I’ve been having a very nice time making small batches of fruit jams this summer. There’s a pot on the stove containing nine (tiny) peaches from my tiny potted patio peach tree, peeled, stoned, chopped and weighed, with equal quantities of sugar and a splash of water. I like smooth jams, so the stick blender makes it easy and quick, and most fruits have enough pectin to set up, specially if you put in one or two not-quite-ripe fruit. I don’t bother with canning, just keeping the jars in the fridge and eating them up quickly - hence small batches.
I usually add a bit of citrus to balance the sweetness - I put lime juice in the last batch, which was apricot, just a squeeze, and it’s lovely. I also often add a tiny tiny pinch of salt. Last summer I made lemon marmalade, about two jars’ full - but to one of the jars I added a minced serrano pepper, which was GREAT. I also loved it when I added thyme to a jar of strawberry jam. I’m planning star-anise and plum, next time I see plums for cheap, they were really nice last time we were at Costco.
I also admit to stealing inspiration from Blue Chair jams, they really do lovely things – and charge an arm and a leg for them!
Anyone else making jam? Any neat suggestions of things to add? I just looked at the jar of MSG in my spice drawer… is that TOO crazy?
Just finished 14 half-pints of blueberry jam, spiked with some fresh mint. Made a couple of pints of apricot the other day. If we haven’t missed out on the marionberries, we’ll make some of that, also, and perhaps some raspberry. We sometimes add cinnamon to jam, or anise.
So far this summer I have made balsamic black pepper strawberry jam, lavender strawberry jam, juniper sage blackberry jam, vanilla white currant jam (the color on this one is beautiful), and black currant star anise jam. As you can see, I love messing around with different flavor profiles.
I love the idea and process of making jam, but I can’t figure out what to *do *with it once it’s made. My husband isn’t a jam person (he likes hot, salty Chinese soup for breakfast) and I’ve got hypoglycemia, so I’m supposed to be low-carb.
One more warm-fuzzy nostalgic old-timey thing, like layer cakes, that just doesn’t fit into our lives. Much as I wish it did.
I love making jam! I never get creative though. I make it from whatever I can pick. I’ve made strawberry so far this year but this weekend I’m picking blackberries. I love blackberry jam more than anything in the world!
My local U-pick blueberry farmer closed up shop this year and then I had to travel when the black raspberries were ripe.
Last year I found a U-pick grape vineyard. It was a bit late in the year and all they had left was concord grapes. Based on how bad concord grape jelly is from the store I was a bit hesitant. It turned out to be awesome. Everyone who tried it couldn’t believe that that is what grape jelly was supposed to taste like! I plan on getting to the vineyard earlier this year to see what other types of grapes they have.
Concord grapes make a quite lovely butter too with just a jot of cinnamon added. My Grandmother always had jars of this around when I was a kid.
Blueberry lime jam is very nice - made that last year. My sister gave me a bucket of red currants from her bushes earlier this summer and I made a sour cherry currant jam with them. I’ve also done a peach raspberry concoction I call Peach Melba jam. Last winter I made a vanilla caramel apple and a pear caramel cinnamon jam. But my current favorite recipe (from a book) is a strawberry daiquiri jam - strawberries, pineapple, lime juice, and rum.
And I just gave myself an idea for a mojito jam…
My whole family knows they’re getting jam for Christmas.
I just mixed a big glug of peach jam into plain thick yoghurt (actually labne, mmm!) for breakfast. It was AMAZING. I also sometimes use it as a glaze on grilled or roasted meat, or to flavour a milkshake/smoothie/lemonade/frosting/ice cream/popsicles! Or oatmeal, but that’s carb-y
Anyone else do fancy things with jam? I have to be sneaky sometimes, as my husband (who posts here! Shh!) says he doesn’t like “cooked fruit.”
A few weeks back I took the family to a strawberry farm and it turns out my kids are pretty efficient strawberry pickers, because we came home with ~15 pounds of strawberries.
I made strawberry-pinot noir jam, balsamic strawberry jam, strawberry-rhubarb jam, and plain old strawberry.
The mulberries are just starting to come in, and we have literal tons of them, so I’ll have to jam some of them.
