Allotments 4 All

A third of the new plot I took on this year is laid to soft fruit so I have been busy making jam, jellies etc this summer. All was well until the autumn raspberries came in, and I started to make raspberry jam for the first time ever as I have never grown these before. I have followed the recipie for a light set jam (as it said it was fresh tasting and retained good raspberry flavour). However the jam tastes really sweet to me, and whilst it's set as expected and has good clour etc I am wondering whether there is a better recipie which is a little sharper or whether anyone has any tips??

All help appreciated as an amateur at this. ???

What proportion of sugar to fruit did you use?

About the limit is 60% fruit to 40% sugar. Unless you make freezer jam.

One wonders - some lemon juice at the end??

Add juice of a lemon for every 500g rasps, but before you add the sugar, do it when you're cooking the rasps, as it brings out the pectin. Also, add a few unripe ones to the batch. You may just have a type of rasp that is very sweet, some are more suitable for jam than others.

I just thought, if you followed a recipe using pectin, they advise far more sugar than is necessary. You need to end up with a total sugar content of 65% for the jam to keep well, and the fruit will contain probably 10 to 15% if its ripe, so the most you need to add is 1050 grammes of sugar for every 1000 grammes of fruit used.

Oh, before!!  How about citric acid?

Is Jam different to Marmalade, Jenny? We never exceed 40% for the latter.

Dear God - what twaddle one can talk.

Of course, it's 4 fruit to 6 sugar.

SO sorry!!

 :) Tim - but it can be 4 sugar to 6 fruit if the fruit is sweet enough - my grapes can get a really high sugar content, and I've measured fruit sugar content as high as 33% with fruits like mango, also melon once you've boiled it down before adding the sugar. But, as a rule, if you stick to adding the same weight of sugar as the fruit you started with, i.e. a 50:50 mix, you won't go far wrong.

Just realised what I was banging on about.

For Seville Marmalade, recipes give 6 Sugar to 3 Fruit. We much prefer 6 to 4. Despite EJ saying it was a bit sharp?

Thanks all - going to try the lemon juice tip for this afternoons harvest. The recipie I have indicates for light set jam then a 50:50 split between sugar and raspberries. I do tend to pick the raspberries slightly under-ripe but having never grown them before I wasn't sure how sweet they were. have asked other lottie holders to taste and apparently even under-ripe they are quite sweet for raspberries.

As I have 4 rows each of 20 ft long I have declared open house now and let everyone else take what they want. I think I will need to reduce the raspberry patch for next year. The cream and ice cream I am consuming with the fruit pies and puddings is playing havoc with my waist line! :o

Okay Tim, is it obvious?
Is freezer jam the one that you use frozen fruit for and if so, how does it differ if i want to make raspberry jam?

Freezer jam, according to my guru at the WI is uncooked fruit and sugar mixed with pectin, then left to gel - which can take 24 - 48 hours, then stored in a freezer.  I would imagine it is wonderful for things like raspberries or cherries where it is easy to cook out the flavour.

I've just made jam using my Autumn Bliss Raspberries. I didn't used any lemon juice or added pectin and it's set no problem. I used equal weights of raspberries and caster sugar and it has turned out fine - a proper set and tastes yummy - sweet but not too sweet, with just a hint of tartness. As the fruit has been coming in dribs and drabs I picked everything as soon as it was ripe (or in some cases nearly ripe) and froze the fruit straight away. When I had enough, I weighed the frozen fruit, tipped it into the saucepan and heated it gently to defrost. I then cooked it gently until the fruit was soft, before adding the sugar, and made sure the sugar was all dissolved before boiling up for a set. The only problem is, certain members of the family just attack the jars with a spoon, instead of spreading the jam on toast, so I don't think it's going to last very long!!!

Quote from: tim on August 31, 2007, 08:35:38
Oh, before!!  How about citric acid?

Is Jam different to Marmalade,

No Tim, its different 'from'!!!

Yes!

BUT - "Americans say “Scuba-diving is different from snorkeling,” the British often say “different to” and those who don’t know any better say “different than.”

I'll use 'than' next time & really bug you!!

'To' is lazy - it's easier to say.

Sorry Tim, I didn't think I'd pressed the send button!!

I must have had an early nightcap, and felt a bit stroppy.

No you won't bug me!!  There are so many typing/grammatical errors on these sites.  Yes - I do cringe, but no, I don't usually correct!!

valmarg

P.S.  After all, it's not what these sites are all about.  Exchange of experience, general horticultural  knowledge and chit chat are the more important elements of the sites to me.

valmarg

Quote from: tim on September 01, 2007, 08:16:14
...For Seville Marmalade, recipes give 6 Sugar to 3 Fruit. We much prefer 6 to 4. Despite EJ saying it was a bit sharp?

I prefer 6 to 4 too, but I think it really depends on your taste. Funnily enough, I find grapefruit really need to be 50/50 to get the best flavour - it seems to become bland at higher sugar content.