Surprisingly nice…

Now, I’m guessing that when most people think of courgettes, jam isn’t the first thing that springs to mind! It certainly wasn’t for me but, as I now have a freezer full of ratatouille and soup plus enough chutney to feed most of Wales, I thought I’d try something a bit different.

I’d heard of using marrows for jam so hoped that overgrown courgettes would work too. As I had no idea how much pectin (if any) courgettes contain, I hedged my bets and used half jam sugar and half granulated. The resulting jam was surprisingly nice with the ginger being the dominant flavour. So, before you think ‘courgette jam…yuk!’, why not give it a try……

Courgette and Ginger Jam

Makes approx. 4 small-medium jarfulls

• 1kg overgrown courgette (or marrow), peeled, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice (quantity refers to prepared weight)
• 500g granulated sugar
• 500g jam sugar (the stuff with added pectin)
• 75g crystallized ginger, finely chopped
• juice of 1 lemon

Place chopped courgette, ginger and sugar in a preserving pan and leave for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight if possible. Gently heat and stir well until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and bring to a rolling boil. Test for set after approximately 25 minutes (my batch took a little over 30 minutes to reach setting point but this will vary depending on how watery your courgettes are). When setting point is reached, remove from heat and stir a few times then pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

Whinberry Jam

Before I moved to Wales I’d never heard of whinberries but I’ve recently learned that they’re a type of bilberry that grows wild on the mountain sides around here. They’re also very tasty! Depending on where you live, you might know them as Bilberries or Whortleberries instead. If you’ve not encountered them before, they’re related to blueberries and have some similarities – although they’re smaller and I think they have a richer taste which reminds me a little of elderberry wine. A traditional way to use them in Wales is to make Whinberry Tart but, seeing as my pastry making skills leave a lot to be desired, I decided to make jam instead. Here’s my recipe:

Whinberry Jam

makes approx. 3 medium size jars

• 650g whinberries
• 500g granulated sugar
• juice of 1 lemon

First wash the berries, picking out any bits of stalk and discarding any over-ripe berries. Place the fruit in a pan over a low heat and gently crush the berries to release some juice. Add the lemon juice then simmer gently until the fruit is soft and squishy but with some still retaining their shape. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. The sugar will dissolve quicker if you’ve warmed it in a low oven beforehand. Once all the sugar has dissolved, bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Test for set and, when ready,  pour into warm, sterilized jars and seal.

I’m quite taken with these little berries and hope to experiment with some more recipes in the next few weeks. As the season is fairly short, I’m thinking of bottling some or perhaps making whinberry muffins which can be frozen. If anyone has some recipes they’d like to share, please do!

Strawberry Jam

Ah, nothing like a spot of jam-making to perk you up…. or is that just me?! Now, I must confess, I’m not usually a fan of strawberry jam – I find it over sweet and prefer my jams on the sharper side. However, when I spotted Pam Corbin’s recipe in the River Cottage Preserves Book and saw that the proportion of sugar to fruit was relatively low when compared to other recipes, I thought it was worth a try.

I’m glad I did! The resulting jam is very fruity and the addition of lemon juice really helps the flavour. It’s a pretty jam too – jewel bright and with ruby chunks of fruit suspended within. I know I’ve recommended Pam Corbin’s book before but I’m going to do it again – it’s the best book on jam-making and preserving I’ve encountered. Everyone should own a copy!

Gooseberry Jam

Now that the soft fruit season is underway here in the UK, I thought it was time for a spot of jam-making….

Gooseberries are great for jam as they’re naturally high in pectin. The colour of the jam will vary depending on the ripeness of the gooseberries – early small, hard fruits will give a green jam whilst plump ripe fruits give a pinkish colour. The batch of jam pictured below is quite a dark pink due to the fact that I used unrefined granulated sugar – not for any particular reason, just because that’s what I had in the cupboard. Anyhow, on to the recipe…

Basic Gooseberry Jam Recipe

A quantity of gooseberries

An equal amount of granulated sugar

Water

Top and tail the gooseberries and place in a preserving pan or sturdy saucepan. Pour in enough water so that the gooseberries are not quite covered – if you prefer to measure, I usually use 500ml water for every kilo of gooseberries. Simmer the gooseberries for 10 – 15 minutes until they are soft and squidgy but still hold their shape. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. It helps if you gently warm the sugar in the oven prior to adding to the pan as it will dissolve quicker this way. Once the sugar has dissolved bring to a rolling boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Test for setting point then pour into sterilized jars and seal.

The recipe can be adapted in a number of ways:

You could make strawberry and gooseberry jam by substituting half the gooseberries with strawberries although only add the strawberries to the pan once the gooseberries are almost soft.

To make elderflower and gooseberry jam tie up a few elderflower heads in a muslin square and simmer with the gooseberries. Remove before adding the sugar.

Some people like to add a little butter when they add the sugar.

Recipe: Rhubarb Jam

I’ve really been enjoying reading your comments in response to my little giveaway. It seems there are so many reasons to love spring – the flowers, the little lambs in the fields, the smells, the freshness, the sunshine, the longer days, the feeling of newness, the colours…. it’s all so wonderful! I also have a culinary reason to add to the list too as, for me, spring marks the start of the jam-making season and that’s definitely a cause for celebration! 

I’d been keeping an eager eye out for the arrival of English rhubarb at my greengrocer’s for a while now – I’d hoped to get hold of some of the early forced stuff but my grocer told me that the supermarkets pretty much have a monopoly on it and it’s very hard for independent sellers to get hold of any… so I waited…. then imported rhubarb began to fill the shelves and, although tempted, I waited….. then, finally, this week, my patience paid off and I was able to bring home a rather large bag of the stuff – I would have bought more (crumbles were beckoning) but it would have pretty much blown my food budget out the window, so I contented myself with enough for a batch of jam. I will definitely be going back for more though….

Rhubarb makes a wonderful jam – light and fruity and incredibly moorish. Some people regard it as a tricky jam to make, probably due to the fact that rhubarb is very low in pectin. However, if you’re worried about achieving a good set, you can always use jam sugar (the stuff with added pectin) and you shouldn’t have any difficulties. 

Here’s my recipe – you need to start this the night before you intend to make the jam:

Rhubarb Jam

Makes 6 x 225g jars

• 1kg rhubarb (trimmed weight), cut into chunks.
• 1 kg sugar (granulated or jam sugar)
• Juice of 1 large juicy orange 

In a large non-metallic basin, layer up the sugar then rhubarb, ending with a layer of sugar. Pour over the orange juice and leave overnight. 

When you are ready to make the jam, transfer the ingredients to a preserving pan or large saucepan and bring gently to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly and test the set after about 5 minutes. When ready, leave to stand for a few minutes then pour into warm sterilized jars and seal.

How to test for setting point

There are a few different ways to test for setting point but I favour the low-tech saucer method:

When I start making the jam, I pop a saucer in the fridge to chill. When you think the jam might be ready, put a blob of jam on the chilled saucer, leave for a moment, then gently push with your finger. If the surface of the jam wrinkles the jam is ready to be potted.

As simple as that! 

Recipe: Seville Orange Curd

Marmalade can be something of an acquired taste – not everyone likes it’s bitter tang. This recipe offers a sweeter, creamier alternative for putting those seasonal Seville oranges to good use. I urge you to give it a try – it’s quick and simple to make and it tastes divine.

The recipe is adapted from Pam Corbin’s wonderful recipe for Bramley Lemon Curd in the River Cottage Preserves book. 

Seville Orange Curd

Makes 3 x 225g jars

200ml Seville Orange juice (you need approximately 5 oranges)

zest of 3 Seville Oranges

125g unsalted butter

450g sugar (I used Tate and Lyle Organic Caster as that’s what I had in the pantry)

4 large eggs (to make 200ml of beaten egg)

Heat the butter, sugar, zest and orange juice in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the butter has melted. Pour the beaten eggs through a sieve into the bowl. Stir every now and then until the mixture has thickened (this takes about 10 – 15 minutes), then pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal. The curd will keep for up to 4 weeks and needs to be kept in the fridge once opened. 

How to Fill, Seal and Store Jars of Preserves

Filling

Most jams and chunteys should be potted as soon as setting point is reached. The exception are marmalades which can be left to cool slightly as this will stop the peel from floating to the top. Pour or ladle your preserve into warm jars – this prevents the preserve from cooling before you’ve had chance to seal it. Always fully-fill jars and seal straight away. With chutneys and other ‘chunky’ preserves tap the side of the jar to remove any air pockets.

Sealing

There are two main ways you can seal jars of jam, jelly or marmalade – either with wax discs and celophane lids or with a twist-top lid. To use the wax discs and cellophane covers, place the disc wax-side down on the surface of the hot preserve. Moisten the cellophane cover with a drop of water, stretch over the jar and secure with an elastic band. The moistened side of the cellophane should be on the outside. If you like you jams to look as good as they taste , you can then make an outer cover from a piece of paper or fabric cut in circle and tied with a ribbon or string. 

For chutneys and other vinegar-based preserves, it’s best to use a plastic-lined twist on lid. Screw the lid on as soon as you’ve filled the jar with and make sure it’s on tightly. 

*a note on recycling – I generally recycle my jars but not my lids. I buy replacement lids from Lakeland and these seem to fit quite a range of jars. For the jars that I can’t get lids to fit, I use cellophane covers. I also use these for preserves that I’m giving as gifts as I think they look prettier!

Storing

Store preserves in a cool, dark place such as a larder, cellar, garage or shed. Most jams and chutneys will keep for at least a year (and chutneys benefit from having a little time to mature) but there are exceptions:

• Fruit curds should be used within 4 weeks.
• Uncooked condiments and relishes, such as pesto, should be used within 3 weeks.
• Low-sugar/fridge jams can be kept for up to 6 months but need to be kept in the fridge once opened and used within 2 – 3 weeks.

Personally, to tell if a preserve is past it’s best, I find it best to trust my nose. If it smells funny, it’s probably not good to eat!

How to sterilise jars

As well as telling me how many visitors I’ve had, my blog stats also include the google search terms which people used and were directed to my blog. One search that comes up on an almost daily basis is “how to sterilise jars” so I thought I’d write a little bit about that. I’m a helpful soul really!

There are a variety of ways you can sterilise your jars. I do it by washing the jars and lids in very hot (as hot as I can bear) soapy water, rinsing them off, shaking off any excess water, then putting them in a low oven for about 10 minutes or until dry.

Alternatively you can put them in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.

If you have a dishwasher, a very simple way to sterilise your jars is to put them through a hot dishwasher cycle. 

Tips

• Don’t use jars that are cracked or chipped.
• Most jams, chutneys and marmalade should be poured into warm jars to stop the preserve from cooling too quickly before it’s sealed – so try to time your sterilsing to tie in with when the preserve will be ready for potting. 
• Don’t put hot jars directly onto a cold surface (such as a marble worktop)- the sudden change in temperature can cause the jar to crack. 

Marmalade

A well-stocked larder is a thing to delight in. I love to see my shelves jam-packed with row after row of preserves. I’ve always been a bit of a hoarder so I guess it stems from that. However, due to giving away lots of preserves as Christmas gifts, my stash has been a bit depleted of late – something I was keen to remedy. Winter isn’t the obvious season for a bout of preserving but there are a few yummy things you can make which utilise seasonal fruit and veg. Today, it was the turn of the seville oranges: time to make marmalade!

The recipe I used came from Pam Corbin’s wonderful book Preserves. It uses demerara sugar which produces a wonderfully dark, amber marmalade. It tastes wonderful too, with the seville oranges holding their own against the sugar. The flavour is intensely orangey and bittersweet, so definitely a grown-up preserve. There are also lots of good marmalade recipes available online and, if you fancy making some, its worth taking a peek at the following:

Delia’s Seville Orange Marmalade

Delia’s Dark Chunky Marmalade

Dark Musovado and Whisky Marmalade

A few marmalade-making tips:

Make sure the peel is completely tender before you add the sugar. Once the sugar is added it won’t soften any more. 

To stop the peel from floating to the top when you pour into jars, allow the marmalade to cool for about 10 minutes before potting.

Don’t be afraid to make a large batch – marmalade keeps really well – apparently up to 2 years, but I must admit, in this house it’s normally been scoffed long before that!