HINTS FOR THE SEASON OF JAM-MAKING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 January 1929, Page 15

HINTS FOR THE SEASON OF JAM-MAKING.

Fruit for jam-making must be neither over nor under ripe, though over ripe is must the worst. The substance in the fruit which causes jam to set properly is called pectin, and in under or over ripe fruits it is absent or deficient. Certain fruits contain far more pectin than others, and so make more satisfactory jams. Cherries are almost without pectin, and are generally made into jam by the addition of red currant juice, which 'has a great deal. Blackberries, too, are somewhat deficient in pectin, and will set better for the addition of a little apple. In green apples there is an enormous amount of pectin, and that is why apple-jelly is so easy to make. When jam-making, your object in boiling the fruit is to evaporate the water 7 therefore, do not put more water than is required to draw out the juice of the' fruit. Soft fruit such as raspberries will need ‘p rac ti ea Py none, while plums, etc., will need the bottom of the preserving pan covered. A little good salad oil rubbed over the bottom of the pan prevents the jam from burning. To know when jam is done, watch the way it boils. If it bubbles in an oily, lazy way, you may be sure, if it is over a hot fire, that it is done; while if the bubbles are breaking like waterbubbles, it will want still longer. The oily bubbles are quite distinct, once you have learned to recognise them. It is important that jam should boil as quickly as possible.