this Is My Jam!

One to ever broaden my horizons with new experiences and experiments, I've discovered a new found love of making my own jams!!

It never really interested me before because it seemed like waaaaay too much effort when I can go to Asda and buy a 28p smart price jar of jam. Without the need for sugar thermometers and my kitchen turning into a gloopy stained mess.

Turns out it's actually quite easy to make the perfect jam at home. Not only that but there is a silent satisfaction in knowing you've produced something quite spectacular all by yourself. I actually stumbled upon the idea of making my own jam completely by mistake. I'd made a cherry and pear crumble one evening and there was lots of fruit & juices left over and me being me ( I hate food waste) decided I could use the left overs for something. 

This is when I came across a simple jam recipe and put it to the test after making a few tweaks here and there. Completely by chance it produced the most delicious cherry and pear jam that I had on toast the next morning. Never one to be fully satisfied and forever pushing my own creative boundaries, I then went on to make a blueberry jam, a raspberry jam and a strawberry jam. Without a shadow of a doubt, the blueberry is my personal fav! I have it with toast, cinnamon bagel thins, in my porridge and with Greek yoghurt and granola.  

I love it so much so, that I've just made my second batch in as many weeks. More surprisingly to me was that because they're made with fresh fruit (and I try to use as little sugar as possible as I feel there is already plenty of natural sugars in the fruits as it is) they're actually really low in calories with roughly 15 Cals per tablespoon.

To make the jam you literally only need two ingredients.....

450g of one of the following fruits of your choice..
Raspberries
Strawberries
Cherries
Blueberries

4 tablespoons of sugar.

The reason I have only suggested berry fruit is that they have natural pectin in them which lessens the need for any additional ingredients and therefore makes this a more natural and wholesome jam. I adore knowing there's no additives or nasties in this, it makes my heart happy. Many fruit jams are made with the addition of pectin for thickening. Jam without pectin is a little softer and a little looser than store bought jams.

Whilst it only has two ingredients, the secret to perfecting jam really does rely on the method- that is where the magic happens guys. Firstly- Put a table spoon in your freezer. Trust me.

METHOD

1. In a large good quality pan, mash the living day lights out of your fruit with a potato masher and once a liquidy mess add your sugar.
   
2. Bring to the boil in the pan and make sure to constantly keep and eye on it stirring regularly , do not take your eye off the ball for a second as it can boil over pretty quick and is a bitch to clean up. If the bubbles start to get to high towards the top of the pan, give it a good stir. 
   
3. When it first starts to boil, the bubbles will be quite large, when your jam is nearly ready the bubbles will become very small and more condensed. This takes roughly 15-20 minutes of constant boiling. 
   
4. To know when our jam is ready, take your spoon out of the freezer and dip it in your hot liquid and then take it out. Allow it to cool for a few seconds and then run your finger down the centre of the back of the spoon. If it leaves a nice clear line and the jam doesn't start to run back into the centre- It's ready!!
   
5. Take your pan off the heat and allow it to cool for around 10 minutes before transferring into your jam jar. This recipe must be stored in the fridge and will last several weeks. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months but be sure to leave about half an inch of space between the jam and the top of the jar to allow for expanding when frozen.
   

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If you decide to give my recipe a go and make your own jams, please feel free to email me your makes, I always love seeing them. 

Much Love
Steph
xxx

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