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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Strawberry And Apple Jam

I
get really fussy sometimes. Today is one of those times. I wanted to make a
'perfect jam'. Bringing home some beautiful strawberries yesterday and some
crispy green apples, the jam's fate was sealed. Strawberry and Apple it
is.

I've
made this jam before and I adored it's brilliant ruby colour and the tangy taste
it left on my palate as opposed to the often sickly sweet associated with some
jams. The last one I made didn't jell to the extent I would have liked so I
decided to add a small muslin bag together with lemon seeds inside. See; I told
you I was feeling fussy. I also had a bowl of water with fresh lemon slices in
it and a couple of good squeezes of lemon juice to receive the apples slices as
I cut them so as to avoid any browning whatsoever. Fussy? Sure, but it worked
and I was glad I did. You can decide how fussy you would like to be.

Once
today is over I shall have my first preserve ready for the show. You see our
local agricultural show is on at the end of June and my family always goes
through the chaos, fun, pain, effort and joy at participating and competing on
some level. Hubby always has his amazing produce entered (thanks to The Borb and
I). The Borb takes ages carefully selecting and picking the top quality fruit
whilst I spend ages washing and polishing the fruit before painstakingly
arranging it in the little cane baskets. Hubby simply walks up to the pavillion
and walks away with the ribbons and prize money whilst we shake our heads
without any credit at all. But we love it.

Photographic daughter has
entered her photographic works for the last two years and has had astounding
success. Really. I'm not just saying that. Last year, she entered seven
categories and she won four firsts, one second and one third. It goes without
saying she took the coveted purple grand champion ribbon. Oh my; I was bursting
with pride.

I always enter something in the cake section; and I am happy
to say I usually come away with a couple of ribbons. I'll talk more about this
as the show gets closer. But for now, let's concentrate on the preserves. I have
some tomatoes that are sitting, trying to ripen; emphasis on "trying". So
instead of the tomato relish I was meant to be doing, strawberry and apple jam
is first off the rank.

Strawberry and Apple
Jam

500gm strawberries
3 medium green apples
1/4 cup lemon
juice
1kg white or caster sugar
extra lemon

Hull and halve the
strawberries. Cut out bruised spots and do not use any that are too ripe. Set
aside in a clean bowl.

Get
some lemons; if you're fortunate enough to have a tree, pick them straight from
the tree as the pectin content will be at it's highest. Select lemons that are
slightly underripe. You will get the best possible jelling results doing
this.

Squeeze
a whole lemon into a big bowl of water; peel and quarter the green apples;
remove seeds and core; slice thinly. Place the apple slices straight into the
lemon water.

Take
some muslin fabric and cut out a small square. You only need enough to hold the
pips from a couple of lemons.

Take
a clean bowl; pour in some boiling hot water and place your muslin square into
the water. This is the next best step to sterilising the cloth.

Squeeze
a couple of lemons and reserve the juice.

Line
a small bowl with the well rinsed muslin square and place all the lemon pips you
can extract from the lemons.

Secure
the pips well and tie a knot with some twine to create a small muslin
bag.

In
a heavy based pan place the strawberries, drained apples, muslin bag, 1/4 cup of
lemon juice and three cups of water. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer
covered for about 20 minutes or until the apples have softened. Take out muslin
bag; pour the sugar into the centre of the pot; stir gently till the sugar has
dissolved then boil steadily for about 30 minutes or till the jam has set. I
place a saucer in the freezer and test the jam by dropping a little onto the
saucer; then pressing to see how wrinkled it looks. If it is quite runny then
more cooking is required.

I
was delighted with the jell consistency of my jam. Although it looks like it is
quite runny and I'm thinking it will never take, it somehow magically all comes
together. Patience and watching the pot are critical ingredients for jam
making.

It
is important to allow the jam to sit for about 10 minutes before pouring into
sterilized jars. You risk the fruit sinking to the bottom if you pour it in
right away. Make sure that any scum has been removed. You will find scum always
rises to the top and moves to the sides of the pot so it is easy to spoon off. I
use the pictured ladle to fill the jam jars. Seal while hot.

I
quickly whipped up my scone recipe (this time I didn't forget the butter); beat
some thickened cream and enjoyed the fruits of my "fussy" labour. And boy was it
worth it!