Jams and jellies ... Recipe

Jam is prepared by boiling the fruit with sufficient quantity of sugar to a reasonable thick consistency. Jam can be prepared either from an individual fruit or mixed fruits, i.e .mangoes, apples, pineapple, banana, grapes, guava etc., Good jams and jellies are prepared with fruits rich in pectin. Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in fruits which acts as jellying agent when combined with sugar and acid and helps in proper setting of jams and jellies.

Fruits rich in pectin are apple, guava, Papaya, wood apple, lemon peel etc.

Fruits having medium pectin are blue grapes, pineapples, straw berries, plums, bananas etc.

Fruits with low pectin are watermelons, muskmelons, tomato etc.

However, the amount of pectin present in fruits varies according to the stage of ripening of fruits. Just ripened fruits have maximum pectin.

The important constituents in the preparation of jams and jellies are pectin, sugar and acid in correct proportion. Jelly is transparent and can be used in the place of jam. Excess sugar or over cooking make the jam/jelly hard and excess acid or low sugar make them watery. Correct setting is required for long shelf life of these products.


1. mixed fruit jam

Ingredients:

Fruit pulp……………………………….. 1 Kg.
Sugar ……………………………….. 1 kg.
Citric acid ……………………………… 1 ½ tsp
Red colour……………………………… Sufficient quantity
Cocktail essence…………………… ½ tsp
Sodium benzoate (S.B)……….. a pinch

Preparation of pulp

Wash the fruits, peel and cut into small pieces. Add 50-100 ml. Water and cook till the pieces become soft. Pass through a sieve.

Method: Mix pulp and sugar and boil till end point is reached. Add citric acid just before removing. The end point can be determined by looking for bubbles at the sides of the vessel while heating or by sheet method or plate method.

Sheet Method: Take a small quantity of the boiling mixture in a wooden ladle, cool and drop slowly. If the jam is ready, it will fall in the form of a sheet.

Plate Method: Drop a small quantity of boiling mixture on a porcelain/stainless steel plate. Cool, and tilt the plate. When the mixture slides down as a single mass then the jam is ready.

Jelly: This can be prepared by boiling a pectin rich fruit like guava, woodapple, karonda in water, straining, mixing the strained extract with sugar and acid and by boiling to a sage at which it will form clear gel. An ideal jelly is clear, transparent and firm.