Methods

Making Preserves

I was nervous of jam making at first - there seemed to be so many rules about sterilisation etc, and it also seemed like you needed specialised equipment like a jam thermometer or even a water bath. I've made loads of jam now, and it is not complicated and you don't need anything fancy. Notes on my methods are below. You don't need to test for set point when making chutney or pickles, but the jar sterilisation and filling methods are the same. Note that these methods are only suitable for making jams or pickles with a respectable sugar / vinegar (preservative) content - for low sugar jams, purees or sauces it is necessary to use a water bath for sterilisation - I just freeze sauces in small quantities if I make them as I don't have a water bath.

Jar Sterilisation:
I always re-use empty glass jars (from jams, mustard, pickles, olives, that kind of thing) for jam making. The best ones have lids with those buttons that pop down when a seal is made. I wash the jars out immediately after emptying them of food, then store them dry until I need them. While boiling the jam, set the oven as low as it goes (about 110C) and run a sink full of hot, soapy water. Soak the jars and lids for at least 10 minutes to soften the labels and glue, then peel off the labels and wash out the jars thoroughly. Labels vary in how easily they come off - some peel right off, others need some encouragement with a blunt knife, others are a total lost cause. Most fall in the middle category. When the jars are clean, rinse them off with hot water and invert the jars and lids separately in the oven. Leave them in the oven for half an hour.

Setting Point:
I test setting point in the most low-tech way - put a saucer in the freezer for half an hour. When you think the jam might be ready, dribble a little puddle (about 1/2 a tsp) onto the cold saucer and return it to the freezer for 10 min. Take it out again, and push your finger through the centre of the puddle. If the jam wrinkles, it has reached setting point. Note - it may be a good idea to switch off the heat while testing the jam to avoid over-cooking - this can happen, you end up with a granular texture.

Filling jars:
Take a jar and lid out of the oven. Try not to touch inside the jar or lid. Switch off the heat about 10 minutes before filling the jars, so the jam is no longer bubbling but is still hot. Wrap your non-dominant hand in a folded teatowel or oven glove to protect it from drips of hot jam and help you to hold the hot jars. Use a large tablespoon or small ladle to fill one jar at a time. Fill the jar right up to about 0.5-1 cm short of the top and immediately screw the lid on tight. Leave until completely cool (if the lids have buttons in them they will pop down during this time, one of the most pleasing noises ever to my ears), tilt the jar to check for set, then clean off any drips from the outside of the jar and label them (my current best source of sticky labels are the unprinted edge bits that come around postage stamps). Jams are ready to eat straight away and should keep indefinitely. Chutneys will improve with age and you should wait at least 2 weeks before opening the first jar.