Jam-making

[Aelfwyn]

Does anyone have any ideas for what to do with greengage jam that has failed to set? It's basically teeth-shrivellingly sweet lumpy syrup. If I put it in jars like jam, will it go mouldy d'you think? So much for being a domestic goddess (sigh).

Last time I made jam that didn't set I took it back out of the jars, added a few spoonfuls of lemon juice, and boiled it up again for quite a long time. That seemed to do the trick.

If you don't mind syrup then just jar it anyway. It won't go mouldy if everything is clean.

Yes, I was going to say just boil it a bit longer...

yes keep boiling

if you still have the stones stick 'em in a muslin and boil them too

NB if you go too far and it sets rock hard in the jars, it can be salvaged by microwaving jar for 20s before trying to spread on toast

Mrs Beeton says boil it for 10mins - I gave it 30 (with stones), then added half a lemon and boiled it for another 15! Can't face boiling it longer, so am putting it out of its misery and jarring it up. I suppose we cd use it on ice cream or something.
Thanks for advice ladies!

and/or you can strain the syrup and use it as cordial with fizzy or iced water

and next time use this recipe!

yes, i used mrsbadgers recipe on sunday and my jam is fabulous.

The recipe is pretty much the same as the one I used, so maybe I should have held my nerve for a bit longer. Probably didn't help that I added the sugar at the beginning by mistake! Anyway, I like the sound of greengage cordial - I'd never have thought of that, thanks Mrs B.

for some reason I think the sugar-adding point is crucial

[struggles to combine chemsitry knowledge with jam knowledge]

i heated my sugar and don't boil until sugar has melted

melted? disolved i mean

yeah, had a nasty feeling it might be. Will try to read recipe properly next time - basic schoolgirl error. Always hated chemistry anyway.