| Strawberry jamming Again
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| | something needs to be added. I usually
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| More practical musings ? hints and tips
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| | add lemon juice, which doesn?t affect the
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| on making strawberry jam.
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| | flavour, you can also buy pectin in
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| Sunshine for the rest of the year
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| | packets. The more lemon juice you use ,
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| So I?m preparing strawberries for jam,
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| | the more likely it is to set firm ? I
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| the third evening this week. It is the
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| | like mine a bit runny, so tend to juggle
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| most productive week of the year as far
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| | the lemon juice a bit.
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| as our strawberries are concerned. The
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| | 1 kg prepared strawberries
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| best are already sold, fresh in punnets
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| | 750g sugar
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| and the seconds, some with scarcely a
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| | 25ml-50ml lemon juice or more if it
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| blemish, others hideously deformed but
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| | doesn?t set!
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| still flavoursome, are piled in heaps
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| | Use a large thick based pan. The
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| waiting to be hulled, halved, weighed and
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| | strawberries should only come to about
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| jammed.
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| | half way up or they will boil merrily
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| Just taking part in this process, I feel
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| | over, coating your stove with sticky
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| a bond back through the centuries with
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| | foam. Let the strawberries soak with the
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| all the women, who preserved, jammed,
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| | sugar overnight. This brings out the
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| pickled, prolonging the goodness and
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| | juice and keeps the fruit firmer so it
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| abundance of the seasonal produce to last
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| | doesn?t dissolve into a mush when cooked.
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| the whole year through. In the days
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| | Bring slowly to the boil, stirring
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| before fridges, freezers, supermarkets,
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| | occasionally to make sure the sugar
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| intercontinental fast transport, each
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| | dissolves before it boils. Then add the
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| household would have relied on itself to
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| | lemon juice. Boil at a moderate pace,
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| survive the winter without diseases
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| | without stirring, for at least half an
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| caused by vitamin deficiency and lack of
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| | hour before testing.
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| sunshine. Making jam wasn?t just a luxury
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| | The main thing is to keep your jam under
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| sweet, it was a way of preserving the
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| | observation after the first half hour of
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| summer sunshine a little longer, of
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| | boiling and sniff( to make sure it?s not
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| giving your children some vitamins to
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| | burning on the bottom of the pan), test
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| keep them strong, when the only things
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| | every 5 minutes with a drop on a cold
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| growing in the garden were cabbage or
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| | plate. Let it cool for a couple of
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| Brussels sprouts! I wonder if those
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| | minutes. If it starts feeling syrupy and
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| children ate them without fuss? Your
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| | makes a string to your finger when you
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| preserves would have been eked out to
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| | dip it, then that?s a good runny, syrupy
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| last until spring brought new fresh
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| | jam. If a skin forms and wrinkles when
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| growth with it.
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| | you push your finger through the drop of
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| Our jam supplies usually just last
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| | jam then it?s a firmer set. If after an
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| through until the next strawberry season.
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| | hour it still doesn?t get to either of
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| I?m generous to start with, giving it
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| | those stages you might have to add more
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| away as presents to friends, selling it
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| | lemon juice and boil it up again for
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| at the market for our school, then,
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| | another twenty minutes or so then start
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| strawberry season over, I count the jars
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| | testing all over again. You can tell if
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| and begin to get more parsimonious. After
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| | it is getting there as the bubbles start
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| all bought jam is now unheard of in the
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| | looking more syrupy, a slower rolling
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| family, I?m the only one who eats
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| | boil.
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| marmalade, which fills the winter jam
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| | Have your jars ready. 1kg of fruit makes
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| gap, so the strawberry and apricot jam
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| | about three medium sized jars. I usually
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| has got to last, come what may.
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| | sterilise mine by pouring boiling water
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| My strawberry jam recipe for success? (
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| | into clean, dry jars up to the top (they
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| and please note that this is just how I
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| | must be dry though, if there are drops of
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| make it? I?m not an expert and don?t even
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| | cold water in they can crack). Then when
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| have a jam thermometer, but I guess they
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| | the jam is ready, pour out the hot water
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| didn?t in the old days either. These are
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| | and ladle in the jam, right to the top,
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| just hints and tips gathered from making
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| | put on a circle of either waxed or baking
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| my own mistakes and from the advice of my
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| | paper and then the lid. Tighten the lid
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| sister-in-law.)
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| | now while it?s hot for a good seal. The
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| Extremely simple ingredients, but results
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| | spills of jam are easier to wipe off
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| vary wildly from the runny (running right
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| | while it?s still hot too, hold with a
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| off your toast runny) to the thick (spoon
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| | cloth though, hot is really HOT!
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| stands up in it) for no apparent reason ?
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| | If all this is sounding a bit laborious,
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| well the length of time cooking together
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| | you can always try waiting for the
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| with the amount of pectin are the reasons
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| | apricot season. Apricots are far less
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| but you can?t always tell about the
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| | temperamental, have plenty of pectin and
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| pectin in advance. Strawberries are very
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| | set more easily?. But hey.. strawberries
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| low in pectin, which is what makes jam
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| | are worth the effort and it?s mainly
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| set and the riper they are the less there
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| | patience you need, not technique. There
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| is. If they are wet that also dilutes the
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| | is a huge satisfaction from seeing the
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| pectin (let them dry on kitchen towel or
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| | jars lined up on the shelf, to see you
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| a dishcloth before preparing). So
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| | through the winter. Good luck!
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