Sweetness (for the sweet tooth) - Home- made Jams (Konfitury)

The Polish kitchen always contains homemade fruit jams (konfitury), jams which are full of fruit chunks and may be at various stages of setting but are always sweet and rich. My mother was an expert at plum butter (powidla) using the Angelina plums from the tree in the backyard (when she won the battle with the cockatoos). We also had small red and black currants, but somehow these never made it to the stove as they were generally picked and eaten fresh.

With my Babcia having a farm and growing strawberries, the options for strawberry jams and various other uses were always there, but somehow again, these did not make it to the jam pot, rather we tended to eat these covered with sugar and cream. Yet, strawberry jam is among my favourites, and since strawberries are still plentiful on the farms in our region (yes, a strawberry growing region), I am often tempted by the offerings of freshly picked strawberries.

I have played with this recipe and have different levels of success. What I have discovered is that I am more successful if I include some strawberries which are still slightly green, as these tend to keep their shape. Overly ripe strawberries fall apart in the jam. I like my jams with chunky pieces of fruit so I aim for a mix of ripe and unripe fruit when I prepare it

The other hint, is to give yourself a lot of space (especially bench space), chase the kids and animals out of the kitchen and give yourself some time (nothing good is cooked in a short time). This recipe makes approx 10 jars of jam, using the small size in the picture.

Ingredients

Jam

• 2 kg strawberries (including some that are unripe)

• 2kg white sugar

• 4 tbsp Citric Acid (in powder form)

• 2 x 50g packets of Jamsetta

• 10 small jam jars with clean lids

Method

Preparation - Fruit

1. Peel the strawberries and slice in half. Add these to the cooking pot

2. Pour over the sugar and citric acid

3. Leave this overnight to allow the strawberries to release their juice and for the sugar to dissolve

Preparation – Jars

I usually prepare the jars once the jam has been cooking for some time, so that they are still hot when I take them out of the oven and use them.

4. Wash jars in warm soapy water and rinse

5. Wash the lids in warm soapy water and rinse

6. Place them on a tray and into the oven

7. Turn on the oven to 180 degrees C

8. Keep the jars in the oven until they are hot and then turn the oven off or down. The jars should be hot when you add the jam, so that the jars don’t crack and so that the lids seal properly.

Cooking

9. Turn onto a high heat slowing raising the temperature until it comes to a boiling point.  Stir gently to ensure that the fruit and sugar do not stick.

10. Allow the jam to boil for 5 – 10 minutes and then turn it down to a small rolling boil (simmer). You need to be careful that the jam does not boil over at this point as it will rise while boiling. Also be careful as boiling jam is very hot and can result in burns.

11. Cook the jam for about 1 hr, stirring occasionally. At this point you will see scum at the top of the jam. Slowly remove this scum and continue to cook.

12. After an hour, test the jam for setting. If it sets then you are ready to add it to jars, but if it is still not setting, then add 1 pkt of Jamsetta and bring back to the boil. You should boil for 5 minutes and will need to remove the scum again.

13. Test again for setting. Cook for another 15 minutes and test again for setting, and if it still doesn’t set, add the second pkt of Jamsetta. Each time you add the Jamsetta, you need to bring the jam back to the boil for 5 minutes and remove the scum again.

Bottling

Once the jam has cooked and sets, you will need to pour the jam into the jars. Be careful here as you are working with hot jars and boiling jam. You may need to use oven gloves or a teatowel to protect your hands. Use a small ladle to add the jam to each jar. Seal with the lid and tighten enough to be finger tight.

As the jam and jars cool, you should hear a pop from each jar. This is the jar lid sealing and you will find that the lid is now tight and the top of the lid will be indented as it has created a vacuum while cooling.

Unfortunately, not all the jars will seal as you wish, so you may need to put these jars back into the oven and heat them again. You can either leave them in the oven to cool with the oven, or take them out and watch them as they cool. Jars which do not seal will need to be kept in the fridge.

Setting Test

You will need to test the jam for setting before you bottle it, otherwise you may find that your jam becomes mouldy and remains runny.

Take a small plate and place it in the freezer for approx. 5 minutes. Remove the plate. Take a teaspoon of the jam and spread it on the cold plate. Leave it for 5 minutes and then gently push it back with your finger. If it runs back immediately, it is not yet set, but if it seems to stay in position, or you see a wrinkled appearance, then it is ready to set.

You may need to do this several times before you reach the setting temperature.

Storage

This jam can be stored in the pantry for several months. I have jam (occasionally) that was made over 12 months ago, and it is still as good as when I made it. Over time, you will find that the jam will darken but this is not a problem.

Mould on the top of the jam, or rust on your lids is a problem and you may need to use this jam for cooking in cakes or cookies as I am unsure of how safe it is.

Other fruits

I have a regular supply of fruits based on the season, but my pantry stores include

(Sour) Cherry jam (Wisnie) – remove the pips before cooking

Apricot (Morelle) – remove the pips before cooking

Grapefruit Marmalade (the recipe is slightly different here) – remove the pith from the skin and fry the thinly sliced skin in sugar before adding the fruit

Blueberry (Jagodowe)

Raspberries (Malinowe)

Smacznego!