- Strawberry Jam by Inge Harmer This recipe works for all fruit
To sterilize the glass jars, put them through the dishwasher or wash them thoroughly then pour boiling water into them then turn upside down onto a tea towel to drain excess water out of them. Wash the lids then put them in a jug and pour boiling water over them, then tip them out to dry. Metal lids are better as plastic doesn’t seal properly but you can use plastic but it won’t keep as long. If you have a glut of fruit and no jars or time, then cut up your fruit and mix in the sugar then freeze.Put 1kg strawberries (cleaned, hulled and cut into pieces) into a stainless steel saucepan preferably with a heavy base then add 1kg sugar & mix. Leave overnight or if you want a lighter mix, just leave for a couple of hours. Bring slowly to the boil stirring to dissolve sugar then wait a few minutes before you add 1 tsp citric acid and 1 tsp pectin mixed with a bit of sugar (approx. 1 tbspn) to the pot. You can use the juice of one lemon instead of the citric acid but don’t use the Meyer variety. Saucepan must be less than half full otherwise transfer half of it to another saucepan to do the hard boil stage. It’s best not to have a huge deep heavy pot as it is too heavy to lift once cooking is finished. Hard boil for 10 min then test for setting (have a cold plate in the freezer, put a teaspoon of jam on this plate & pop into freezer for 1 min. To test, push side of jam – if it wrinkles it will set) Stir occasionally during the cooking phase. After cooking has finished, turn off the stove. If you have made the jam in two pots, then transfer back into the one pot and take the scum off the top. You can use the scum as a spread on toast etc. Leave jam for 10 mins before filling the jars so the fruit won’t float to the top. Have 4-8 clean sterilized jars ready but this will depend on size. There is a special wide mouthed funnel available so you can easily ladle the hot mix in otherwise have a glass jug that has a good pouring lip and ladle the hot mix into the jug. You don’t need to fill right to the top but put the lids on immediately.
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Wine or Jelly Palm – Butia capatta Jam The jam was very popular with my acquaintances. After some trial and error, I found the easiest way to make it was as follows: Wash the fruit and boil them up in a big pot, adding water to just cover. Let it cool, and pour off the liquid, which can be used later as juice or syrup cordial with sugar to taste. The seeds of the fruit can now be easily squeezed out or otherwise removed. Take as many fruit as you can get into your hands and squeeze the pulp into a weighed pot. There will be quite a bit of almost dry fibre left in your hands to go on the compost. Do handful after handful. Weigh the pulp and put in an equal weight of sugar, boil, and bottle the jam. Pour the juice, which was saved, into the pot and boil it, either with or without sugar, and bottle it by the overflow method. During the mid-eighties I planted seedlings of our Canberra Butia into two Brisbane area gardens. They both did well, the one in full sun better then the one in full shade, and it bore sooner, too. I was surprised that the former had fruit of a more pinky colour with still a little green when they dropped, but the taste was the same. It was then 1 m high. This tree was removed because it was in the way, but the one in the shade is still alive, and as the soil around it is covered in seeds, it must have borne well. I don’t think the new owners know that the fruit is edible. Ref: Helga Christiansen
The author T.R. in Encyclopaedia of Australian Gardening, page 557, writes: “Butia is one of the hardiest of all palms, rivalling the dates (Phoenix). Like all grey-leaved palms, it is completely sun tolerant, even when young, and has a deep, powerful root system capable of penetrating hard clay soil. Climate: Warm to hot moist coast to tropical areas”. I can vouch for the Canberra climate, too.
- Apricot & Pumpkin Jam by Russell Reinhardt Combine 250g chopped dried apricots with 1 litre of water in a bowl, cover and stand overnight. Combine in large saucepan: undrained apricots, 375g pumpkin, ¼ cup lemon juice, 2 tbs chopped glace ginger. Bring to boil, simmer, covered for about 20 minutes or till pumpkin is soft. Stir in 4 cups sugar and stir over heat, without boiling till sugar is dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, bring to boil, boil uncovered without stirring for about 30 minutes or till jam jells when tested. Pour into hot, sterilised jars. Seal when cold.
- Sugar free Jam Great for diabetics by Gloria Gibson – Nelson NZ Gloria works in a rest home and makes sugar free jam for diabetic residents. Put 450 gms of fruit (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries or diced plums) in a pot and simmer gently until the fruit is soft but holding its shape. Add 1 tbsp powdered gelatin and stir through until dissolved. The jam will firm up when refrigerated.
- Jackfruit Jam by Jenny Scodellaro Boil 1 cup jackfruit puree and ¾ cup sugar with constant stirring until thick and clear. Pack while hot into sterilized jars and seal tightly.
- Kiwano Jam – a Carribean recipe Peel 1kg kiwano – cut in half lengthwise then cut into ¼ inch thick slices from golden yellow fruit. Put kiwano slices and all the seeds in a large saucepan. Add 3 cups of brown sugar and juice of 1 lime – let stand for 20minutes – stir occasionally Bring to the boil and cook for 20 – 30 mins on moderate heat. Add 2 tsp star anise a few minutes before the end of cooking. Pour into sterile jars. The seeds in the jam develop an almond flavour after a few weeks.