Homemade jam - is it worth it?

[IcouldstillbeJoseph]

Every year I think about making my own jam and getting more of a life.
Anyway, thinking about it again this year. Local farm has masses of cheap summer fruits. Was going to attempt blackcurrant and maybe raspberry.
Is it worth the faff?

Yes! It's not that hard and it feels lovely popping the lid on your first homemade pot.

It's also a really nice cheap gift to give to people. Last year I made plum and vanilla and it was gorgeous.

Although you can't go wrong with a strawberry jam. It's a good excuse to scoff loads of scones too

Plum and vanilla sounds amazing - don't suppose it was an online recipe was it??

GTAAC- wow, thank u. I have done a spicy apple & walnut chutney before but never jam. I'm going to go for it though... Will treat myself to a new pan

I'll dig it out, gimme 24 hrs!

You're wonderful, thank you

I'd like the plum and vanilla recipe too please!

Cottage smallholder has agood recipe for blackberry and apple which is sieved so no pips. Plum is also a good jam to start off with as it is easy to get it to set. Strawberry can be a bit more tricky so I wouldn't start with that one.

I make lots of chutney - rhubarb is my favourite as its really easy. Tomato takes effing ages as you need to skin a deseed them all but is really tasty and great for using up all the tomato excess if you're growing your own.

Give it a go and you'll be hooked.

Ooh, rhubarb.... yum.

I might do a rhubarb and vanilla or strawberry, rhubarb and vanilla one.

Raspberry jam is so easy to make: just boil equal amounts of fruit and granulated sugar.

Hell no!

I was going to make my DC's teachers (all 100 of them) jam as an end of term gift. When am I supposed to find the time? Would it go moldy if I bought Bonne Maman and decanted it in to jam jars with home made lids?

Or I could just stir it up a bit and put on a circle of gingham fabric. That would work, wouldn't it?????

I really like tart, zingy jams and make a lot with rhubarb, currants, gooseberrys, wild plums etc. They are SO much nicer than bought, which are always too sweet / insipid for me.

Tala do a preserving set which is handy, funnel, lid lifter, tongs etc. It is one of those things where having the proper kit makes it much easier!

Get all your friends to save jars and lids for you, you will end up hooked

Yes. It's easy and delicious.

One word of warning, though.

If you are sterilising jars in a hot oven, don't be a fucking idiot like me and please remember to use a bloody oven glove to pick them up.

Yes it's ace and we are still eating last years. By going to local pyo and recycling jars it worked out 80p a jar. Do blackcurrant first as it has so much pectin it us fairly fool proof. Raspberry you may need to strain though.... Strawberry and plum are a pics of piss. I got cheap jam kettle and wax circles etc at Robert days.

It's well worth it! Tastes loads better than the shop stuff. I usually do plum as it's easy and you can't buy it. I think if you can get cut-price fruit from a farm shop or grow your own, it is cheapter tool.

Makes good Christmas presents and teacher presents. As Lynnette says, you can make pretty covers out of scraps of old fabric. Just make sure the jars are sterilised. Save all your old jars for next year.

I've been making my own jams and chutneys and things for about 15 years. You can get books from the libarary - I quite like the Preserves one written by the Women's Institute. Or you can find recipes on the internet. The best one to start with is blackcurrant - it's so high in natural pectin it WILL set and in about 6 minutes. That's almost instant gratification. Different fruits have different levels of pectin, and strawberry has basically none. That is why people are saying, "Don't start with that one". It's hard to get it to set, and it's been a rainy summer, so the fruit will be very wet. Last summer, I had to boil the fruit 3 times to get it to set, and I've been helping my Mum make jam since I could reach the stove! So I would advice slicing strawberries and freezing them for use in the winter on ice cream and in puddings and things, but maybe not for your first go at jam making? Be easy on yourself!

I don't bother with little gingham circles. And I'm pretty easy going about sterilising. It won't be around long enough to go off.

I don't strain through muslin either. I boil, pour into clean jars and eat.

home made jam is amazing!!

and jelly too! And if you are not too greedy for juice you can make both....only let the fruit strain for a little while, use the juice (and a little water) to make jelly and the pulp to make jam! Generous spoonful of home made blackcurrant or raspberry jelly dissolved in hot water makes a great hot drink when you have a filthy cold!

AND a tip i picked up somewhere last year was to steep the fruit in the sugar in a bowl overnight.....best strawberry jam ever.....it set beautifully with normal granulated sugar.

Also rhubarb and ginger jam.... chop rhubarb into small pieces, and layer in a bowl with the sugar, stir in some finely sliced glace ginger just before potting it.

I also made some Mulled Wine Plum jam last year, that was delish! So much so that I have a bottle of mulled wine stashed away for this very purpose!

i just wash the jars in the dishwasher, and use those cellophane lids and elastic bands.

Oh I used mrs Breeton recipe for blackcurrant and freeze them so it wax easy to take out woody bits

Yes, definitely worth it. Too late for this year, but rhubarb jam is excellent (as is rhubarb chutney as mentioned above) and if you know anyone with allotment/rhubarb plants they're likely to have plenty going free for the asking.

Marmalade is also very easy to make, lemon + normal orange + grapefruit is fantastic (so you don't need to have seville oranges) and you get daft amounts from not much fruit at all. I really like this book for jam/marmalade/fruit bottling.

Depends on where you are my rhubarb is still going crazy with all this rain, I am still harvesting!

The strawberries have mainly just turned to slug-riddled mush though

Yes. There is virtually no faff. You can even make jam in a microwave - takes about 10 mins.