If you are interested in whether it is possible to cook jam from apples at home, then you are here! The jam turns out to be thick, no worse than purchased, but, of course, without a set of any unpleasant thickeners and regulators. We will not add newfangled “jelly” or “confiture” to the jam, but we will cook it, so to speak, in the old fashioned way. Let's take the real recipe, grandmother's. Only two lines are written by hand on a piece of paper: apples - 1 kg, sugar - 1 kg. So here it is: strictly and impressively, without unnecessary lyrics and boring explanations. Just go try to make jam according to this recipe! :) Of course, our grandmothers remembered everything anyway. That apples must first be boiled, then mashed, mixed with sugar and boiled for a long time until the excess liquid evaporates, and the jam acquires a caramel color. When hot, it is more like syrup, but when it cools down, it thickens so much that you can spread it on bread or make pies out of it, which the grandchildren will then crush on both cheeks.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg apples
- 1 kg of sugar.
From this amount of products, approximately 600 g of jam comes out. When choosing a variety of apples, give preference to dense, not very juicy fruits - these will not give large losses in volume, and they will boil faster. In total, it will take you about an hour to prepare jam.
How to make apple jam at home
Wash apples and cut into quarters. Do not complicate your work and do not try to do it carefully and clean it from seeds - later the mass will still need to be rubbed through a sieve, and therefore nothing extra will get into the jam.
Put the apples in a bowl for making jam and add a little water (0.5-0.7 cups).
Put the apples on the fire and boil them until they start to break down (about 10 minutes depending on the variety). You can also bake apples in microwave oven until ready.
Rub the boiled apples through a sieve. The water in which they were boiled does not need to be drained.
You will get a smooth, smooth puree.
At this stage, the puree is still too liquid, and therefore it still needs to be boiled down. Pour the puree back into the bowl in which the apples were boiled. Add sugar to puree and stir.
Bring the mass to a boil and reduce the heat. Boil jam for 30-35 minutes until it becomes caramel in color. Stir the jam from time to time so that it cooks evenly.
Pour the hot mass into sterilized jars and tightly close the lids. Be careful: the jam is very hot.
Cool the jam by turning the jars upside down and wrapping them tightly in a large towel or blanket.
Bon Appetit!
Galina Artemenko
How to cook jam: the basic principles and secrets of cooking. One of great options preparations for the winter of fruits and berries - cooking jam. In this article we will talk about how to cook jam properly so that it turns out thick and tasty. Jam is believed to have been invented about 200 years ago by Polish housewives, who learned how to boil the most fruitful fruit on the banks of the Vistula - the Hungarian plum, to a very thick mass. Initially, it was prepared for three whole days, it was a very laborious and long process! Today, jam is much easier to make: all you need is an electric or gas stove, a large basin or other wide container and a few hours of free time. The name "jam" comes from the Polish word "powidla", meaning literally " food product, obtained by boiling berry or fruit puree with sugar". You can cook jam from almost any berries and fruits, but jam from apples, pears, apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, quinces, currants, cranberries are considered the most popular options for this dessert. Jam differs from jam and preserves in a more homogeneous and thick consistency, its boiling point is 104 degrees, it is a denser mass that does not blur when laid out in a lump on a dish. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PREPARING JAM How to cook jam: basic principles and secrets of cooking Jam can be cooked not only from high-quality, but also from slightly damaged, rumpled or overripe berries and fruits, but they must be ripe and soft. Before cooking, the fruits must be properly washed, cut off the rotten and damaged parts, and then everything is done according to the recipe, however, some general features and principles for preparing this dessert can be distinguished. As a rule, the fruits are processed into gruel in one of two ways: they are twisted through a meat grinder in their raw form, or they are rubbed through a sieve (today, of course, a blender can also be used for grinding) in an already boiled and peeled form. From some berries or plums, jam usually turns out to be watery, therefore, for the desired consistency, these fruits are combined with apricots, apples, and pears. Adding sugar to jam is not a necessary moment, if the fruits are boiled into jam without sugar, then such preparations must be sterilized. If sugar is added, it must be at least 60% of the total mass, otherwise the jam will ferment or become moldy. Jam should be cooked in a low, wide bowl - this way evaporation occurs quickly, which improves the taste and color of the product. When cooking, jam must be stirred with a wooden spatula, otherwise it will burn, for the same reason, sugar is added only after the fruit mass has sufficiently thickened. The readiness of the jam during cooking is determined as follows: periodically run a spatula along the bottom of the container in which the jam is cooked, if a path is formed that slowly fills up, then the dessert is ready. In general, during the cooking time, the total volume of the mass will decrease by at least half compared to the initial one. Ready jam should be poured hot into sterilized jars. One of the traditional moments in cooking classical technology- baking jam in the oven in jars to form a protective film on the surface of the mass is often skipped today, but it is recommended to do this for better preservation of the workpiece. Just put the jars of jam in the oven and bake at a low temperature until a film forms, which is visually clearly visible. Then the jam should be left warm until cool, corked after cooling with lids and stored in a cool place. Jam should have a sour-sweet taste, if the fruits from which it is cooked are characterized by low acidity, then you need to add citric or other food acid, you can additionally add spices (cloves, cinnamon, etc.) to the jam for taste and aroma. In the finished jam should be no more than 34% moisture, not less than 60% sugar. The calorie content of jam varies between 250-260 kcal per 100g. JAM RECIPES With a large harvest of any berries or fruits, cooking jam from them is one of the best options. This wonderful dessert will delight you on cool autumn evenings, give you a feeling of warmth in winter and energize you in spring. If until now you have not dared to make such a blank, fearing that it is very difficult, then we recommend that you still try - this process is much simpler than it seems. The palm in popularity among all types of jam is apple and pear jam. It is from these fruits that it is easiest to make jam of the correct density and consistency. RECIPE OF APPLE JAM It will take: for 1 kg of peeled apples, take 500-700 g of sugar. How to cook apple jam. Peel the apples, cut out the seeds, cut into quarters, then steam to soften for steam bath(The easiest way is to use a double boiler for this). The total steaming time is about 15-20 minutes after boiling water. Softened apples need to be pureed (with a blender, using a meat grinder or crush), then the puree is placed in a saucepan, boiled down to the state of jam with the addition of sugar. For apple jam it is better to use sour varieties of apples - antonovka, borovinka, pear, semerenko, seedless, White filling, granny smith, jonagold, idared, etc. Pear jam is cooked in the same way as apple jam, proportions: for 1 kg of peeled pears 2-3 glasses of water, 500-600 g of sugar and 4 g citric acid. The algorithm of actions is the same, but pear puree is mixed with water before cooking (broth after steaming), boiled down to half the volume and then sugar is added. Jam can be cooked from berries such as blueberries, wild roses, cherries, mountain ash, viburnum, lingonberries and others. RECIPE FOR PREPARING CHERRY JAM You will need: for 1 kg of pitted cherries 150-200 g of sugar, 2 tbsp. table vinegar. How to make cherry jam. Rinse the cherries and remove the pits, twist in a meat grinder, mix with vinegar, boil over low heat in a basin until reduced by half of the original volume. Pour sugar into the mass, mix and cook jam until tender. It's just as easy to make blueberry jam. RECIPE FOR PREPARING BLUEBERRY JAM You will need: for 1 kg of blueberries 600 g of sugar. How to make blueberry jam. Crush the berries, or twist in a meat grinder, put in a wide bowl on slow fire and boil twice the original volume. Add sugar, mix and cook jam until tender. A very popular jam that many people like is plum jam. RECIPE FOR PREPARING JAM FROM PLUMS You will need: 800 g of sugar for 1 kg of pitted plums. How to make plum jam. Remove the stones from the plums and boil with the addition of a small amount of water, or steam until soft. Wipe the plum mass or puree with a blender, removing the skin. Pour sugar into the puree, until ready to cook jam, stirring - as a result, the mass should boil down to a third of the original volume. Hot pour the jam into warm jars, cover with gauze, leave at room temperature for 2 days - a crust should form, then wrap the jars with parchment or seal with sterile plastic lids. It turns out very tasty jam made from plums with apricots. RECIPE FOR PREPARING PLUM-APRICOT JAM You will need: 600 g of sugar, 500 g of apricots and plums. How to make jam from apricots and plums. Remove pits from plums and apricots, steam them in a water bath or in a double boiler until soft, puree, remove the skin, boil by half, then add sugar and boil the jam until tender. There are a lot of jam recipes, but the principle of preparation is always the same. Try making jam from your favorite fruits and berries and enjoy it all year round!
Product Features
Jam from apples - natural nutritional product jelly-like, thick consistency. It has a universal purpose. It can be used as a separate dish, or you can prepare toppings for pastries, sauces, and even make sweets.
Ease of preparation makes it possible to make your own natural and delicious product even the most inexperienced hostess.
Fragrant, healthy, appetizing jam from apples is also affordable - even if you don’t grow these fruits on your own, their cost is not high. That is, the purchase of ingredients for a particular recipe will have virtually no effect on the family budget.
Recipes
There are a lot of options for blanks - they are all original and tasty. Let's get acquainted with the features of making apple jam at home. Here are the most popular and uncomplicated options.
Regular jam (classic recipe)
This jam recipe can serve as the base for all the others. Based on it, by adding various components, you can achieve new amazing tastes.
Ingredients:
- apples -1 kg
- sugar - 700 g.
Instruction:
- Peel the fruits, remove the peel and seeds. Cut the apples into quarters, if the fruit is too large, then cut into smaller pieces. And if, on the contrary, the apples are small, you can cut them into halves.
- To make the fruits softer, soften them in a double boiler. In the absence of this device on the farm, use a water bath. To achieve the desired result, 15-20 minutes are enough.
- Crush the steamed fruits into a puree. You can use a meat grinder, blender, or a regular crush for this.
- Place applesauce in a heavy-walled saucepan, add sugar and simmer until tender. On average, it takes 1-1.5 hours for the jam to acquire the proper consistency.
- Remove from stove and cool. After cooling, arrange in jars and screw the lids tightly.
Fragrant jam from Antonovka
This recipe is different from classical themes that double the amount of sugar is taken here. Due to the fact that Antonovka is one of the most sour varieties of apples. The finished product has a unique sweet-sour taste, it turns out fragrant and thick - there is a lot of pectin in Antonovka. The cooking technology is the same as in the classic recipe.
Apple jam with lemon
This delicacy always turns out very fragrant and sweet. Its sweetness is especially emphasized by a light lemon note, which does not interrupt the main taste, but makes it more piquant.
Tea lovers can use apple jam as a spread on toast or bread - rich and thick, it will be a great addition to breakfast.
Recipe Information
- Type of dish: preparations
- Cooking method: boiling
- Servings: 2.1 l
- 1 h 30 min
Ingredients:
- ripe apples (peeled) - 2 kg
- granulated sugar - 1.5 kg
- lemon - 1 pc.
Cooking method:
Wash the apples thoroughly cold water and discuss with kitchen towel, then cut each of them into 4 parts. 
Peel the resulting apple slices from the peel and seeds, as well as from the darkened or damaged pulp. 
Wash the lemon with a brush, if desired, peel and cut into 4-5 pieces. 
Using a meat grinder, turn the apples and lemon into a smooth fruit puree. 
Transfer it to a deep saucepan, combine with sugar. 
Mix thoroughly and immediately put on fire. 
Cook jam over medium heat for about 40 minutes after boiling. It is very important to stir it regularly with a wooden spatula, if this is not done, the jam will burn. 
Spread the boiling jam with a large spoon into prepared jars and immediately roll them up tightly.
Note to the owner:
- Apples for making jam can be used of any variety: Antonovka, Semerenko, White filling and so on.
- Lemon can be replaced with lime or orange if desired.
- If you do not remove the skin from the lemon, then the jam will turn out to be even more fragrant, but will have a slight aftertaste of bitterness. To avoid this, you can separately add lemon pulp to apples and separately quite a bit of its zest.
With cinnamon and lemon
I like this recipe because it is easy to prepare and unusual, original taste. In winter, this jam will become an indispensable means of preventing colds. And if you do get sick, the vitamin C in the treat will help you get back on your feet quickly. Pros:
- Beautiful dark color with a bronze sheen.
- Caramel flavor thanks to cane sugar, which is used in the recipe, and spicy taste because of cinnamon and other spices.
- Nice sourness from the lemon.
Ingredients:
- regular sugar - 1.5 tbsp.
- cane sugar - 0.5 tbsp.
- apples - 2-2.2 kg
- cinnamon powder - 2 tsp
- ground cloves - 0.5 tsp
- allspice - 1/4 tsp
- juice of 1 lemon
- water.
Step by step cooking scheme:
- Apples must be prepared in the same way as in the main recipe: wash, peel, cut into quarters.
- Place the fruits in a saucepan, cover with water and boil for half an hour - until they become soft.
- Remove the pan from the stove and bring the mass to a puree state with a blender.
- Put the puree back on the fire, bring to a boil.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the apple mass, mix, simmer over low heat until tender.
- When the jam acquires a visible thick consistency and a characteristic brownish color, remove the pan from the heat and spread the puree in the prepared jars. Immediately roll up the containers with lids. It is advisable to pasteurize after rolling.
Attention: do not forget to constantly stir the apple mass - this simple measure will prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Jam from apple pomace
If you make juice from apples, after using the fruit, cake remains - apple fiber, from which most of the juice has been removed. If there is quite a lot of cake left, then it should not be thrown away, but it is better to make excellent jam. The use of apples turns out to be waste-free - and economically, and tasty, and profitable. Subsequently, such jam will become a wonderful basis for filling pies - due to its density, it does not spread.
Ingredients:
- cake - 1 kg
- sugar - 800 g.
Cooking process:
- The cake must be rubbed through a colander into a saucepan.
- Add sugar, and cook for half an hour, constantly stirring the mass.
- Put the pan in the oven and leave for 20-30 minutes. This measure will lead to the fact that the jam will acquire the necessary density - excess moisture will evaporate.
- Take out and immediately spread the jam on the banks. Pasteurization is necessary to remove all microorganisms.
Jam from apples with condensed milk
This recipe gives us the opportunity to try a wonderfully tasty apple jam - with a creamy touch and a delicate texture.
Warning: Only add sugar to this recipe if you are using sour apples. If the fruits are sweet, sugar is not needed - condensed milk will be enough. Too much sweet is useless - few people like a cloying product.
Ingredients:
- water - 50 g
- apples - 2 kg
- sugar - to taste
- condensed milk - 450 ml.
Cooking scheme:
- Place prepared and quartered apples in a saucepan, pour water, add (if necessary) sugar and cook over low heat until the fruits soften.
- Cool the apple mass, wipe it with a blender.
- Add condensed milk to the puree mass and place on a slow fire.
- It is necessary to cook with stirring until the jam thickens.
- Arrange the product in banks, roll up.
Jam from apples and orange
Apple jam with the addition of oranges has a charming pale amber color, a transparent appetizing texture and pleasant taste with a hint of citrus. Keep in mind that this recipe is probably the longest and most difficult to prepare of all. But if you have enough experience in cooking, you can do it.
Ingredients:
- apples - 2 kg
- sugar - 2.5 tbsp.
- water - 600 ml
- vanilla powder - 1 tsp
- ground cinnamon - 2 tsp
- cloves and allspice - 1 tsp each
- nutmeg - 0.5 tsp
- oranges - 2 pcs.
- salt - a pinch.
How to do:
- Pour water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat.
- Add prepared and chopped apples.
- Close the container with a lid and cook on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Now you need to wipe the mass through a sieve, pushing the puree with a wooden spoon or pusher. If any rough parts remain, discard them.
- Transfer the pureed puree back to the saucepan.
- Add sugar - while trying, focusing on your taste. Add to the mass of spices, grated together with the zest and peel of an orange, salt.
- Mix everything, remove after cooling in the refrigerator for the night.
- The next day, put the saucepan with the chilled mass on the fire, and cook for 6 hours. It is clear that the fire should be minimal. Stir at first every half hour, and in the remaining 2 hours until cooked - every 15 minutes.
Attention: to check the readiness of the product, you can put a little jam on a saucer, cool and put in the freezer. After the mass becomes completely cold, run your finger over it: if a finger mark is visible and the jam does not spread, then the product is ready.
Arrange the jam in jars, roll up, pasteurize.
Jam from apples in the oven
This recipe allows you to cook apple jam with a thick consistency with a rich pleasant taste.
Ingredients:
- 5 kg of fruits;
- 700 g of granulated sugar;
- water 200 ml.
Instruction:
- Scroll the apples into a meat grinder.
- Place the mass in a heatproof pan. Since it will be sent to the oven, the pan should not have plastic handles.
- Add sugar to the mass, put everything in the oven. The temperature is 200 degrees.
- Watch the pan: as soon as you notice that the mass begins to boil, the temperature must be reduced to 50 degrees.
- After lowering the temperature, leave the puree in the oven for 3 hours.
- Across due time remove the pan from the oven and spread a beautiful mass of reddish hue over the prepared jars.
We cook in a multicooker
If you have such a modern and convenient kitchen unit as a slow cooker, then you can also make jam from apples in it. In this case, cooking turns into a convenient process - without much worries and hassle - no need to guard, constantly stir, and the product will turn out tasty and fragrant.
Ingredients:
- apples - 1 kg
- sugar - 0.5 kg
- half a lemon.
Instruction:
- Prepare apples: wash, remove seeds, peel, cut in this case not into quarters, but into thinner slices.
- Transfer the fruits to the multicooker bowl, pour water (a third of a glass), put on the baking mode and bring to softening.
- Check the apples with a fork - if the fruits are already falling apart, crush them with a pusher or blender.
- Mix with sugar, squeeze lemon juice into the mass.
- Put the bowl with the mass in the slow cooker, select the baking mode again, and cook jam for an hour.
- After cooking, spread the mass into jars.
Attention: do not fill the multicooker bowl to the very brim - leave a place - otherwise the mass will run away when boiling.
Jam from apples and pumpkin
The combination of apples and pumpkins is original and tasty. In addition, pumpkin, like apples, is very useful. It contains, in addition to vitamins, a lot of fiber, which has a beneficial effect on the work of the stomach. we already did, now it's time to cook jam.
Ingredients:
- sour apples - 1200 g
- pumpkin - 800 g (it is better to take a copy of the nutmeg variety, these pumpkins are distinguished by the sweetest taste and juiciness)
- sugar - 1 kg
- orange peel - 1 tbsp
Instruction:
- Prepare pumpkin and apples: wash, peel, remove seeds, cut into small sticks or grate on a coarse grater.
- Put the pumpkin in one saucepan, cover with a little water and simmer until softened. In another saucepan, simmer the apples at the same time.
- After softening the fruits, combine them in one saucepan, mix.
- Add sugar and cook the mass over low heat. Be sure to stir - the burnt jam will not have a very pleasant taste and aroma.
- When the mass thickens thoroughly, add the rest of the sugar and add the zest.
- When the jam begins to move away from the walls, it is ready. Arrange the product in banks and roll up.
Attention: this jam does not have to be hermetically rolled into jars. You can simply cover with parchment and tie with ropes or threads.
Pear and apple jam
This recipe is valued for its unique taste - many remember it from childhood. In this way, our grandmothers also prepared a delicacy - therefore, we can say that this option has been tested by time.
Ingredients:
- apples - 2 kg
- pears - 1 kg
- sugar - 2 kg
Cooking method:
- Prepare fruits: wash, peel and seeds, partitions, cut into pieces.
- First place in large saucepan apples, fill them with the entire volume of sugar and cook until softened for about 20 minutes.
- Add pear, cook for another 20 minutes over low heat.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and puree the mixture with a blender.
- Cook until tender for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the stove, spread the puree immediately into the jars. Roll up.
In order for the jam to get the necessary consistency and characteristic pleasant taste, it is better to take sour varieties of apples. Ideal: Semerenko, Antonovka, white filling, Borovinka, etc.
Do not forget before proceeding with any of the recipes, first prepare the jars in which the jam will be stored. It is better to use glass containers: they must be sterilized, dried, and seaming lids or screw caps must be prepared. good sterilization and tight lids - a guarantee that the contents will not deteriorate.
Carefully choose fruits for jam. It is best to use freshly picked apples grown in your area. In this case, the delicacy will turn out to be truly useful. Best Option- cook from your own own apples but this is not available to everyone. If you buy apples in a store, pay attention to domestic unsightly fruits - they have a natural flavor and are not treated with paraffin. Imported beautiful large fruits often sin with this.
You can also combine apples with carrots, dried apricots, nuts, prunes and many other useful and interesting ingredients. At the same time, the taste of the finished product is obtained every time new. Cook, experiment and surprise your family and guests with new original tastes.
Cooking time- 1 hour 15 minutes
Exit- 1.3 liters ready jam
It is believed that jam was first brewed in Poland over 200 years ago. Translated from Polish, the word "jam" means a product made from fruit or berry puree, boiled with sugar to a thick state.
You can prepare a sweet treat from absolutely any berries and fruits, but the most common is apple jam.
How to cook jam from apples at home is known to many housewives, but not many cook it. After all, to cook a real delicious fruit dessert good quality, requires a certain skill and the presence of a sufficient amount of free time. But, on the other hand, if you decide to cook apple jam for the winter at home, you will get an incredibly tasty dessert that you can not only savor with tea on cold days, but also be successfully used in any pastry.
Jam from apples is good to cook from ripe, even overripe fruits. You can use slightly crushed fruits, as long as they do not have rotten spots. After all, fruits with rotten sides contain mycotoxins, which is unsafe for our body.
Apples are crushed raw with a meat grinder. Or apple slices boil until soft, and then grind them through a sieve or interrupt with a blender in mashed potatoes. Then the fruit puree is boiled with sugar to a thick consistency. During the cooking process, the apple mass should decrease by half. Ready jam from apples, when solidified, should be of such a consistency that it can be cut with a knife.
The principle of how to make jam from apples is clear to us. But, when cooking fruit puree, you may encounter the fact that it burns to the bottom of the pan or “shoots”. This problem can be solved by making jam from apples in a slow cooker. A modern assistant to many housewives is able to greatly simplify and speed up the process of preparing a dessert.
Hot jam is laid out in clean glass containers and closed with lids. Some housewives additionally bake jam in jars in the oven. At the same time, a dense protective film is formed on the surface of the mass, due to which the workpiece for the winter is stored much longer.
Apple jam, a recipe with a step-by-step photo of which is presented below, is thick, fragrant with a natural fruity taste.
How to make jam from apples at home for the winter:
Rinse ripe, fragrant apples, peel and chop into pieces of arbitrary size.
Pour the apples with a little water and cook them over low heat with the lid closed.
Now soft fruit pieces can be easily puréed using a blender.
Cover the saucepan with applesauce, place on a quiet fire and cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally with a wooden spatula or spoon so that the mass does not warm up.
Add sugar to the hot fruit puree, mix thoroughly and boil on the slowest until thick. Take note - the time it takes to make jam depends on several factors. For example, if apples are juicy, then they need to be cooked longer. But if you use dishes with a wide bottom for jam, then the liquid from the fruit puree will evaporate much faster, so the cooking time is significantly reduced.
Check the degree of readiness of jam like this. Dial a little sweet mass into a spoon, cool. If the jam is firmly held in a spoon, does not spread and does not fall out, then it's ready! Put the jam hot in clean jars and roll up.
A good housewife always tries to make preparations from fruits and berries for the winter. Jam is one of the options not only tasty, but also healthy. Especially fragrant jam like children. Yes, and adults are unlikely to refuse pancakes, buns or pies with this delicious dessert. Initially, the process of making jam was laborious and long. But today it is much easier to prepare a delicacy from berries and fruits. All you need is a gas stove, a large container and a few hours of free time. And we will tell you how to make jam so that this dessert will please you and energize you in the cold season.
Preparing jam
The history of jam has about 200-300 years and is not known for certain. But we can say with confidence that the preparation of jam has become relevant in areas where there are many fruit trees and berries. It is believed that Polish housewives were the first to boil fruits and berries to a very thick mass. The jam was boiled for three days, and then it was placed in clay pots in which the jam was stored all winter.
If you haven't done this yet delicious preparation, fearing difficulties, we will tell you how to make jam without much effort. For the preparation of jam, you can use almost any berries and fruits. It can be: peaches, plums, cranberries, quinces, apricots, pears, apples, currants and everything that grows in your garden. If berries and fruits contain an insufficient amount pectin, then applesauce (at least 50%) or special gelling agents are added to the puree from such fruits. For young housewives, it will be easiest to make jam of the right consistency and density from apples and pears. It is also important to know that the consistency of jam depends on the amount of sugar added to it.
Fruits and berries may be slightly damaged, but must be ripe and soft. First, the fruits must be washed several times in water and the damaged parts cut off from them. Then the fruits are processed into gruel. This can be done in two ways: raw fruits are twisted through a meat grinder; and already boiled and peeled - rubbed through a sieve or crushed with a blender.
Jam can be prepared with or without sugar. If you boil fruits without sugar, then do not forget that such blanks must be sterilized. When adding sugar and not sterilizing the jam, keep in mind that sugar must be at least 60% of the total mass, otherwise the jam may become moldy or ferment. Sugar is added in small portions, most often at the end of cooking, after the fruit mass has thickened. This avoids burning.
During boiling, the total volume of the fruit mass is reduced by 2 times (due to evaporation of moisture). So that the color and taste of the product do not deteriorate, boil the jam in a wide container - so evaporation will occur faster. When cooking, be sure to stir the jam with a wooden spatula, otherwise burning cannot be avoided. A single boil is enough, but some housewives boil jam for 2-3 days (bring to a boil once a day and leave until the next time). To enhance the taste and aroma during the cooking process, you can add cinnamon or cloves. The readiness of jam is determined simply - it does not spread and has a thick consistency. Moisture content in finished product- no more than 34%.
Hot jam should be transferred to sterilized jars. You can roll the jam immediately after the formation of a protective film on its surface. To speed up this process, you can put the jars of jam in the oven and bake at a low temperature until a dense crust appears. Then we roll up the jars, leave them warm until they cool completely and put them away for storage in a cool place.
How to make jam
The origin of jam is unknown. But this sweet delicacy became widespread in England and is still considered one of the traditional British breakfast foods. In our area, this product is less popular, so few people know how to make jam with excellent taste characteristics.
To make jam, choose only high-quality ripe berries and fruits. Prepared fruits are crushed: small berries can be mashed, and cherries or plums can be better passed through a meat grinder. Next, the mixture is boiled in a small amount water, then pour the first part of the sugar and pour in the syrup. For making jam classic recipe take equal parts of fruit and sugar (1:1). To avoid burning, the heated mixture is stirred and the rest of the sugar is gradually introduced. After a few hours, we check the readiness: the mixture should be homogeneous, and when cooled, it should acquire a jelly-like consistency. A gelling agent may be added to obtain the desired consistency. Ready jam is closed in the same way as regular jam and stored in a dark place.
Jam from apples
Jam can be made from various fruits and berries, but jam from apples is considered traditional in Russia. Usually, sour apples are taken for its preparation, since they contain a high percentage of pectins. The process of making apple jam is simple: chopped apples are boiled, then rubbed through a sieve. Sugar is added to the resulting puree and boiled to the desired consistency.
Apples are rich in trace elements and vitamins. Unfortunately after heat treatment, useful substances no more than 30% remains in the finished product. If the amount of sugar used exceeds 60%, then the use of jam can lead to an increase in blood glucose levels. Therefore, for people who are sick diabetes, as well as for children, it is advisable to cook apple jam without adding sugar. And remember, jam will only benefit if used in moderation.
