A friend of mine calls poorly set jam “ice cream topping”.
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Yes & also good as syrup, mixed together with maple syrup and heated. Or syrup on its own, heated with a little water or juice.
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It did eventually set up enough to be spreadable, but not as firmly as I’d like. I’ll probably just leave it. I have another batch to make!
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which pectin did you use? For gifting, which therefore implies water bath processing, I still use Certo, for its consistent results. For at home use, I prefer Pomona’s so that I can use less sugar. And for small batches, I don’t bother with pectin, but reduce fairly quickly in a skillet.
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Thank you!
I think I used Sure Jell light this time. I used Certo liquid for pepper jelly (not jam) at first; it is consistent, and it seems to be the one in most pepper jelly recipes. Later I tried Pomona, and last year Dutch Gel.
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Strawberry lemon purée jam…equal quantities by weight, 1 lb. each of strawberries and lemon purée plus 2 cups of sugar makes for a very flavorful jam. The lemons are pressure cooked in water to cover for five minutes. Then cooled, seeds removed and puréed with one cup cooking liquid and one cup sugar. I then added to the blender, cut up strawberries that had been macerating in sugar and puréed/chopped . Process however you like, it makes a thick spreadable jam with a vibrant color.
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Do you cook the strawberry and lemon purée together before jarring? I wonder how the jam is after several months… i.e., does it separate?
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The strawberries/sugar are added to the lemon purée in the blender and are mixed together and then cooked. I have never had a separation as I’ve made them previously. Using the entire lemon also provides a lot of pectin. I just made a raspberry/lemon combination, in this case , I used 12 oz. of raspberries, 150g. sugar to one pound of Meyer lemons. I mixed the lemon purée with the macerated raspberries and then cooked as usual.
Very interesting technique! Does the pressure cooking remove some of the bitterness from the pith?
It need not be pressure cooked to remove some of the bitterness. The lemons can be cooked stove top covered with water until tender. The lemons require less sugar when they are cooked this way. One cup sugar to one pound of lemons is a modest amount. I sometimes use one and an eighth cup depending on the lemons. I’ve only used Meyer.
I used a mix of strawberry and raspberry lemon jam as a filling for a mini cake.
Strawberry lemon jam
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Very excited to discover this thread!! I will probably start jamming in May… just need to give away the approximately 3 dozen jars I have left from last year…
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Strawberries not ready around here yet; Strawberries and lemon would be awesome. Maybe I can keep a few lemons, or make the puree in advance?
For now, I’ve gone way off the tracks trying to use up some local Meyer lemons, grapefruits, and oranges. I’m leaning toward this jam recipe.
Or this one for jelly…
…but prefer the idea of using natural pectin, over commercial. I do have low sugar commercial pectin.
I think these recipes describe using natural pectin; “seeds, membranes and pith (all of which contain high amounts of pectin)”, or “zest cooking liquid”, both requiring additional water.
Marmalade is “not my favorite”, but I don’t mind a bit of zest.
Any suggestions on the best way to add “zest cooking liquid” as a sub for commercial pectin in jam?
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Those all sound great - let us know what you do!
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Perhaps you would consider freezing the purée which I have done successfully. My strawberries were not local and in spite of that, the jam is delicious. I usually wait for local berries but can’t complain about the ones I used. I made another batch of raspberry lemon, using 3/4 pound of each and I’m very happy with the results. I am planning on freezing the lemon purée in 3/4 pound batches, I think blueberry lemon would also be a nice combination.
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Thank you!
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Will do!
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One more.
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This recipe doesn’t say what kind of pectin; I have low sugar powder, and liquid. Liquid seems preferred for pepper jellies but it goes in at the end, instead of the beginning. Also, is the vinegar in this recipe for flavor or pH? There should be plenty of acid from the citrus, no?
