Jam today- jam tomorrow

Just a quick post to get you stirring those pots and pans over the weekend- I lost this on the recipe- page but here is again !
Happy Halloween !!

Apple Jam .
I have just planted three small apple trees this spring .The trees are all the size of a stout umbrella.One of them, called " James Grieve" is described in the blurb on the label as a " good cropper".
No mistake there-the poor umbrella carried 16 apples this year. To celebrate I decided to make some apple jam.( Instead of eating it in one go in an apple pie). The recipe is French and pretty tasty.Here it comes.

Confiture de pommes ( French Apple Jam ).

Ingredients:
1.2 kilo apples 
1 kilo sugar
1 sachet of pectin powder ( 8 grammes) - ( brand Tate and Lyle or other make ).
1 packet of vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 Big bowl of water with the  juice of 1 lemon squeezed into it.
4 clean jam pots with screw-on lids
1 Big pan ( so the jam can boil but cannot boil over )
1 Wooden spoon.
Scales.
Oventray.

How to make the apple jam  :
Quarter the apples, peel and core them, then chuck every apple quarter into the bowl with water and  lemon juice. This will keep the apples white/ green/ yellow (so they don't get brown and horrible ).
Once you have cored and peeled and quatered all the apples , stage 2 is getting all the apple quarters thinly sliced, then in thinly cubed.Think 1 x 1 mm !
Chuck the tiny cubes all in the big pan, add the sugar, the sachet of pectin ( don't breathe in, it will make you cough ) the vanilla sugar, and the cinnamon.
Stir the whole thing through- ( this can be a bit heavy going ) till you have a thick gloop.

Put it on a medium heat and cook for at least half an hour, stir with the wooden spoon. Don't go and do something else and leave it bubbling away.
Test if the apple is "done " ( = soft )- this can take quite a bit of time.( so say make it at least 40 minutes).
In the meantime - put your oven on 150-180 degrees Centigrade .Boil a kettle with water.
Spoon the apple jam into your jars.Screw the lids on the jars, put all the jars in an oven tray in the now warmed up oven.Fill the tray with the jam-jars up to 2  centimeters with the boiling water.
Close the oven and let warm up for 5 or so minutes. Then let the jam-jars completely cool down in the oven.
This seems to help with getting the pots to not spoil and the jam be OK.


Plum Jam .
Have a look if you have no plum tree if you can find some plums pretty cheapo in the supermarket. I never knew I had a plumtree till I saw some plums on the ground in the back of the garden last year- it had planted itself. Nature is fantastic sometimes.  This recipe is pretty easy.Practically hands-free.
Plum Jam .
Ingredients:
1 kilo plums
1 kilo sugar
1 sachet of pectin powder ( 8 grammes) - ( brand Tate and Lyle or other make ).
 4 clean jam pots with screw-on lids1 Big pan ( so the jam can boil but cannot boil over )
1 Wooden spoon.
Scales.
Oventray.


How to make the plum jam  :
Wash the plums, halve them , and take the stone out.
Once you have washed, halved and stoned the plums, chuck the plums all in the big pan, add the sugar, and the sachet of pectin .
Stir the whole thing through till you have a thick gloop.
Put it on a medium heat and cook for at least 10 minutes, stir with the wooden spoon.Let it come to a nice " rolling boil" as they call it.You will recognise what they mean by it when you see it.The boiling masse will boil and boil and rise slightly.That is why you need a big pan by the way.
Check if the jam is "done " by putting it on a cold saucer you put in the fridge earlier and let it cool down on it- when you push the jam with your finger it should crinkle a bit.
Put your oven on 150-180 degrees Centigrade .Boil a kettle with water.

Spoon the plum jam into your jars.Screw the lids on the jars, put all the jars in an oven tray in the now warmed up oven.Fill the tray with the jam-jars up to 2  centimeters with the boiling water.

 

Close the oven and let warm up for 5 or so minutes. Then let the jam-jars completely cool down in the oven.