Jam making
by Tanya Reynolds, Community Gardener
July is jam season at Spitalfields City Farm. Our garden team jumps into action harvesting a large variety of fruits from which we produce ‘Limited Edition’ jams and chutney, which we offer for sale at our farm shop.
Along with the obvious contenders – Strawberry and raspberry, we also grow a number of unusual varieties: saskatoons, jostaberries and mulberries amongst them. Volunteer Tess Christian shows you how jam making is done, so you can use up any seasonal fruit gluts you have.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ‘Limited Edition’ produce, when you next visit the farm.
Favourite Berry Jam
Ingredients
- Equal amount berries (your choice) and sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
Method
- Top and tail berries (taking off stalks and any leaves).
- Sterilise glass jars: wash in very hot soapy water, rinse under hot tap and heat gently in warm oven for 10 minutes.
Leave to cool. - Put all ingredients into a pan and heat the mixture to 100oC (a culinary thermometer is helpful to do this accurately).
- Once at temperature, keep at a rolling boil for 5/10 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and set.
- Let the mixture cool in the pan and test the set by spooning a small amount onto a cold saucer. You will know when the set is correct, since the jam will form a wrinkled skin and is no longer runny. If not set, boil for a little longer.
- Once set is achieved: ladle into sterilised glass jars, seal and label!
Top and tail fruite
Strain setting jam in sterile glass jars
Boil in a pan
Leave to cool, close, label and enjoy
Footnote from Tess
If you get the jam making bug, investment in a proper jam pan is ideal since it has a wider bottom surface, enabling the sugar to evaporate rapidly and the jam to set quickly. Over boiling jam diminished=s the setting agent; pectin, and the jam will be problematic to set. A jam pan also has a heavier bottom so the sugar will not stick and burn. Take note m- I’ve ruined standard saucepans in the past with burnt sugar that is baked forever on the bottom surface!!