How to make jam

Jam is one of the easiest ways of preserving and you can use almost any fruit or vegetable to do so. All you need is the fruit, A cooking pot and some Jam sugar. Jam sugar comes preloaded with the right amount of Pectin which is usually extracted from apple pips and is what makes the Jam set if you make it right. If you don't have Jam sugar then you can use ordinary sugar and add pectin at the end.

Jam Making Ingredients

• Fruit or Vegetable of your choice such as Strawberries, Blackberries, plums, peaches, pineapple.
• Jam Sugar

Jam making equipment

• Preserving Pan
• Jars
• Lids
• Ladle
• Jam Thermometer
• Jam Funnell

Making Jam

Remove any stalks or leaves and pips, pith and skin where appropriate from your chosen fruit. Finely chop the prepared fruit and put it in the preserving pan.

Bring the mixture to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the fruit/vegetable has softened.

Add the Jam sugar to the mixture and stir the mixture well until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved bring the mixture back to the boil

Boil the Jam, stirring continuously so as not to burn until the jam reaches 104-105 degrees. Having reached this temperature you should get a Jam which will set.

Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully ladle the jam into the jars whilst the jam is still hot.

Put the lids on quickly as you fill each Jar. If you wait till they are all filled the glass of the jars will be very hot to touch and difficult to hold to screw the lids on.

Store the Jam in a cool dark cupboard or larder. Once opened keep in the fridge.