Strawberry and Elderflower Jam

Latest Articles

Strawberry and Elderflower Jam
Page 1, 2 Next

Downsizer Forum Index -> Recipes, Preserving, Homebrewing

Author

Message

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 1:08 pm Post subject: Strawberry and Elderflower Jam
Made strawberry jam at the weekend. Big reccomendation; bottle half of the jam, then throw into the pan a handfull of elderflowers. Strawberry and elderflower jam is a bit special. Big disreccomendation; don't use 'Certo' pectin, it didn't work for me. Not at all. My jam is runny. Use jam sugar, or chop up and stew in an apple or four. I shan't be using that again.

pink bouncy

Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 174

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 1:41 pm Post subject:
I love making jam but I've never even tried strawberry jam. Have you ever tried making your own pectin? I stew apples and strain the juice as if I were making jelly and freeze it. Works much better than shop bought and it's loads cheaper too.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 1:45 pm Post subject:

pink bouncy wrote:

I love making jam but I've never even tried strawberry jam.

Have you ever tried making your own pectin? I stew apples and strain the juice as if I were making jelly and freeze it. Works much better than shop bought and it's loads cheaper too.

Mostly I just stew the apples and add it to the other fruit, or I use jam sugar. But most of my jams do fine without that; blackberry, plum, damson, gooseberry, currant... They all do fine without any help. Raspberry I either use jam sugar or some redcurrants, apricot I either rely on the fruit being chunky or add in a little jam sugar (I want that one soft-ish).

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 1:54 pm Post subject:
I saw an old clip of Devious a week or two back; she was making Jam and said "I wouldn't bother with the jam sugars that are out there, they're very expensive, and I find ordinary sugar works just as well..." on e minute later "...you'll need to add in x because there's not enough pectin in normal sugar to set it"

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 2:57 pm Post subject:

pink bouncy wrote:

I love making jam but I've never even tried strawberry jam.

Have you ever tried making your own pectin? I stew apples and strain the juice as if I were making jelly and freeze it. Works much better than shop bought and it's loads cheaper too.

Its not as hard as people tell you it is! I made it last year, and it was my first attempt. OK, it aint a perfect set, but its spreadable, not pourable, and I haven't met anyone who's tasted it that complained!!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:00 pm Post subject:
Oh, strawberry is a doddle. A little lemon juice, knob of butter, and use jam sugar, get it to 104-106 C, test setting, and bottle.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:00 pm Post subject:
I've used certo pectin in the past. It just seems to take ages before it works. I kept adding more in the mistaken belief that it was just a bit weak and my blackcurrant jelly was like a rubber ball.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:03 pm Post subject:
Oh - I forgot, I use jam sugar for blackberry (and this year I will for strwberry) but I haven't found it necessary for raspberry or redcurrant (I do add lemon juice, which I think contains pectin, but I like the sharpness) This year I fancy a blackcurrant too, and a mint and whitecurrant jelly. There an elderfower tree at the bottom of my garden (I think!) Hooray!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:04 pm Post subject:
My one and only attempt at making strawberry jam turned out like boiled sweets . The thought of wasting several more pounds of strawberries is just too painful to contemplate.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45432
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:09 pm Post subject:
Knowing nothing about jam making my mum and I tried to make strawberry jam after a bit of over exuberance at the PYO. Stayed up half the night trying to see if we could get it set

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:09 pm Post subject:

Judith wrote:

My one and only attempt at making strawberry jam turned out like boiled sweets

. The thought of wasting several more pounds of strawberries is just too painful to contemplate.

Judith, here's some useful tricks...

Put the fruit in the pan, weigh the pan. Add a little water.

Stew down to a pulp, let it cool a little, and weigh it. Add enough water so you have your starting weight back.

Toss in the sugar, use a jam sugar, and get it hot, fast. Faster the better. Add also a bif nob of butter and lemon juice.

Test setting when it approaches 104C, do so on a saucer you've got in the freezer. Bottle when it's JUST hardening, when it's JUST forming a skin; that'll be at about 104C.

If you've got enough pectin in it and a wee bit of acid, you'll get it to go without the boiled sweet problem.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:12 pm Post subject:
Does this mean that I have to buy a thermometer or is the plate test reliable enough?

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:13 pm Post subject:
And of course, only use fruit that's a bit under-ripe.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 3:21 pm Post subject:
Judith, I don't bother with a thermometer, just use the 'saucer test' and it has never let me down Although we are attempting to grow strawberries in the allotment, but there won't be anything like the amount I normally use so will also be going to the Pick Your Own field at the end of the road.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 5:46 pm Post subject:
I have a thermometer, but I don't think it works - according to it, my jam never reached setting point, but the plate said it did, and it did!

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Recipes, Preserving, Homebrewing	All times are GMT Page 1, 2 Next
Page 1 of 2

View Latest Posts