I was lucky, nay, blessed to be able to stay at home and
raise children while writing. Some of
the days that gave me most satisfaction were the ones I played Happy Hausfrau
and made my own preserves. I was a mad
preserver, in the early days even bottling my own fruit, but mostly it was “putting
up” the bountiful produce from the country town we lived in, in the form of
jams, jellies, marmalades, relishes and chutneys. Preserving is, hands down, my favourite thing
to do in the kitchen, and after a busy day simmering and potting I’d line up my
jars on the windowsill and admire the light streaming through the jewel tones
of this quotidian leadlight. Satisfying.
Why? After all,
making your own jams, jellies, marmalades and chutneys isn't necessary any more,
as it was once upon a time. But it isn’t
something you do because you NEED to do, it’s
something you do because it ISN’T.
Because slowing down and taking the time to do something completely
unnecessary is a luxury many of us can actually benefit enormously from. You have taken the time to do this, to
meditatively chop, weigh, and stir. To
make a statement to yourself and the world that your time in the kitchen isn’t just about getting dinner on
the table in 10 minutes. It’s about drawing people to the hub
of the home with sweet smells and mysterious sounds. It’s
about being playful, and yes, showing off.
It's about
stewardship in a time when it is becoming increasingly important to value and
use our resources.
Besides. Homemade
preserves taste so damned good.
Commercial brands -
even posh commercial brands -
may boast chunky bits of fruit or good flavour, but they can in no way compare
with the real, homemade thing. (And yes,
Maggie Beer, I’m looking at
you and your pathetic quince paste.)
Over the next few entries I’m
going to take you through the basics of making preserves, jams, marmalades and
jellies, as well as making time. Got
your wooden spoon? Let’s go!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
* A preserving
pan. This can be your pasta pot, or it
can be a specialised preserving pan -
it doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is that if you see
a gorgeous copper pot you think can be used for preserving, you be sure it’s meant for preserving
purposes. Untreated copper can react
with fruit and ruin it.
* A long wooden
spoon. Just one will do. But make it long, because some thicker
preserves are like molten lava, and the last thing you want is any of it on
your skin.
* A saucer. This is to test for setting point (more on
this in Tutorial #2).
* A supply of jars
with lids, or old glasses and covers.
The best jars, I reckon, are the ones with metal lids that have a
plastic coating on the inside:
non-reactive, and boy do they do an airtight seal. When I run out of jars, I use glasses -
usually the odd glasses left over from old sets we’ve slowly gone through - and Vacola Kleerview Jar Covers. No preserver’s
home should ever be without at least one packet of Kleerviews. (Before Kleerview covers there was
greaseproof paper dipped in eggwhite.
You can try this if you like, but it’s
just one step too many for me these days.)
STERILISING AND WARMING THE JARS
Your preserves need to go into hot, sterilised jars. No arguments.
It is a bane, but absolutely necessary.
The best, easiest, and quickest method is in the microwave, but the
conventional one is to:
1. Place jars in
large pot with cold water to cover, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 min. Carefully pull jars out of water.
2. Place jars in a
low oven to dry out completely, and to keep warm (NEVER put hot preserves into cold jars).
STEP-BY-STEP JAM AND CONSERVE
1. Prepare fruit
by cutting away any blemishes. If
necessary, peel, pit, or de-seed. Unless
you’re using berries, cut
into pieces (small for jam, large chunks for conserve).
2. Add lemon juice
or citric acid if needed (see Tutorial #2).
3. Add water. You need barely enough to cook the fruit - for example, a couple of
tablespoons for a large amount of berries (small amounts of berries may need
none) to a cup or two for larger quantities of other fruit. In any case, don’t go overboard!
4. Simmer until
fruit is soft and pulpy.
5. Measure fruit
pulp, and re-heat to boiling.
6. Add required
amount of sugar (see Tutorial #2). Stir until sugar is
dissolved. Add any spices or flavourings
you may desire.
7. Cook,
uncovered, at a fast boil, until setting point is reached (15-20 min).
8. Skim off any
scum, and fill warm, sterilized jars to the brim. If preserve has lots of big chunks, allow it
to cool for 10-15, give it a stir, and then turn into jars; this will ensure
that fruit is evenly distributed through the preserve. Fit lids on IMMEDIATELY. Label, and store in a cool, dark place.
STEP-BY-STEP MARMALADE
1. Wash fruit,
slice thinly. Cover with water, and let
stand overnight, or for several hours.
2. Place fruit and
water in preserving pan, and simmer until rind is tender (1 hour approx).
3. Measure pulp,
then reheat to boiling. (If you’re a
wimpy sissy person who would like less rind, strain out as much as you need to
before measuring.)
4. Add required
amount of sugar. Stir to dissolve.
5. Cook,
uncovered, at a fast boil, until setting point is reached (15-20 min).
6. Skim off any
scum, and fill warm, sterilized jars to the brim. If preserve has lots of big chunks, allow it
to cool for 10-15, give it a stir, and then turn into jars; this will ensure
that fruit is evenly distributed through the preserve. Fit lids on IMMEDIATELY. Label, and store in a cool, dark place.
STEP-BY-STEP JELLY
1. Wash fruit and
chop roughly, leaving on skins, cores, pips, etc.
2. Place in large
preserving pan, and cover with water.
3. Simmer until
soft and pulpy (1 hour approx.).
4. Pour into jelly
bag, or fine strainer lined with a clean, wet Chux, and let stand overnight (or
several hours, at least). Do not press
or squeeze fruit, as this will cloud the jelly.
5. Measure liquid.
6. Heat liquid
over high heat until boiling, then add 3/4 cup sugar per measured cup of liquid. Stir to dissolve.
7. Cook,
uncovered, at a fast boil, until setting point is reached.
8. Skim off any
scum, and fill warm, sterilized jars to the brim. Fit lids on IMMEDIATELY. Label, and store in a cool, dark place.
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