Choice of Fruit-suga r -The Best Preserving-pan - General Hints - Table of Times

Most people agree that home-made jams, if properly prepared, are far superior to bought ones, except, perhaps, one or two makes, and these«are by no means cheap.

It is a wise plan to arrange, at the beginning of the season, what varieties of fruit to preserve, with the approximate quantity of each. In this way it will be possible to secure a good selection, instead of being overstocked with one kind, while having little or none of the others.

Price Of Preserving-Pans

Useful Hints

1. Use only good, dry, ripe fruit, at the same time being careful that it is not overripe.

2. Purchase good sugar, whether lump or preserving; inferior qualities will spoil the flavour of the jam, and often certain impurities have to be skimmed off, thus causing considerable waste.

3. A copper preserving-pan is best, but a cast-iron, enamel-lined stewpan does excellently. If the former is used, be careful to make sure that it is in perfect condition, otherwise it may cause verdigris poisoning.

4. Fill the pan barely three parts full, the jam will then have plenty of room to boil.

5. Let the jam boil quickly the whole time, otherwise it will not be a good colour.

6. If the fire is very fierce, or the pan at all thin, it is a wise plan to place the pan on a trivet over the fire, so that it does not come in direct contact with it; or, if cooking over a gas fire, use an asbestos mat under the pan.

7. To keep the fruit whole, boil the sugar and water to a syrup before adding the fruit; otherwise, put all in together.

8. Keep the jam well and constantly skimmed.

9. If two kinds of fruit are being preserved together-e.g., blackberry and apple, cook the harder variety a little first.

10. When the jam looks decidedly less in the pan, test it-that is, pour a little on to a plate, leave until cold, and if it then forms a jelly, the jam is sufficiently cooked; if not, cook it longer. While testing it, be careful to remove the jam from the fire, otherwise it may get over-cooked.

11. When done, pour the jam into clean, dry jars, then either cover them at once with parchment paper, or leave them until they are quite cold before covering.

12. Keep the jam in a cool, dry place.

There is much difference of opinion as to the proportion of sugar to be used with various fruits, but take, as a general rule, a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, although this must be varied to suit individual tastes. Then, again, some fruits require less. The accompanying table will be of great assistance until knowledge has been obtained from actual experience.

Patent Jam Jars

There are now some excellent jars on the market, which are most convenient, doing away with the need of parchment covers and string. The best ones consist of a glass jar, with a grooved neck to take a screw top. A glass plate fits the top of the jar, and between this and the jar is a rubber band, which makes the jar absolutely air-tight. Over this a metal lid is screwed.

They cost about 2s. a dozen for the pound size, and, with careful usage, should last for years. Before putting away, label each jar with the name of the jam, and date of making.

Guide To Jam-Making