Making Jam and Jelly

Remember that hot jam or jelly is VERY hot (much hotter than boiling water), especially when the sugar has been added. Make sure it is out of reach or children and don’t be tempted to stick your finger in to taste it! If you are planning on making a lot of jams and jellies, it is probably worth your while investing in some proper equipment.
When potting up jams and jellies, always use hot sterilised jars and place them on a wooden or other non-conducting surface. Adding hot jam or jelly to cold jars, or to jars sitting on a cold surface runs the risk of the jars splitting and causing serious burns - as well as wasting the precious preserve.
You can use a large saucepan but, a preserving pan provides the best shape for water to boil off quickly, thus reducing the chance of you preserve ‘catching’ and burning. A sugar thermometer helps to tell you when the setting point has been reached which removes the doubt from the ‘testing-on-a-plate’ method. Although, I always use the latter – when you think the jam/jelly has reduced significantly and you feel might be approaching ‘setting’, put a dessertspoonful on a plate or saucer and put in a cool place (not the fridge). If setting point has been reached the preserve will wrinkle up when pushed gently with a spoon or the tip of your finger.
You can make your own jelly bag from heavy muslin, cotton calico or other similar fabrics. Make sure the fabric is well scalded before adding the juice and that it is safely secured to a ‘stand’ (upside down stool perhaps – perhaps you are handy with wood and can make your own) before pouring in the boiled fruit pulp. However, you can buy the jelly bags and stands ready made. If you choose to do so, buy one which is sturdy and safe.
The quantities I have given in the following recipes give a fairly high concentration of sugar. You can reduce the amount of sugar in jams and jellies to suit your taste. However, the less sugar in the preserve, the less likely it is to keep well. If you choose to do this, you can store the fruit in the freezer until you are going to make your preserve then, use quickly. Or you can store the preserve in the fridge for a few weeks.

Crab Apple Jelly Blackberry and Apple Jelly
3 Kg. (6lb) crab apples 3 Kg. (6lb) blackberries
1½ litres (3pts.) water 1 Kg. (2lb) cooking apples
Small handful cloves or 1 litres(2pts) water
a few pieces of cinnamon bark Method
Method 1. Put the blackberries into a preserving pan.
1.Wash the crab apples, cut them in two and 2. Wash and cut up the apples ( don’t peel or core).
  put in a preserving pan with the water and 3. Add the apples and water to the pan.
  your chosen spice. 4. Simmer gently until all the fruit is well broken
2. Simmer gently until all the fruit is soft – about 1 - 1½hrs. down.
3. Strain through a scalded jelly bag – this is best left overnight. 5. Strain through a scalded jelly bag – this is best
  Don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag – you will make left overnight. Don’t squeeze the jelly bag. You
  the jelly cloudy for little more juice. will make your jelly cloudy for a just a few more
4. Measure the amount of juice and add approx. 1 kg sugar   drops of juice – it’s not worth it!
    for each litre of juice. ( 1 lb sugar to each pint juice). 6. Measure the amount of juice and add approx.
5. Return the juice and the sugar to the preserving pan and  1 kg sugar for each litre of juice (1lb to 1 pint).
  heat very gently until all the sugar has dissolved, stirring 7. Return the juice and the sugar to the clean
  frequently to prevent the sugar from sticking. preserving pan and heat very gently until all the
6. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently.
  reached. 8. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting
7. Either skim to remove any froth from the top of the point is reached.
  jelly or add a small knob of butter and stir in rapidly 9. Either skim any froth from the top or add a small
  which will reduce/remove any froth which has knob of butter and stir in, which will remove any
  developed. Pour into heated sterilised jars, cover foam which has developed.
  Immediately and label.
  10. Pour into hot sterilised jars, cover and label.
To use as an accompaniment to meat dishes try
adding chopped mint or chopped rosemary as the jelly
cools. Stir it in to ensure it has mixed throughout the
jelly. 

recipe by Marjorie McCartney©

Red- Currant Jelly

One of my favourite accompaniments for roast lamb particularly, though really for any roast meat or game, and can happily replace cranberry sauce with the traditional roast turkey at Christmas.
I have just 1 redcurrant bush, but is a champion. It will easily give me three kilos in a season, plus some. As I inherited it on my plot, I am, unfortunately, unable to say what variety it is. I have pruned and manured it heavily since discovering it under a dense overgrowth of brambles.

3 kg (6lb) redcurrants – actually it doesn’t really matter how much you have, the amount of sugar added will depend on the amount of juice extracted.

Method
1. Wash the fruit and remove any leaves or bits of twig. You can leave the stalks in. Put them in a preserving pan.
2. Heat very gently to draw the juice from the fruit, then simmer slowly until the fruit has been totally softened or turned to pulp.
3. Strain through a scalded jelly bag. Leave it overnight to ensure all the juice has been extracted. Don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag, you will make your jelly cloudy for little extra juice.
4. Measure the juice and add approx. 1kg sugar for every litre of juice (1lb for every pint).
5. Return the juice and the sugar to a clean preserving pan and heat slowly until all the sugar has dissolved. Stir frequently to ensure the sugar doesn’t stick.
6. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.
7. Skim to remove any froth from the top of the jelly or add a small knob of butter and stir in rapidly (this should remove any froth from the top of the jelly).
8. Pot up in small, hot, sterilised jars. Cover immediately and label.
recipe by Marjorie McCartney©

Raspberry Jam

3kg (6lb) raspberries
3kg ( 6lb) sugar

Lots of recipes will suggest you use preserving sugar. This is not necessary and it is more expensive. Ordinary household granulated sugar is fine.

Method
1. Avoid washing the fruit. If any of the raspberries are dirty, mouldy or in poor condition, discard them. Remove any stalks, hulls or pieces of leaves.
2. Put the raspberries into a preserving pan and heat gently until the juice starts to come out of the fruit, then simmer gently until all the fruit is soft and broken down.
3. Add the sugar and heat very slowly until all of the sugar has dissolved – keep stirring to ensure the sugar doesn’t stick..
4. Bring the jam to the boil and boil briskly until setting point is reached – make sure the jam doesn’t stick to the bottom of the preserving pan.
5. Heat the sterilised jars in a warm oven and place them on a wooden board or other non-conducting surface.
6. Pot the jam and cover immediately. Label.

recipe by Marjorie McCartney©

Insert body text here ...

Blackberry Jelly - whole fruit recipe

Ingredients
Blackberries (the amount is, up-to-a point irrelevant, they must fit easily into your preserving pan)
Perhaps a little water to start the juicing process - ¼ - ½ litre if needed- depending on the amount of fruit..
 Lemon juice
Sugar – depending on the amount of juice
A knob of butter
Method
1. Pick over the fruit to remove any leaves, etc.
2. Put in the preserving and over a very low heat, simmer gently until the fruit has broken down and is totally tender, (with the water if you feel it is necessary).
3. Strain though a jelly strainer.
4. Measure the amount of juice.
5. Allow 1 kilo (lb) sugar for each litre of juice (pt) – don’t mix up the quantities from metric and imperial measurement.
6. Put the fruit juice and the sugar into the preserving pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice.
7. Bring to the boil in a preserving pan or a large saucepan to allow the preserve to come to a rolling boil.
8. When setting point has been reached, add the knob of butter and mix in well to reduce the amount of foam on the top of the preserve.
9. Pot, cover and label.

recipe by Marjorie McCartney©