Topic: Great Strwberry Jam, but why does my fruit rise to the top?

[carosanto]

Hi All

Well this could go in the Glut of Strawberries thread, because today I dealt with some of my overflow.  Made, for the first time, some strawberry jam.  Terrific flavour, so pleased, but the fruit is rising to the top as it sets. I let it cool before I potted it.  Will a quick stir when it is properly cold solve the problem? 

...and does anyone have some really unusual strawberry jam recipes?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Regards, Caro

[froglets]

Hi Caro,

I think it might be to do with the gloop still being too thin when you are putting itinto the jars?  I have terrible trouble getting strawberry jam to the right consistency so mine tends to be quite sharp due to the extra lemon jiuce I have to put in to get it to set.

I think you're fruit is able to float up through the liquid befor it sets, rather than the liquid being think enough already to contain it - if that makes sense?  A bit more boiling before jarring?

[Old bird]

I have the same problem but the recipe I used a BBC Good Food one - says bottle up the mixture when it has cooled quite a bit.  It is to do with bottling it too hot!  Maybe leave it a bit longer until it is nearly cold then stir it and then bottle it?

Never mind you can give it a bit of a stir when you open it up!

O B

[carosanto]

Thanks froglets and birds, I will give it a stir later, and I have just read another recipe which recommended cooling it down a little.  But I think I will let it cool longer before jarring.  ....And there will definitely be another time, it is delish
!!

Regards

Caro

[jennym]

Your fruit has risen to the top because the fruit was a different density to the rest of the jam. The whole mixture has to absorb all the sugar, and your fruit hasn't.
Don't allow to cool before bottling, this won't cure your problem of floating fruit and could let nasties in.
IMHO the best way to make strawberry jam in the hot summer, is to reduce down the water in the fruit drastically.
You can do this at home by putting just your washed strawberries in a pyrex bowl in the microwave. Do not add any water. Cook for about 30 minutes on high, in 3 ten minute bursts, stirring after each ten minutes. Leave the bowl in the microwave with door shut for about half hour, you will find the inside of the microwave coated with condensation and the strawberries have reduced in volume dramatically.
Take the bowl out, wipe out the microwave.
Weigh the cooked strawberries, then for each kg add the juice of one large lemon (about 50ml). Stir in, and put into a thick bottomed pan, preferably on a diffuser.
Add 90% of weight of sugar as you had strawberries. (if you had 1kg, add 900g of sugar)
Heat gently, stirring, untill all the sugar is dissolved. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat a little and keep it bubbling for about 10 minutes. Stir during this time.
Test for setting by dipping a cold ladle into the mix and lifting it out - the drips will form a "curtain" - that means there won't be individual drips, there will be a little sheet of jam falling from the ladle. You will see a jagged effect when the drip curtain breaks. When you stir, you will feel a definite difference in consistency, a thicker feel. You can put a teaspoonful onto a cold plate, and after about 10 mins when it's cooled and you push it with your finger, it will wrinkle - but if you do this, you must take the jam off the heat, or the whole lot may burn while you are waiting for the teaspoonful on the plate to cool.
Put your hot jam into sterilised jars, and lid them.

[Digeroo]

My mother in law had a variety of what she called jam strawberries.  They are actually slightly hard and not very good to eat raw but they stay whole and do not tend to rise to the top.  She only used a few of these in each batch. 

Can you also turn the jars upsidedown once you have put the lids on and before it has set.  I have done this with raspberries.  Make sure you have really good oven gloves.

Have you tried freezer strawberries jam.  Just fruit and sugar and put into ice cube trays.  Wonderful fresh taste when you eat it.  Just defrost one portion at a time.

[antipodes]

I made rhubarb and strawberry jam last year, that adds a nice acidic flavour to it  ;)

[ipt8]

Leave it to set with the jar upside down  ;D ;D ;D
OR use more strawberries
OR boil it longer to evaporate more moisture
Do you do the small spoon  of jam dribbled on a plate to see if it skins test?
I might be a fella but I always helped mom make the jam when I was a kid, although it was mostly Damson, or red, white, or blackcurrant. It makes me drool thinking about it. I still love jam sandwiches  ::)

[carosanto]

Thanks to all your responses, there were such good tips in there.  I have used Jennym's recipe to make more AND turned jar upside down, AND used more strawbs AND less sugar (as in Jenny's recipe).  This last lot was superb in every way, and strawbs evenly distributed.  Thanks All.

Regards, Caro

[PurpleHeather]

Not for the purists of course but red currants have a lot of pectin and I have mixed them with the strawberries for a lovely jam. A lot of people do not like the seeds in the red currants but the seeds can be sieved out if the red currant are cooked first as though making red currant jelly.

[budgiebreeder]

I was just going to  say red currants or gooseberrys do the trick. they both contain a lot of natural pectin.