How to make jam with. How to make jam

Aromatic jam, smelling of sun and warmth, is especially pleasant to taste in the winter cold, remembering summer. It’s hard to imagine a family tea party without fragrant jam, which both children and adults love. Tea with a tempting dessert brings people together, provides an opportunity to socialize and enjoy delicious dessert. Jam, which has preserved the taste of natural berries, not only lifts your spirits and gives you a piece of summer warmth, but also fills you with energy, because it contains all the necessary vitamins, minerals and microelements. Every housewife has her own secrets on how to properly prepare delicious jam from strawberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, cherries, and apricots, and especially discerning connoisseurs know how to properly prepare jam from rose petals or walnuts. But we will talk about making classic homemade jam, which will turn out tasty and aromatic if you approach the matter with soul.

Secrets of making homemade jam

The ideal jam looks like this: a thick and transparent syrup in which berries or pieces of fruit are evenly distributed. Real jam is not only tasty, but also looks attractive if cooked correctly. Shall we try?

How to properly cook raspberry, apple and strawberry jam

Jam is made from any berries and fruits - both traditional for our area and exotic, such as mango and papaya. Some lovers of unusual desserts prepare jam from carrots, green tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapples, bananas, oranges and chestnuts. Jam can be thin or thick, very sweet or with a hint of sweetness, prepared with sugar or honey. There are many ways to process fruits, prepare syrup and make jam, from which everyone can choose the appropriate one. However there is general rules preparations and some subtleties that every housewife should know, no matter what recipe she uses.

Fruits and berries - beautiful, aromatic and slightly unripe

Choose only high-quality fruits, preferably grown in your area, as they have retained their natural taste and aroma. If you get bad berries, you are unlikely to get an appetizing dessert, even if you know how to properly make strawberry, cherry or guava jam. Most often, slightly unripe fruits are used for jam, since they have dense pulp and do not deform during cooking, with the exception of cherries and plums, which should be quite juicy. When choosing berries and fruits at the market or in a supermarket, be picky and make sure that the fruit and berry raw materials do not have external defects - dented sides, dark spots, dots and mechanical damage. The berries must be whole and not bruised. If you have a garden plot, pick fruits for jam in sunny weather, since berries picked in the rain absorb a lot of moisture and become soft.

A copper basin is just right for making jam!

It is best to cook jam in copper, aluminum, steel basins or pans that are perfectly clean and free of rust. Copper is the most suitable material for jam because it helps preserve natural taste and the color of the berries. It is important to ensure that a green layer of copper oxides, which are hazardous to health, does not form on the surface of copper cookware. Do not use enamel bowls - jam often burns in them, and this spoils its taste. And one more important tip: make jam in small portions so that tender pieces of berries and fruits are not overcooked.

Fruit preparation: from sorting to blanching

Before preparing the jam, the fruits are carefully sorted, ugly, bruised and overripe fruits are removed, they are cleaned of stems and leaves, and then washed in cold water. The tender berries are kept in a sieve under the shower for a few minutes, and then the water is allowed to drain. Raspberries and strawberries, if they look clean, do not need to be washed so that they do not lose their shape. After washing, you can finally remove the seeds from the cherries, and the core from the apples, using special devices for this not only to save time, but also to protect the fruit from damage.

Some housewives blanch the fruits before making jam - scald them with boiling water or dip them in hot water, and large fruits are often pricked with a needle or cut. This is done so that they are better saturated with sweet syrup and become tastier.

Sugar syrup for royal fruits

If the berries are sufficiently juicy, then you don’t need to cook for them. sugar syrup, because when they come into contact with sugar they produce juice. However, it is still worth boiling the syrup if you want the berries to remain intact and look very beautiful in the transparent amber syrup.

For 1 kg of fruits and berries, take the same amount of granulated sugar, the amount of which can be increased or decreased depending on the recipe. So, pour sugar into a saucepan or basin and add water of any temperature; for every kilogram of sugar, usually take about 200 ml of liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly. The sugar syrup is ready when it flows from the spoon in a thick stream. Some housewives strain the syrup and pour it over berries and fruits, letting the jam brew and heating the syrup several times, depending on the recipe.

We make delicious jam

Berries and fruits are poured into the syrup and put on fire. This will create an abundant foam, which must be completely removed if you want the jam to last until spring. The best way to get rid of foam and save nerve cells - cook the jam until the end, let it cool and, when the berries sink to the bottom, quickly skim off the foam with a slotted spoon.

During the cooking process, stir the fruits with a wooden spatula so that they do not turn into porridge, and determine readiness by the viscosity of the syrup. The jam is ready if the sugar drop on the saucer does not spread and firmly retains its shape or the syrup stretches between two fingers and forms a thread. Berries and fruits in the cooked jam sink to the bottom, the syrup becomes more transparent. It is important to remove the jam from the heat in time, since undercooked fruits will soon ferment and sour, and overcooked ones will become sugary and lose their pleasant aroma and taste. If the fruits are well soaked in syrup, you don’t have to cook them at all or cook them for no more than 40 minutes.

Pyatiminutka - luxurious jam with a unique aroma

Let's talk about how to properly cook five-minute strawberry jam, the recipe for which does not involve boiling syrup, which means it will save precious time and... vitamins. To do this, the berries are covered with sugar, left for several hours and boiled in own juice. There are different proportions of sugar and berries and different ways cooking, but on average, the five-minute one is kept on the fire for no more than 5 minutes and is immediately rolled into jars.

Some housewives are interested in how to properly cook cherries with pits and whether they can be cooked for five minutes. The seeds give the jam an almond aroma and a pleasant taste, and it is also easier to cook, since the stage of preparing the berries for cooking is significantly reduced. For better soaking in syrup, pierce the berries or scald them with boiling water.

“Five-minute” jam is made from any fruit and berries, even apples, and the recipe with apples is simple - peeled fruits are cut into slices and covered with sugar, and then infused, or they are crushed into puree and boiled without first simmering in sugar.

In five minutes, all vitamins are preserved, and berries and fruits do not lose their natural taste and aroma. By the way, rose petal jam can also be considered a five-minute jam, since rose petals are boiled in syrup for only a short time - no more than 15 minutes.

After cooking, the jam is left to stand for up to 12 hours, and then it is poured into jars. However, this jam can be made right away - it is already ready and will be stored exactly as long as your loved ones have the patience to admire this beauty. You can eat the jam with a spoon or spread it on toast, pieces of biscuit or cookies. Pamper your children with a jar of fragrant treats without waiting for winter - let them get their vitamins and enjoy life!

A jar of homemade jam, made with your own hands, will help you remember summer in winter and provide you with vitamins.

So, let’s make jam and everything will work out!

Advice. If you cover the jam with a regular lid, without pasteurization and seaming, place a circle of filter paper soaked in alcohol or vodka under the lid. This will protect your jam from mold during long-term storage.

1. Royal gooseberry jam

Products:

1. Large green unripe gooseberries - 5 cups

2. Sugar - 1 kg.

3. Cherry leaf - 2 cups

4. Water - 3 glasses

5. Peeled walnuts - 2 cups

How to cook royal jam from gooseberries:

Free the gooseberries from the stalks and “flowers”, carefully cut them and remove the pulp with seeds from the berries, trying to maintain the integrity of the berries.

Pour 1 cup of cherry leaf with water, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes, making sure the water remains green.

Strain, pour over the berries, and place in a cool place for 24 hours. Prepare the second glass of cherry leaves as follows - remove the rough parts, divide each leaf into 4 parts.

Drain the cherry broth from the berries and put a piece of cherry leaf and a piece of walnut into each berry, sprinkle the berries with vodka.

Add sugar to the strained broth and cook the syrup over low heat for about 15 minutes (be careful not to turn pink!).

Pour the berries into the prepared syrup and cook for 15 minutes. IMPORTANT! - Cool very quickly! - to maintain green color.

2. Mint jam

Mint jam is not only unusual and very pleasant to taste, but also good for health: it helps with colds and stomach diseases.

Products:

1. Mint - 300 gr.

2. Water - 500 ml.

3. Lemon - 2 pcs.

4. Sugar - 1 kg.

How to make mint jam:

So... collected mint leaves along with twigs and stems (and me with flowers), cut lemons along with the “skin”, add water and cook for 10 minutes.

Let this witchcraft brew brew for one day. After a day, squeeze out the mixture and strain the infusion. Add sugar and cook until tender.

The word readiness scared me, but... I cooked it for two hours over low heat, skimming off the foam.

Then later... after about three hours I boiled it some more and poured it into jars.

It is better to put parchment in the lid to prevent mold from appearing due to condensation after a while.

That's all... In winter, God forbid you catch a cold, will you have medicine or just a sweet “summer”

3. “Live jam” from raspberries and currants

From raspberries:

Products:

1. Raspberries - 1 kg.

2. Sugar - 1.5 kg.

How to make “live jam” from raspberries:

Sort the raspberries and place them in a cup. Add sugar and leave for 2 hours.

Then stir with a wooden spatula in one direction.

Stir the jam overnight until the sugar is completely dissolved.

If you want to store the jam for a short time, then you can reduce the amount of sugar by 500 grams.

From currants:

Products:

1. Currants - 1 kg.

2. Sugar - 1.5 kg.

How to make “live jam” of currants:

Sort the currants, remove the stems so that there are only berries, wash and place in a sieve to drain off excess liquid.

Transfer the currants into a cup. Add sugar and leave for 2 hours. Mix. Using an immersion blender, beat until smooth.

Pour the jam into sterile and dry jars, close with plastic lids and store in the refrigerator for about 4-5 months.

If you want to store the jam for a short time, you can reduce the amount of sugar by 500 grams.

4. Kiwi and lemon jam

Products:

1. Kiwi - 1 kg.

2. Lemon - 1 pc.

3. Lemon juice - 1 pc.

4. Sugar - 900 gr.

How to make kiwi and lemon jam:

Wash the lemon thoroughly with a brush and cut into thin slices.

Place in a saucepan along with 100g sugar and 100ml water. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Peel the kiwi, cut into slices and place in a saucepan with lemon slices.

Add lemon juice and remaining sugar. Boil.

Pour into ceramic dishes and leave it at room temperature for the night.

The next day, return the jam to the pan, bring to a boil again and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour into sterilized jars and let cool. Then close and store in a cool, dark place.

5. Orange peel jam

Products:

1. Orange - 3 pcs.

2. Water - 400 ml.

3. Sugar - 300 gr.

4. Citric acid (half an incomplete teaspoon) - 0.5 teaspoon

5. Ginger root (optional) - 10 gr.

How to make orange peel jam:

Wash the oranges thoroughly, pour boiling water over them (to wash off the wax that is applied so that the orange does not spoil during transportation) and peel in any way convenient for you.

Cut the peel in the center so that you get two hemispheres.

Then we cut each hemisphere in half and each part into three more strips.

If the orange is thin-skinned, you can leave the inner part; if it is thick-skinned, you can remove a little from the inside so that the curls are easier to wrap and they are neater.

Roll each piece of peel into a tight roll and string it on a thread like beads. The thread must be pulled tighter so that the curls do not unravel.

Pour orange beads cold water. Change the water two to three times a day. The peels need to be soaked for 3-4 days, until the peels become soft and no longer taste bitter.

After this, boil the crusts 3-4 times for 15-20 minutes, changing the water each time. After each boiling, the peel should be rinsed with cold water.

Let's boil it for the first time - I put the beads in a bowl of cold water, poured fresh hot water into the saucepan and put the peel there again. And so on several times. Now you need to weigh the peel.

The proportions for jam are as follows: 1.5 times more sugar, twice as much water. If you don’t have scales, I give other proportions: for 10 oranges - 1 kg of sugar, 1-1.2 liters of water and 1 tsp. citric acid (or juice of half a lemon).

So - the peels of 3 oranges (200 grams), 300 grams of sugar, 400 grams of water, (as a gag - ginger root weighing 10 grams, cut into small pieces) put in a saucepan and cook until slightly thickened - the syrup should be enough liquid, similar to very liquid honey after cooling.

Add citric acid before removing from heat. Remove the threads after the jam has cooled. Pour into a clean, dry jar. The output was a little more than a 0.5 liter jar.

6. Raspberry jam with vanilla

Products:

1. Raspberries - 250 gr.

2. Lemon juice 2 tbsp. spoons

3. Sugar - 500 gr.

4. Vanilla - 1 vanilla pod (vanillin - 1 tablespoon)

How to cook raspberry jam with vanilla:

Place raspberries, juice and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce temperature and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Scrape out the vanilla bean and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Taste the jam and if it is not ready, leave it to cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour the jam into a jar and serve.

7. Blueberry jam

Products:

1. Blueberries - 1 kg.

2. Sugar - 1 kg.

3. Citric acid - 2 g.

How to make blueberry jam:

Place the prepared blueberries in a cooking vessel, pour in hot 70% sugar syrup (700 g of sugar per 300 ml of water) and leave in the syrup for 3-4 hours.

After this, cook over low heat until fully cooked, skimming off the foam. At the end of cooking you can add citric acid.

Pack hot blueberry jam into prepared, heated jars.

Pasteurize at 95°C: half-liter jars - 10 minutes, liter jars - 15 minutes.

Bon appetit!

Jam is not just a traditional delicacy, but also an excellent opportunity to recharge with vitamins all year round. However, only properly cooked jam will preserve everything beneficial features berries and fruits. Here are the basic subtleties of preparing a healthy dessert.

Choosing dishes to make jam correctly

For our purposes, a large and deep container made of copper, stainless steel or aluminum is suitable. Traditional dishes for making jam - a large copper basin. Pay attention to the inner surface like this kitchen utensils: there should be no plaque on it - a product of metal oxidation, which in no case should get into food. You should not take enamel cookware: it contains cooking masterpiece will most likely burn. Do not choose containers that are too large - large dishes will require longer cooking times, which will not have the best effect on the result. The optimal option is a volume of two to six liters.

How to make jam correctly - choosing fruits and berries

The main component of the jam must be absolutely fresh and free from any flaws, be it stains or bruises. Ideally, these are fruits straight from the garden, but store goods should, if possible, be of local origin. If berries and fruits are unripe or overripe, they are not suitable for jam. Also pay attention to the smell of the fruit: it will determine the aroma of the finished product.

How to make jam correctly - preparing fruits and berries

We sort the berries, removing unsuitable ones, wash and clean them. Wash currants, raspberries and strawberries again after peeling. To wash the berries, use cold water, keeping the product under the tap for about 2 minutes. or by washing it in a colander. Leave the berries to dry in a sieve for 15 or 20 minutes.

We prepare packaging containers for making jam

We take jars from 0.5 to two liters and wash them thoroughly. Preferably with a good detergent, such as soda ash. Rinse the jars with boiling water and turn them upside down to drain the water. Place the container in the oven to dry completely. By the time of packaging, the jars must not only be dried, but also warmed up.

Preparing syrup for making jam

Pour sugar into a cooking vessel and fill it with water in the ratio of 1 kilogram of sugar - half a glass of liquid. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring the sugar until it dissolves. When the mixture boils, cook it for one or two minutes. The jam base is ready if it is thick enough. Only with this syrup consistency the berries are not deformed while they are boiling.

Combine syrup and berries

Carefully pour the berries into the liquid set over medium heat. The water should completely cover the berries. Stir them into the syrup, shaking the bowl in a circle. Keep it stirred for three to four hours so that the berries absorb the syrup, otherwise they may shrink and boil.

Cook all the ingredients

We periodically remove foam from the surface - the reason for the souring of the future product. We monitor the fire - it should be uniform. To prevent the jam from burning, carefully turn the dish and mix the berries. Before the end of cooking, the boiling becomes slower, the foam collects towards the center, and the berries do not tend to float to the surface. A drop of finished jam has a thick consistency and does not spread. As soon as we detect these signs, we immediately turn off the heat to avoid overcooking.

Cook the jam in two or three stages for 10-15 minutes, cooling for two to three hours. The total cooking time should not be more than half an hour. If the syrup is well absorbed into the fruit or berries, you can reduce the cooking to one stage lasting 40 minutes.

There are many recipes for making jam, based on the characteristics of various fruits and berries. At the same time, there are general techniques and requirements for making jam from any raw material.

The ideal vessels for making jam are basins with a capacity of 2 to 6 liters, made of stainless steel or brass. It is not recommended to use larger containers, since delicate berries, such as raspberries and strawberries, can be crushed in them, and the jam will turn out soft. In addition, when using a large volume of berries, their cooking time is greatly extended, which also negatively affects the quality of the jam. Therefore, it is recommended to use basins with low sides for cooking jam.

Jam packaging

The best containers for packaging and storing finished jam are glass jars capacity 0.5; 1; 2 l. The jars must first be washed in hot water, preferably with soda ash or another detergent, until completely clean, then rinsed with clean boiling water and turned upside down to drain the water. After this, the jars are dried in the oven until the moisture is completely removed. Immediately before packaging the finished jam, the jars must be completely dry and hot.

Regardless of the heat source used, the jam should be cooked for no more than 30-40 minutes, excluding the resting time. In the first 5-10 minutes from the moment of boiling, the jam should be cooked over low heat, since during this period the greatest foaming is observed and the contents of the basin may boil away. As the intensity of foam formation decreases and as the syrup thickens, the heat must be increased, making sure that the jam boils evenly and does not overflow over the edge of the basin.

Syrup for jam, which contains fruits or berries, must be transparent and colored in a color that is characteristic of these fruits or berries. It should not have any brownish or brownish tint. The latter indicates that the jam was overheated or cooked over too much heat.

It should be thick enough that it does not flow quickly from the surface of the spoon. The jam should contain equal amounts of berries and syrup. Excess or insufficient amount of syrup indicates a violation of the rules for making jam.

Fruits and berries that are intended for jam are collected on the day of cooking in sunny and dry weather, after they have dried from dew. It is not recommended to pick berries in rainy weather. It is important that the berries and fruits are of the same degree of ripeness. Unripe and overripe fruits and berries are unsuitable for making jam. Raspberries and strawberries should be collected in sieves or wicker baskets with a capacity of no more than 2-3 kg.

If the berries collected from your garden plot do not have any contamination, you do not need to wash them. In all other cases, fruits and berries are washed. Washing must be done after sorting, and some berries after cleaning (for example, after removing sepals from strawberries, stalks from raspberries and calyxes from currants) in cold, clean running water.

Tender berries should be rinsed for 1-2 minutes under running water or by repeated immersion in water in a container with a wired bottom (basket, colander). After washing, the berries and fruits need to be kept in a sieve for 15-20 minutes so that the water drains from them and they dry a little. After this, you can start making jam.

The most common is boiling fruits and berries in sugar syrup. To prepare the latter, a pre-measured amount of granulated sugar is poured into a clean brass or other basin, an enamel pan and filled with cold or hot water, after which the dishes are placed on medium heat and stir with a spoon or slotted spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then the syrup must be brought to a boil. After 1-2 minutes of boiling, the dishes are removed from the heat, and the syrup is considered ready for use.

Both the quality of the jam and its ability to be stored for a long time depend on the correct ratio of parts of sugar and berries or fruits. In the absence of scales, you can determine the weight of sugar by volume: one glass contains 200 g of sugar, liter jar- 800 g, in a half-liter - 400 g.

Cooking jam involves some operations for which you need to prepare. Before the beginning cooking jam You should prepare the necessary utensils: a deep plate for foam, a tablespoon or a slotted spoon. After everything is prepared, place the basin with the syrup on moderate heat, carefully pour a measured amount of berries into it and mix them well with the syrup. To do this, you can take the basin with both hands and shake it in a circular motion. The syrup must cover the fruits or berries. The berries drenched in hot syrup are left for 3-4 hours. If you start cooking the jam immediately, and even over high heat, the syrup will not will have time to be absorbed into the berries, and the latter will shrivel and become very boiled.

Berries and fruits with hard skin (gooseberries, ranet, plums) are pierced with a sharp wooden stick so that the syrup is better absorbed. Black currants must first be blanched, that is, placed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then cooled. If this is not done, the berries in cold jam will turn out too dry.

It is necessary to carefully monitor the cooking process and ensure that the jam does not boil over. The fire must be maintained uniformly all the time, not very strong, but not very weak, adjusting it depending on the formation of foam. At the beginning of cooking, after 3-5 minutes have passed from the moment the jam boils, the basin should be removed from the heat, shake lightly with both hands, remove foam from the surface and put back on the fire. Cooking continues until foam appears again, which is removed again.

They do this until the abundant pricing stops. After this happens and the mass begins to boil more slowly at the same heat, this means that the cooking of the jam is approaching the end. You need to watch this moment very carefully, otherwise the jam will be overcooked. To avoid burning, the basin should be turned frequently and the berries or fruits should be stirred very carefully with a slotted spoon or spoon.

Berry jam

Delicate berries - raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, small plums, cherries with pits, currants - are boiled in several stages, with breaks of 8-10 hours. The first time, the syrup with berries is only brought to a boil, and then left to stand. The second time, the jam is boiled for 10-15 minutes and left to stand again. Only the third time can it be brought to readiness over high heat. Strawberries, cherries, sweet cherries and pitted plums can be cooked in one step - first over low heat, then over high heat.

With easily boiled berries you can do the following. After cooking lightly in the syrup, carefully remove the berries with a slotted spoon or strainer, and continue to boil the syrup. Shortly before the end of cooking, the berries are dipped into syrup again, brought to a boil again, and then the finished jam is sealed.

When the jam is ready

It is important to be able to determine the degree of readiness of the jam. The following methods are quite common:

1. Take a little syrup from the basin with a spoon, and if it flows from the spoon in a thick mass, and not in a liquid and thin thread, this means that the jam is not ready yet.

2. The cooled sample is carefully poured from a teaspoon onto a plate. If the syrup has not spread, the jam can be considered ready.

If during cooking the jam remains liquid for a long time, which often happens, for example, with cherry jam, you can add a little lemon juice or apple jelly. After this, the jam will quickly thicken.

After finishing cooking, the jam is immediately poured into clean, pre-prepared dishes - aluminum and enamel bowls or pans without cracks. In no case should you use cast iron or iron utensils for curing jam, as they will deteriorate the color of the jam.

Before packaging, the jam is usually cooled for 8-10 hours. Some types of jam, in which the fruits are quickly soaked in sugar (black currants, strawberries, cranberries, etc.), can also be packaged hot without prior standing.

For long-term storage, it is best to package the jam in glass or proven clay containers of small capacity - 0.5, 1 and 2 liters. After the jam has cooled completely, seal the container tightly.

The kernels of apricots, cherries, plums and peaches contain a substance that in the body, through decomposition, turns into a strong poison - hydrocyanic acid. When storing jam from fruits with seeds for a long time, its quantity increases, so it is not recommended to store such jam for more than a year. If the jam has been stored longer than this period, the syrup is drained, the seeds are removed from the fruit, the pulp is mixed with the syrup and boiled for 30-40 minutes, after which the danger of poisoning is removed.

The jam must be stored at a temperature of 10-15 °C.

If water gets into the finished jam or it is undercooked, if there is not enough sugar in it, the jam may ferment. In this case, it must be digested by adding a little sugar.

If the jam becomes moldy, it means that it is either poorly packaged or stored in a too damp room. You need to remove the mold, boil the jam and put it in another, drier place.

Jam recipes

There are many recipes for making jam from fruits and berries. Let's look at some of them.

Plum jam

Remove the stems from the plums, chop the fruits and place them in hot water at 85 °C for 10 minutes, then cool. Pour hot syrup over the prepared plums and leave for 3-4 hours, and then cook until tender. It is recommended to cook whole plum fruits in four batches. The standing time for the jam between cooking is 8 hours. Cool the finished plum jam, transfer it to the prepared container and close tightly.

Recipe. To prepare plum jam, you need to take 2 kg of sugar and 400 ml of water per 1 kg of plums.

Sea buckthorn jam

Pasteurized sea buckthorn jam is more stable during storage; there is no observed sugaring, molding, or fermentation. Sea buckthorn jam should be boiled at a temperature of 105 °C, then packaged in hot sterilized glass jars and pasteurized in boiling water: half-liter jars - 15 minutes, liter jars - 20 minutes. After pasteurization, jars should be sealed immediately.

Recipe. To prepare sea buckthorn jam for 1 kg of peeled sea buckthorn fruits you need 1.5 kg of sugar and 1.2 liters of water.

Red rowan jam

Removed after the first frost, when it no longer has a bitter taste, keep it in the oven at low temperature for 1-2 hours, then blanch it in very hot water for 5 minutes. Boil the syrup, dip the berries in it and leave for 6-8 hours. Then put it on fire. As soon as the jam boils, remove it from the heat for 10-15 minutes, repeating the procedure 4-5 times. Since rowan absorbs sugar very slowly, leave the jam for another 12 hours after the last cooking, then drain the syrup and boil to the desired thickness without berries. Place the berries in jars and pour hot syrup over them.

Recipe. To prepare red rowan jam, take 1.5 kg of sugar and 3 glasses of water per 1 kg of berries.

Cherry jam

Wash the cherries for jam, dry, chop or immerse in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then pour in hot syrup prepared using half the required amount of sugar. After pouring the syrup over the fruits, leave them for 4-6 hours, then separate the syrup from the fruits, add half the remaining sugar to it and boil for 10 minutes. Transfer the cherries to the boiling syrup and leave again for 5-6 hours. After standing, drain the syrup again. Add the rest of the sugar to it and simmer for 10-12 minutes. At the end of cooking, the cherry fruits are transferred to the syrup, left for 4-5 hours, after which the jam is cooked until ready. To prevent sugaring, add citric acid at the end of cooking. To improve the aroma, it is recommended to add a little vanillin.

Recipe. To prepare cherry jam for 1 kg of cherries you need 1-1.2 kg of sugar, 1 glass of water or seed decoction, 1-2 g of citric acid.

Raspberry jam

Raspberry jam is brewed from ripe fresh berries raspberries picked in dry weather. Sort the raspberries, rinse with water, remove the stalks, sepals and fruit. If the raspberries are clean, they do not need to be washed. To remove raspberry beetle larvae, immerse the berries in the solution for a few minutes. table salt, remove the surfaced larvae with a spoon. Rinse the berries treated with a salt solution with water, pour hot syrup and leave for 4-5 hours, then separate them from the syrup. Boil the syrup to a boiling point of 107.5 °C, then cool slightly, add raspberries to it and cook over low heat. Place the cooled raspberry jam into jars.

Recipe for making raspberry jam: 1 kg of raspberries - 1.2-1.5 kg of sugar, 1 glass of water.

Redcurrant jam

Separate red currant berries from the bunches, rinse in cold water, place in a basin, pour in sugar syrup and leave for 6-8 hours, after which separate the fruits from the syrup. Boil the syrup, then cool slightly, add red currants to it and cook over low heat.

Recipe for red currant jam. For 1 kg of berries you need 1.5-1.8 kg of sugar, 1 liter of water.

Cherry plum jam

Thoroughly washed cherry plum fruits are pricked in several places with a thin wooden pin and placed in a basin. Boil the syrup, pour the hot syrup over the prepared cherry plum and leave it like that for a day. On the second day, drain the syrup, boil and pour the cherry plum again. On the third day, cook the jam until ready. It is very important to correctly determine the moment when cherry plum jam is ready and not to overcook it. The cherry plum should be transparent and evenly distributed in the syrup. Allow the finished jam to cool and transfer to clean, dry jars.

Recipe for cherry plum jam. For 1 kg of cherry plum take 1.4 kg of sugar, 1.5 glasses of water.

Gooseberry jam

Gooseberry jam It is brewed from unripe fruits, collected several days before the onset of consumer ripeness. Divide the sugar intended for jam into two halves. Use one of them to prepare syrup, divide the second into three equal parts, which will be added to the jam during cooking. Remove the stems from the gooseberries, wash and chop the berries. If the gooseberries are large, you can remove the seeds from them with a hairpin, carefully cutting the top of each berry. Pour hot syrup over the berries, in which they should remain for 4-6 hours.
After soaking in the syrup, separate the berries in a colander, add ½ of the remaining amount of sugar to the syrup, bring the syrup to a boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes over low heat, then pour the berries again for 5-6 hours. Repeat this operation two more times , each time adding granulated sugar to the syrup. Finally, cook the gooseberry jam during the fourth cooking, at the end of which it is recommended to add a little vanillin. To preserve the natural color of the fruit, the finished jam should be quickly cooled by placing the basin in cold water or in a cold room. gooseberry jam recipe.

Just like throughout the world, and maybe even more, sweets have always been loved in Russia. And one of the most common, most beloved sweet dishes in Russian cities and villages has always been jam. Even in the leanest, stingiest times, housewives tried to prepare at least a few jars of sweet, fragrant jam that smelled of the generous summer. Cooking methods were often kept secret, and a well-prepared treat was proudly boasted to guests. And these good traditions are still alive today. Every home, every family must have a carefully prepared jar of this delicious and fragrant dessert. Today we will try to learn and remember how to make jam.

Almost any berries and fruits are suitable for making jam. Ripe aromatic strawberries, cherries and currants, strong ruddy apples, peaches and apricots, blueberries and blueberries loved by many, and even such exotic fruits for our region as walnuts and green tomatoes, everything goes into action. Various additives will also come in handy when making delicious jam, for example, cherry leaves are suitable for gooseberry jam, black currant leaves can be added to white currant jelly, and jam made from watermelon and melon rinds is unthinkable without vanilla and lemon juice. Jam also differs in its consistency, thick, homogeneous jam is convenient to spread on morning toast or a sandwich, and the jam itself, which has a much thinner syrup consistency, but whole berries, is so pleasant to eat with tea on cold winter evenings.

Today there are an endless number of recipes and methods for making jam. Cooking time and method vary preparing berries and fruits, and even the base of the syrup. Some people make jam using sugar syrup, while others, remembering old traditions, cook berries in honey. Everyone can choose a recipe according to their strengths and means. And yet, the basic principles of cooking, little secrets and tricks developed by generations of our ancestors are still relevant today.

Today “Culinary Eden” has prepared for you a selection of the most important advice and secrets that can help even those who are going to cook this sweet dish for the first time, and will fully explain to you how to make jam.

1. When choosing dishes for cooking your jam, try to pay attention to deep and wide basins or pans made of copper, aluminum or stainless steel. Copper jam basins with a comfortable long handle were considered the best at all times. The jam is prepared quickly in such a bowl, which helps preserve the color and aroma of the berries. However, it is important to ensure that a green coating of copper oxides that are harmful to health does not form on the inner surface of such a basin. Basins and pans made of aluminum and stainless steel do not have this drawback. But it’s better to refrain from using enamel cookware; there’s too much of a chance that your jam will burn and be completely spoiled.

2. Try to choose the best and freshest berries and fruits for jam. Of course, the ideal berries for making jam can only be those that you collected from your garden on the day of cooking, but, unfortunately, this is not available to everyone. When buying berries at the market or in a store, try to give preference to local fruits. Such berries and fruits make a much shorter journey to our table, which means they retain the fullness of taste and aroma much better. It is better to take most berries and fruits when they are not fully ripe, but choose absolutely ripe cherries and plums. Carefully ensure that your berries do not have any visible flaws, damage, dark spots, or bruises. Don’t forget to smell the berries before buying, because the brighter and more expressive the aroma of fresh fruits is, the more tasty and fragrant your jam will be.

3. In order to cook truly tasty and beautiful jam, first of all, you should prepare the sugar syrup correctly. After all, only with well-prepared syrup can you make jam of the best quality; such jam will have clean, transparent syrup and whole, beautiful and fragrant berries. It’s not at all easy to cook this syrup. difficult. Take 1 kg. sugar, pour into a bowl for making jam, add ½ cup of clean water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After boiling, slightly reduce the heat, stop stirring and cook the syrup, shaking the bowl only slightly, trying to prevent caramelization. Your syrup will be completely ready when it flows from a spoon dropped into it in a thick, viscous stream. You will see that berries cooked in this syrup retain their shape perfectly.

4. When cooking jam, foam will certainly form on its surface, which must be removed, because this foam not only spoils appearance your dish, but can also cause premature souring. However, you should not rush and try to remove the foam as soon as it appears. Just before the end of cooking, let your jam boil as hot as possible and immediately remove from heat, then wait a couple of minutes for the berries to settle. Now feel free to pick up a slotted spoon and carefully remove all the foam that has formed. This method will allow you to most thoroughly remove even the slightest traces of foam without damaging the berries, and, what is also important, it will save your time and effort.

5. It is equally important to correctly track the end of the cooking process. After all, undercooked jam can ferment or sour, and overcooked jam will definitely become sugary and will not be able to please you with its bright taste and aroma. In order to correctly determine the moment when your jam is completely ready, just use simple tips. The jam is ready when the foam does not disperse along the edges of the basin, but collects closer to the center. In the finished jam, the berries are evenly distributed in the syrup and do not collect near the surface. A drop of finished jam syrup placed on a saucer does not spread, but retains its shape. If all these signs coincide, quickly remove your jam from the heat, it is already completely ready!

6. Let's try to cook tasty, bright and fragrant jam from garden strawberries, sometimes unfairly called strawberries. Rinse one kilogram of strawberries thoroughly, being careful not to damage the berries, and remove the green sepals. Let the water drain and transfer your strawberries into a bowl for making jam. Cover the berries with one kilogram of sugar and place in a cool place for several hours until the strawberries release their juice. Then place the bowl over low heat and bring the strawberries and sugar to a boil while stirring gently but thoroughly. As soon as your jam boils, immediately remove it from the heat and let it sit for 8 hours. Then simmer the jam until tender over low heat, being careful not to let it boil too much. The jam prepared in this way completely preserves bright taste and the aroma of berries, and the syrup turns out clean and completely transparent.

7. It’s even easier to cook something tasty, aromatic, and so on. healthy jam from raspberries. Carefully sort one kilogram of raspberries, remove the branches and sepals and rinse carefully. Place the berries in a deep saucepan and add one kilogram of sugar. Leave the raspberries with sugar for 4 - 5 hours, then pour the resulting syrup into a bowl for making jam, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Place your berries in the finished syrup, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes, gently shaking the basin. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, remove any foam that has formed and pour the jam into jars. This jam completely retains the taste and all the beneficial properties of fresh raspberries, but it should be stored in the refrigerator.

8. A recipe for superbly delicious lingonberry and apple jam is offered to us by M. Syrnikov. Sort out one kilogram of lingonberries, rinse and lightly dry. Peel three sour apples, remove the core and cut each into 8 pieces. Boil sugar syrup from 1 kg. sugar and ½ glass of water, as described above. Pour berries and apple slices into the boiling syrup, bring to a boil again, then remove from heat and leave for 2 hours. Place the cooled jam on the heat again, bring to a boil and cool again for two hours. Then put the jam on low heat and cook until done, gently rocking the bowl and avoiding burning. Ready jam cool and put into jars.

9. Delicious jam made from gooseberries will require painstaking preparation, but will reward you with its exquisite aroma and amazingly beautiful color. 800 gr. Wash the green unripe gooseberries thoroughly, cut off the twigs and remains of dried flowers, use a sharp knife to make a small cut on each berry and carefully remove the seeds. Boil 2 liters of water in a deep saucepan, add 50 - 100 g. fresh leaves cherries, cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat and immediately add prepared gooseberries. Cover the pan with a lid and leave for 12 hours. Then pour the resulting broth into a separate bowl and remove the cherry leaves. Place 1 ½ kg in a bowl for making jam. sugar, add 1 cup of the reserved broth and cook a thick syrup. When the syrup is ready, pour the berries into it, bring to a boil again and cook over low heat for 15 - 20 minutes, gently rocking the basin and avoiding burning. Cool the finished jam, remove the foam and pour your jam into jars.

10. Indian cuisine invites us to try the original spicy and piquant rhubarb and ginger jam. 400 gr. Rinse the rhubarb stems, peel off any rough skin and cut into thin slices. Place the rhubarb in a cooking saucepan, add 3 tbsp. tablespoons grated fresh ginger, 1 ½ cups sugar and 1 teaspoon chopped lemon zest. Place the pan over the lowest heat and melt the sugar. Be careful not to burn the sugar! When the sugar has completely melted and the rhubarb has released juice, turn up the heat and bring your jam to a boil. Reduce the heat to low again and simmer the jam for 20 minutes until tender. Cool the finished jam and place it in jars. Store in the refrigerator.

And on the pages of “Culinary Eden” you can always find many new and proven recipes that will certainly help you find the answer to the question of how to make jam.