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Strawberry jam recipe
Hi I love to make strawberry jam, but it takes absolutely forever to cook. My sister uses a jam sugar which takes 4 minutes for the jam to reach setting point.
I would prefer to use an old, ancient recipe from the days when they never had this cheating sugar method!!!
Anyone have any good ideas? Or grannies recipes please?
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I made mine following James Martin's recipe this year and it is delicious.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3161704/strawberry-jam
It does use jam sugar because strawberries are low in pectin but the trick of soaking the strawberries overnight in the sugar makes for great tasting jam. Best I've ever made.
In 'the old days' the traditional way was to first make your own pectin stock from a fruit high in pectin such as red currants, and this would be added to the ingredients to obtain a set. Nowadays you can buy it (Certo) or use jam sugar. Why wouldn't you?
You don't ruib two sticks together to light your stove do you?
Best and traditional jam recipes here http://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/home-preservation-of-fruit-and-vegetables/ also available from Amazon.
First published by His Majesty's Stationery Office in 1929.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you for your swift replies, and very amusing they were too!!
I will try the them, including Pansyface's method - I have to try it, and see if it works although if it doesn't, I can't imagine anything nicer than waking up to the yummy smell of strawberries cooking slowly in oven, mmmmmm! Will announce results shortly. Thanks!
Ps any more recipes anyone????
Add a chopped cooking apple to the fruit, usually helps with set - though pectin in quite OK - after all, that is what is in the apple! Our grandmothers would have jumped at it, the didn't use it because it was not available, but would have done given half the chance.
Having had a day of diasterous jam making I'm not sure I should offer any ideas (!) but it does say in my book (by Thane Prince; the lady in charge of the jam section on the Allotment Challenge if you watched it; strong bob hair cut!) that you blitz a lemon shell ( which apparently is what you have left when you've juiced a lemon), then boil it in some water, and leave to cool. Strain. It produces a natural pectin. Use within 2 days. She doesn't say how much water to boil it in though.
Worth a go I guess, albeit Jo47 and others have provided better advice today than Ms Prince!
Absolutely cream crackered Joe47! Thanks for all of your help. Still chuckling at the lemon curd revelation! I hope you'll be around next weekend as I'm going to need you for raspberry jam and shortbread!
That must have been the most expensive jar of lemon curd ever! So funny! What a good heart you have though to buy a jar back! I bet they loved you!!
Jo47 that is really funny, a bit like Calender Girls when Helen Mirran enters the Victoria sandwich cake comp, and submits an M & S one - then WON! thanks Tootles for your input!