotting chicken coup. This is in Hackney! We decided not to have chickens and made it more for the kids with seating and a bloody trampoline but kept the fruit as all so established. Never had much of a crop until DH went composting crazy last year, now 8kg of rhubarb in

Right I’ll be off for my sugar, lemons and of course fresh bread in the morning. Thanks for all the great advice! I might manage to update you, or I might just be slathering my bread in thick butter and delicious jam...

If you read about me being winched out of my house in a years time you’ll know what happened.

Do you drink OP? Gin, make fruit gin....

@RubyFakeLips Wow. I used to live on Amhurst Road! Was more sirens and drug busts than chicken coups in my day. That rhubarb haul is quite something. Freeze it in cubes and let the kids dip the still frozen cubes in sugar and sook on them, perfect on a hot day. They will of course end up with west coast of Scotland teeth, but still!

If anyone is looking for the cheapest jars, it tends to be that buying value jam and chucking away the contents is cheapest.
The jam is indeed cheap, and full of stuff that doesn't belong there - like cornflour and emulsifiers. But itis a good source of jar.

Nb you don't need a cellophane lid: if you put hot jam into a warmed jar and then screw the lid on you'll get a vacuum seal, and the (reused) lid will pop down.

@bookh

Do you drink OP? Gin, make fruit gin....

Ooh, or rumptopf

I bloody love making jam and haven't bought any for donkeys years. My favourite is raspberry...I love it on a cheese scone as I like sweet/savoury combo. Second fav is bilberry or mucky mouth jam.as its known as in our house. We.go bilberry picking every year and although its labour intensive the jam is sublime

Do I drink?! strong yes. Do you have a fruit gin recipe, or is it just fruit into gin for a while?

Good tip on jars. All the small jars I saw looked dear if you haven’t saved lots of used ones up in advance. I went with IKEA ones as we’re a big family and my children and husband are even greedier pigs than I am so large jars will suit us and go quickly.

Jam making is easy equal weights fruit and sugar. I don’t add water just put in fruit first so it goes juicy before I stir in sugar. Pectin if it’s squishy fruit like strawberry. Blueberry, rhubarb and plum all set well. I don’t bother with a thermometer just boil until sugar dissolved then simmer until volume reduced to a half. Then set it on a spoon to check it’s ready.

Some of my dc don’t like lumpy jam so I use a stick blender at the end.

@soupmaker, we’re the other side of Stoke Newington Rd now but I grew up about 5 mins from Amhurst and well remember when Clapton was ‘murder mile’! Its calmed down a bit now, but not quite.

I also nearly fell through the back door when a chicken strutted out at the viewing, think DH had some city farm notions but the neighbours were relieved I put a stop to that.

RubyFaceLips I’m sure the ikea jars will
Be fine. I’ve not used them but I can’t see a problem with them.

Please remember that the reason you warm jars in the oven before filling with hot jam is because the jar will break if it is cold. This is because the inside of the jar starts expanding before the outside does. Result with a cold jar is usually a neat crack round the base and jam everywhere

I always cook the fruit first (weigh it so you can add equal amounts of sugar later). Then you can get the skins and stones out at your leisure, then boil it up again with the sugar. I made the most incredible grape jelly this way strained with a muslin bag

We collect blackberries on Mull every October.. Make jam with half while we are on holiday... And homemade scones!(does that make them holiday- cottage - made scones not home made?!? And bring half home to freeze. Then can make more jam when the first lot is gone!! Currently on to the last jar from last October's pickings!!

my top tip would be to get a jam funnel, makes filling the jars much easier and less messy

When I make strawberry jam, I blitz the fruit briefly in the blender, stir in the sugar and leave it on the side over night. The sugar dissolves in and I then heat it up in the morning

Big pan - a solid one, not alluminium or chipped non stick
Lots of old jars with lids.
Steralise them by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing and putting in oven. google will bring up exact instructions
I use a jam funnel to get it into the jars.
I make blackcurrent(the best), gooseberry (you can add other fruit in too), rhubarb
I dont use thermometer or pectin

I wash, chop and freeze my rhubarb in 1kg quantities. Once it’s defrosted it’s lovely and soft for jam. I make rhubarb and vanilla. Yum.

Even if you are using the biggest pan you have, be wary of filling it too full as the jam will really bubble up in the cooking and then over. First time I made jam I did it in my big pasta pot and filled it half full thinking that would be okay. It wasn't. The jam went EVERYWHERE! Over the stove, on to the floor... like pink molten lava (strawberry).The kitchen smelt lovely but it took hours to clean up which kinda took the shine off - so no more than a quarter to a scant third full.

If you discover you like making jam it really is worth investing in a preserving pan as not only are they bigger anyway and you can do more in one batch, but they slope outwards as well so the jam has room to expand in the bubbling up stage.

I too vote for a jam funnel - Lakeland has both it and the pan - although you won't get much change out of £60.

There is no shop-bought jam that tastes half so good as home made!

I ended up making jam last year thanks to a weird sub at start of lockdown (carrier bag full of frozen fruit my freezer was full and at this point no returns at doorstep) and mners coming to the rescue! It was easy to do and delicious BUT it completely wrecked my pan! It was impossible to get all the jam off and I had to bin it. I'd say have a designated jam pan preferably an old one you don't mind losing to the idea

But maybe I did something wrong? Enjoy the fruits of your labours