Does anyone else make jam?

[DumbledoresGirl]

Or am I the only one?

What have you made lately?

This weekend, I picked nearly 20lbs of soft fruit and so far I have made:

5 jars of raspberry and redcurrant jam
7 jars of redcurrant jelly
5 jars of raspberry and blackcurrant jam
51/2 jars of raspberry jam

A jam thread with over a hundred posts - marvellous. Marguerite Patten book is not on my wish list.

Re stones in plums - you can do either, though I cut plums in half and remove them before I start. I have read in a few places to take a handful of stones, crack them and remove the kernels - apparently imparts an almondy flavour to jam.

Sorry, should have read is now.

Marguerite Patten is a living heroine of mine. Get the book. It will honestly tell you all you need to know (and has some really weird suggestions too for those of you who go for unusual combos).

Re leaving stones in, I would say not. It is stewed plus where you leave the stones in and then count up how many you have in your bowl and play "Tinker Tailor" with them, isn't it?

I am thrilled that there is such a great response to this thread. You restore my faith in modern woman!

That should say stewed plums

Ah, but its so much easier to do the jam - just put the plums in and don't worry! Partly depends on plums I suppose - I'm perhaps thinking of the smaller ones that it takes ages to do enough to make the jam with.

I've got lots of preserves recipies books. Everything I've done from the WI book has worked really well though (not a member, honest!)

I find the idea of joining the WI really appealing. I have a confession ...... a few weeks ago I checked their website for my local branch ....

Marguerite is a goddess, isn't she? I read that book in midwinter as cookery porn - dreaming of gooseberries and gobbling last summer's jam. I haven't had such brilliant success with the chutneys, but then am currently obsessed with copying Waitrose's spicy peach chutney and am just suffering from not finding a recipe that's anything like it (not meant to be a hijack, but if anyone's got a good recipe for spicy peach chutney i'll bite your arm off - in a good way!).

Deux, I have done that before, but did you see the series of programmes about the WI that were on BBC4 (I think) recently? It put me right off again!

Back again! No pyo near me

Guess its time to hunt out the farmers markets. Don't really fancy buying lbs of fruit from Tescos!

Really rosmerta? Very roughly speaking, where are you? Even Scotland grows strawberries so I cannot think that you live too far north for a fruit farm to be a viable concern.

I'm actually south in London, if I did live back home then I know there are lots around there but just not any near me now

Rosmerta

Whereabouts in London are you? If in S/W or SW then you could go to Garsons - it's a huge PYO. www.garsons.co.uk/Esher/PickYourOwn

DG, yes the WI on Isle Of Wight? With that dreadful Alpha-type - scary! Put me right off too.

DumbledoresGirl - thank you so much for starting this thread. I am the only person I know who makes her own jam - only started last year but it is SO satisfying! Went crazy at the PYO on Sunday and now have 6lbs of gorgeous strawberry jam, 2lb blackberry jelly and a jar of redcurrant jelly. (DH and children scoffed too many of the raspberries before I could get them in my preserving pan so didn't get to make raspberry jam as planned). In January I made several jars of the best darn marmelade ever! I have made a shelf of honour for my jams and I love to gaze at them as proof of a small measure of achievement in my life!
Can anyone tell me, though, why after an initial satisfying slurp through the sieve, the redcurrent jelly got stuck and would not drip through? Any handy hints on that one?

CoffeeCrazedMama, interesting point re the straining of the jelly. I didn't make redcurrant jelly until last year as my mother always makes loads and gives me hers. Last year I had a go myself and saw in the instructions that it said don't be tempted to squeeze the pulp in the muslin as this will result in a cloudy jelly. So I left it and felt I was losing a fair bit of liquid. When I asked my mother about it, she said she always squeezed the muslin and never had cloudy jelly. So this year, I also squeezed the muslin and so far my jelly looks fine.

If you are using a sieve, you could try stirring it round a bit with a wooden spoon, but I would recommend a muslin square tied up with string and left to hang for a few hours.

Deux, yes that was the programme I saw and that woman was seriously off-putting I thought! Also, I don't really think I am up for campaigning about issues, and handing out leaflets to passers by. The flower arranging rules seems ludicrous too! If the WI was all about jam and cake and other traditional crafts, coffee mornings and some speakers on other (non political subjects) and women like Amy (or whatever her name was) kept out of it, I might be interested!

With my knitting, sewing & now potentially jam-making hobbies dh is convinced I'm booking my place on the WI! I might not mind in the future at some point but definitely not for me atm!

Thanks for that link Deux, I'm probably about 1hr from that farm so we could make a day of it!

I love making jam & have done it for years.I usually make strawberry,blackberry,damson,mint & apple jelly & chutney with whatever there is an excess of.

I intend to make sloe gin this year,I meant to last year & never got around to it-it is lovely stuff!

I'd love the Wi but am too scared.

i thnk with damsons you would leave the stones in (is that what you meant by small plums?) as they a PITA to stone ime. If you're making jelly of course its irrelevant which is probably why damson jelly used to be so common.

My Mum used to collect pre-war cookbooks, and I ahve a few- wonderful farmhouse books with things like homemade face cream, grapfruit champagne and jellied pigs trotters . great fo ideas but the recipes never work.

Apaprenlty though if you pop a few stones in an organza bag and cook with the fruit then remove, it boosts pectin content no end.

That's probably why my plum jam sets OK if I leave all the stones in!

Many years ago we (parents and me) made elderflower champagne which was delicious - although one of the last bottles did explode all over my grade 7 violin music (this dates it somewhat!)

I also use muslin for jelly (although I need some new as the last lot went into holes and I havn't managed to get any new)

THe sloes were fantastic last year, but didn't manage to pick many )or blackberries) last year - ds now likes picking things, so more hope this year.

any top tips for apricot jam?

i have made
strawberry and blueberry 1 jar
peach and lemon thyme 5 jars
rowan jelly 4 jars

am waiting for plums and blackberries and rosehips so i can really go for it. i am not keen on jammy jam IYSWIM so mostly just make a fruit compote.
also made elderflower champagne but it was a failure and did not go fizzy and tastes of wee.
LOL

Bundle - yes, spread thickly on freshly made, still warm scones and enjoy!

lol mistlethrush

last night made tiny batch of raspberry jam as teacher's end of term pressie but didn't have enough rasps left to do jar for TA. do have some apricots though..

would you try to remove skins?

I've never made it, however, I personally wouldn't.

Quick google suggests that its not normal - neither Delia or Lakeland recommend removal of skins, so you sould be OK.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/fresh-apricot-preserve

www.lakeland.co.uk/content.aspx? content=noticeboard/recipes/apricotjam.htm

Hmmmm... apricot and rasberry sounds a nice combination...

If you've only got a small number of raspberries, try raw raspberry jam - just blitz with a little sugar and don't cook. Store in box in fridge. This won't keep for long, but you won't have it for long anyway. For larger quantities, freeze in boxes until required.

Isn't raspberries blitzed with some sugar and not cooked simply raspberry puree?