Get your Jam on!

sdp

Ah well done, mind you its one of the hardest jams to set, let me know if you want recipes for any other jams

sdp

last of jams made, raspberry jam and crabapple jelly, some with chilli
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Dizzyblonde

I made pear jam today, and three jars of pears in mulled wine for Christmas
It's pears with everything here at the moment because our little pear tree was very productive this year.

Alun

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I made pear jam today, and three jars of pears in mulled wine for Christmas
It's pears with everything here at the moment because our little pear tree was very productive this year.

Can I have the recipes for both please?????

Our pear tree, which in the 5 years since we planted it has probably produced as many pears, decided this year to give us over 200 :eek: We're drowning in the things.

Alun

My very first foray into jam making yesterday was 3 jars of apple and sloe jelly. I was forced into it due to having a load of sloes still in the freezer after making this year's batch of Sloe Gin, and the freezer desperately needed defrosting.

Not as difficult as I was expecting, but I really need to get a jam funnel before I make the next batch.

Dizzyblonde

Alun wrote: »

Can I have the recipes for both please?????

Our pear tree, which in the 5 years since we planted it has probably produced as many pears, decided this year to give us over 200 :eek: We're drowning in the things.

It must be a bumper year for pears! We still have a huge box left.

This is the jam recipe I used - I didn't leave the pears and sugar overnight so I had to cook it for two hours. I also added a couple of cooking apples for pectin, and the juice of a lemon half way through because it tasted overly sweet. I left out the spices and added the contents of a vanilla pod:
http://frenchfood.about.com/od/dressingpreservessauces/r/Countryside-Pear-Jam-Recipe.htm

This is the mulled wine pears recipe - the whole house smelled like Christmas when they were in the oven:
http://www.humbletartkitchen.com/recipes/festive-food-gifts-homemade-mulled-pears/

Dizzyblonde

I use a plastic jug with a good spout on it (from Tesco) to pour the jam into the jars - it's too dangerous with a ladle.

Alun

Yes, I've seen so many pear jam recipes, some with apple added and some not, I'm confused. Some recipes say the pears themselves will provide enough pectin, others say to add apples. Maybe the type of pear makes a difference, mine are Conference.

Kat1170

Alun wrote: »

My very first foray into jam making yesterday was 3 jars of apple and sloe jelly. I was forced into it due to having a load of sloes still in the freezer after making this year's batch of Sloe Gin, and the freezer desperately needed defrosting.

Not as difficult as I was expecting, but I really need to get a jam funnel before I make the next batch.

This a thousand times next time I make some jam !!

Dizzyblonde

Mine are Conference too, and as far as I know pears are low pectin fruit. There's a lot of conflicting information but they seem to appear on low pectin lists more often than not. After two hours of cooking, and with the apples and lemon juice added the jam was just about reaching the set stage.

sdp

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I use a plastic jug with a good spout on it (from Tesco) to pour the jam into the jars - it's too dangerous with a ladle.

one plus on jug, I use a old glass one

@ Alun, I have a jam funnel that I don't use, you are more then welcome to, bought but never used, if you want to pm me I can post it to you

The Hill Billy

Making another batch of apple jelly today as The Kids finished the last jar during the week.

Alun

sdp wrote: »

@ Alun, I have a jam funnel that I don't use, you are more then welcome to, bought but never used, if you want to pm me I can post it to you

PM sent, thanks

j timber

Hi guys
First time tryin this so wish me luck...
Have crab apple trees full of fruit so gonna try so crab apple jelly..any receipes you would recommend??
Thanks in advance

Toulouse

7lbs of Damson jam done

And it's yummy!!!

The Hill Billy

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Making another batch of apple jelly today as The Kids finished the last jar during the week.

I made this batch of apple jelly from the sour type that I have on my tree & it hasn't set again. I think that these apples haven't as much pectin as the sweet type. Anyone know where I can buy pectin in Dublin city center?

On a positive note - myself & HB Jr II went blackberry picking on Saturday & hit the jackpot in one of the fields behind us. The blackberry jam turned out a treat!

Dizzyblonde

I don't know where you'd get it in the city centre, but JC's in Swords have bottles of pectin. I was sorry I didn't pick up a bottle at the weekend, because my pear jam hasn't set. I'll give it a few more days and if it's still runny I'm going to have to take it out of the jars and add pectin, sterilise the jars and pot it up again

sdp

Alun wrote: »

PM sent, thanks

Sorry was away with work, PM sent

sdp

j timber wrote: »

Hi guys
First time tryin this so wish me luck...
Have crab apple trees full of fruit so gonna try so crab apple jelly..any receipes you would recommend??
Thanks in advance

this is one I use:
2.4kg crab apples
2.6 lt water
2 lemons
wash apples, cut in half, and cut out any bruised bits. into water with strips of zest of lemons,
cook till reduced to pulp, and turn into jelly bag.
allow to drip over night,
then it for every 600ml of juice, add 450g sugar,
I warm sugar in oven, add to pan, with lemon juice allow sugar to dissolve fully, over low heat, them bring to boil, skim, and boil till it reaches setting point.. then add what ever you want ,, ie mint, chilli.. or nothing at all pot and enjoy

sdp

Found a lovely red crab apple tree, while away, picked as many as I could, and made a small batch of jelly, Love the color!




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sdp

Alun wrote: »

PM sent, thanks

posted yesterday, let me know if arrives ok :0

Alun

sdp wrote: »

posted yesterday, let me know if arrives ok :0

Arrived literally 10 minutes ago. I was a bit puzzled when the postman handed it to me, looked just like a Christmas pudding wrapped up, but then it dawned on me what it was! Many thanks again, I'll put it to good use

Alun

I was in Aldi yesterday and noticed they had some preserving pans, also called a Maslin pan apparently. Looked like a wide, shallow bucket with a handle. Not that I really need one ,but what's the advantage to them? Is it just the extra surface area that makes it easier to get jams etc. to reduce quicker?

sdp

yes, your right,its all about getting the reduction as quick as you can, and reaching setting point, so the colour and taste are good, ( some say that if jams, marmalade, are boiling for to long it spoiles the taste,)
but a good heavy based wide pan will do the same job

@Alun so glad you recived it

Alun

Not jam, but 4 1ltr jars of mulled pears in cider. 3kg of pears went in and I've still got so many left they're starting to rot :eek:



BTW, those jars are Korken jars from Ikea, less than half the price of Kilner. They also have them in the new Carrickmines store, so no need to travel all the way up to Ballymun if you're south of Dublin.

Dizzyblonde

Alun wrote: »

Not jam, but 4 1ltr jars of mulled pears in cider. 3kg of pears went in and I've still got so many left they're starting to rot :eek:



BTW, those jars are Korken jars from Ikea, less than half the price of Kilner. They also have them in the new Carrickmines store, so no need to travel all the way up to Ballymun if you're south of Dublin.

I had to throw my last few out. I made a load of pear butter last week though and gave it away to anyone who would take it. It's basically stewed pears, I added a small amount of dark brown sugar and vanilla extract. It's nice with ice cream or stirred into porridge, but it only lasts up to a month in the fridge.

Alun

Sounds like a good plan. I've found a recipe online that has a bit of ginger in it too here ...

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pear_butter/

My wife is taking in a big bag to work tomorrow, and the pear butter should see the end of them at last!

Dizzyblonde

I don't want to have to peel another pear any time soon :rolleyes:

Alun

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I don't want to have to peel another pear any time soon :rolleyes:

Me neither! Luckily the recipe I have for the pear butter involves all the pear .. skin, pips, stalks everything.

Alun

... and they're all gone at last in the form of 1.5 ltr of pear butter!!!! I don't want to see another pear for at least another year



Now to clean the cooker, and anything in the immediate area for about 2 metres that's now covered in tiny sticky spots of pear butter. The first hour of simmering went fairly quickly, but in the second hour when it got quite thick it bubbled and spat all over the place. Hopefully it was all worth it!

BTW sdp, the jam funnel came in very handy when putting it in the jars, thanks again!