A few notes from seasoned jammers
In my hunt for how to cook with apple pectin-liquid I found a few words of wisdom from seasoned jammers. I wanted to record these for posterity because I had difficulty accessing these sites.
A few notes from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial:
Don’t add the sugar too soon. Begin the jam making process by placing the prepared fruit, pectin and acid in a large stock pot and bringing it to the boil. Once the fruit has softened to your liking, then add the sugar. When the sugar is added, the skins of the fruit won’t soften any further, and fruits like strawberries won’t break down much more. But for fruits like raspberries, which fall apart very easily, the sugar can be added straight away.
Try to minimise the amount of added sugar. Start with a lesser amount than you think you need, then add more if required to set the jam. Sugar is often used in commercial jams to cover up poor quality fruit, but conversely, if you have really great fruit, too much sugar will mask that as well. Lately, Pete has been experimenting with using more pectin and less sugar, and the jams have all been setting quite well (albeit a little firmer than normal). Again, it’s all about the balance between the four key ingredients.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that jellies need a minimum amount of sugar to set (usually one cup of sugar to one cup of liquid) – jams are more forgiving on this front.
Boil gently at first, then at full-bore. This is an often disputed point in jam making. Pete’s approach is this: bring the fruit, pectin and lemon juice to a gentle (but proper) boil, and keep it at that level until the fruit softens to a consistency you’re happy with. Add the sugar, then bring it back up to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves. Skim well at this point – you won’t be able to skim once the pot is boiling vigorously. Once the sugar is dissolved and the jam has been clarified, thenraise the heat and bring the pot to a full rolling boil (one that rises up in the pot) until the jam is set.
Jellies in particular will never set until they are brought to a feverish boil which causes them to rise up in the pot (which is why you need to use a big, wide pot!). If you’ve brought them to a rising boil and the jelly still won’t set, you will probably need to add something – either more pectin, sugar or acid.
Always skim off as much foam as you can. This is particularly important with jelly – as it boils, the foam rising to the surface carries with it the impurities (for want of a better word) in the jelly, and the more you can remove at this time, the clearer and more jewel-like the finished product will be. By the way, foam and surface scum are really good signs – they mean the pectin is doing its job and setting the preserve.
Test for set. Before you start, put a small saucer in the fridge to cool. Alternatively, you could use an ice-pack and put the saucer on that to chill. Test the jam or jelly by putting a small blob on the cold saucer. Wait a minute or two, then give the jam a poke with your finger. If it wrinkles, then it’s ready. Make sure you turn off the heat while you’re testing, or you might end up scorching your jam.
This comment on cooking with pectin came from Wild Flowers and Weeds:
When you reckon that your fruit-pectin mixture is about right, mix in sugar at a ratio of about 5 cups of fruit-pectin (or juice) to 7 cups of sugar. Stir constantly – especially with jam – to keep it from burning to the bottom of the pan. After the jelly comes to a full, rolling boil, let it do so for about a minute. Then, if everything has been done right, it should be ready to pour into jars. If you are not confident, however, this is the stage for the final jelly test. Turn the heat down low when the boiling begins. Dip a large spoon into the mixture and then hold it over the pot sideways. If the last jelly falls off the spoon in a sheet rather than a drop, or if you get a drop that hangs down bulging at the bottom and doesn’t fall (this happens especially with wooden spoons), then you’re in business.
If the jelly passes this test in either way, bring it briefly to a vigorous boil on high heat. Here you will find yet another indicator of whether it will jell or not. It will not just boil; it will boil up, get foamy, and probably make you scared that it will boil over. (If you don’t turn the heat off soon enough, it will boil over.) This is when you pour the jam into clean mason jars and cover with clean lids.
