Old Fashioned Jam

Gooseberry and Rhubarb Jam

Somehow over the years, maybe because I was too busy, I stopped making jam. It was only when I ended up with a glut of fine gooseberries, that jam making seemed a good option. Although the decision to make jam was helped by the fact, that it is my dear husband's favourite jam.

Jam making is quick and easy and a wonderful way of preserving fruit. I use a recipe from my grandmother, one part of fruit to one part of sugar ( I kilo fruit to one kilo sugar). This way you end up with 50% fruit in the jam. That is more fruit than you find in most super market  jams. 

the finished product

For the following jam I used 

1000g gooseberries

500g  rhubarb

1500g sugar

grated orange peel and juice of one large orange

gooseberries, rhubarb. orange and sugar

You need as well some jam jars. I use a ll kinds of jars I collect over time. 

To sterilize them, simply wash them, put them on a  tray, into the oven and leave them there for approx. 30 minutes at 100C.

Jam jars ready to go  into the oven for sterilization

You need a large saucepan as the fruit sugar mixture will bubble up quite high .

Put all the ingredients into the pot.
Use the highest setting on you cooker to bring the mixture to the boil. Keep the heat steady. 

Fruit and sugar mixture before the heat is turned on.

Fifteen minutes into the boiling process.

Thirty minutes into the cooking process. Stir regularly so that the mixture will not stick on the bottom of the pan. Keep the heat steady.

 Ready after 40 minutes 

 Use a porcelain/china plate to check if the jam is setting. Put a little drop of jam on to the plate, wait a little. If the jam lift up when you touch it with your finger, the jam is ready. The top two were the first try, the last two nearest to the bottom of the picture shows the jam is setting.

Filling the jam jars.
Take the jars from the oven. As the jars are hot you can put the jam mixture straight into the jars.
A dear aunt of mine advised me to use old china vessels for potting the jam, so for the first trial eating I use this pretty sugar pot.

To make sure the jam is protected I dip grease proof paper in a little alcohol, for this jam I used Calvados, important is that the alcohol is 40% proof. This way the jams keeps that much longer.