How to Make Jam at Home Perfectly
Making Jam is one of the things on my list to learn and I had the chance recently. It’s one of those pleasurable, creative activities you can do which ends up with something delicious.
Our workshop led by Mary Cadogan, former food director of BBC Good Food Magazine and today a purveyor of jams. She simplified the whole process of jam making for us and made it all very easy. Especially as we had the use of a Thermapen to make sure that we had cooked the jam to the right temperature and took the worry out of making sure our jam is set. That is how to make jam perfectly.
This new Thermapen MK4 digital thermometer works really quickly. In just 3 seconds, you can get an accurate reading of what you are cooking. It’s great for all your other recipes like making caramel, roasting meat or grilling steaks on the BBQ.
Scroll down to win a Thermapen (worth £100) and a fabulous book.
Modern Way to Make Jam
According to Mary, Modern Jam making is making small batches of jam with a lot less fruit. You can make small batches of just 4 jars at a time. One to eat straight away, one to give away, one to keep for later and one to make cakes and pastries with.
You can use it on pretend toast like this one, made by Frances Quinn. (It’s actually a cake)
From an abundance of seasonal fruits, we chose the ones we wanted to make our small batch jam with. Making Jam and preserving is seen as a very old-fashioned pursuit. Not anymore, read the Modern Preserver book and you’ll see a new modern ways to make jam with exciting flavour combinations.
We chose, figs, pomegranates and green gages. On the table, we had a lot of different fruits to choose from and the amount of creativity around the room was fascinating. There were peach, strawberry, rhubarb jams, with added spice, botanical and even booze. The results which we got to taste were delicious.
Once the fruit was chosen, it was just a matter of preparing the fruit. We cut all the fruit into small pieces as you don’t want large chunks in your finished product.
Then it was all added to a big pot with some sugar and brought to the boil. We had to watch this closely and when it started bubbling, we used our Thermapen to check that we reached the right temperature. Then using a wooden spoon, we checked the consistency of the jam.
All jam makers worry about their jam setting. Using the new Thermapen Mk4 to measure the exact temperature required, you don’t have to worry about that ever again.
Using the Thermapen, you can instantly see when the bubbling concoction in your pan has reached the right temperature. This will ensure that you have reached the point where your jam will set. You can check it visually by looking at the consistency on your wooden spoon too.
You can see all the different colours of Thermapens on Amazon.
When it was all ready, we put them in pretty little jars, ready for gifting.
Amazingly, all this took less than an hour.
See the Master Jam Recipe here which will answer your questions on what sugar to use, which fruit has pectin and more.
Making Jam without Pectin
You don’t always have to use pectin or special pectin sugar to make jam. Some fruits naturally have a lot of pectin which will ensure that your jam sets. Just pick the right combination of fruits or use the Jam Making sugar.
GIVEAWAY- Win a copy of the Modern Preserver Book and a Thermapen Digital Thermometer.
To enter, follow the directions in the Rafflecopter app.
Terms of the Giveaway
- This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 who live in the UK.
- The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter (which uses random.org) and announced on this page.
- The winner will be contacted by e-mail, if they do not respond within 7 days another winner may be chosen.
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I would make blackberry jam because I have so many foraged blackberries leftover from my summer walks!
A brilliant use of foraged fruits!
Plum!
I would love to try and make plum jam. Would me good to make use of our plum tree.
We made a plum, pomegranate and fig jam. Add some other fruits or flavours to jazz it up.
I’d have a ago at Jam
I love plumb jam so would have a go at making that
Plums make lovely jams. You could even add some spices to make a chutney.
I’d make Blackberry and Apple jam, my favourite
Lovely combination of fruits for jam.
I have never been brave enough to make jam, but my Daughter would use this to make me a lovely blackberry jam
If you follow this recipe and use the Thermapen, it will turn out really nicely.
Strawberry Jam.
A popular choice.
Bit late in the year now, but blackcurrant next year – we have so many plants in our garden I find it hard to use them all!
Do you add any other fruit into that jam?
as family we all love raspberry jam so it would be that i made
I love that too.
I would make crab apple (and maybe blackberry) jam as I have hundreds in my garden!
Crab apple jam, nice.
I’ve also got a freezer full of hedgerow blackberries so I’d love to try making a bramble jelly!
I didn’t manage to find much this year.
Blackberry jam!
A popular choice.
Damson Jam
Lovely, are damsons quite sharp?
My wife made Bramble and Apple jam this year and it was dam good. Brambles and apples foraged for free.
Love that you can forage fruits and make delicious jam out of them.
Blackberry jam – loads around here
Everyone seems to have loads in their freezer.
I’d make sloe jam after we have soaked them in our gin for six weeks. . . we’ll give anything a go! such a shame to waste them 😉
A delicious sounding jam.
i’d make raspberry jam with the raspberries in my garden
It’s great that you can use ingredients foraged from your own garden.
Strawberry jam.
plum jam
blueberry jam, its my favourite!
Blueberry jam, the first mention here.
It would have to be blackberry jam – my favourite.
That seems to be the favourite here.
I’d like to try and make some Cherry jam.
A bit tricky getting the stones out first.
I love proper raspberry jam, so that’d be the first I made!
Me too.
blackcurrant as we grow them in our garden
Delicious.
I would make plum and ginger jam. I have huge plum tree in my garden and so many go to waste.
Plum and ginger, nice combo.
My favourite- bramble and apple!
I’d make cherry and amaretto jam – delicious!
An unusual flavour combination for a jam.
I would make mixed fruit jam, use up all the odds and ends in the freezer
Definitely raspberry!
We love damson jam, and mom makes a lovely mixed raspberry and strawberry jam so I’d have a go at that too
My favorite has to be Plum and chilli Jam
raspberry
I would make blackcurrant jam x
I have a freezer full of blackcurrants, so it would be blackcurrant jam
I would make a lovely strawberry jam
I would make apricot jam
Apple and raspberry jam I would make
I would make Damson jam.
I would make strawberry jam when we do PYO at a farm nearby
I would make a nice cherry jam
I would make damson jam, as I have a bag full of them left in the freezer.
I’d go for a standard strawberry jam – still my favourite!
Strawberry jam
I’d try my hand at some home made turkish delight
I would love to make strawberry jam.
I would a strawberry and vanilla jam
rhubarb and ginger jam!
I’d make some plum jam – and then some marmalade when the Seville oranges are around
I think I’d make my new favourite of rhubarb and ginger, tangy and delicious!
Blueberry Jam! Yum 🙂
Blackcurrant is my fave…but I have to admit to loving marmalade 😉 x
I would try a damson jam, also strawberry.
Raspberry or rhubarb – my fave fruits!
I have a plum tree in my garden so would love to use some of the fruit
I would make blackcurrant jam.
I would make raspberry jam. My favourite!
A strawberry jam would be the first thing i would make
I would have to make my homemade strawberry jam 🙂
Raspberry with fruit picked from my garden
I would like to try Plum Jam
Strawberry
I think it has to be strawberry jam for sure
Raspberry – my favourite!
Strawberry jam all the way. yummy
I’d make some rhubarb jam, I think!
I’d do blackcurrant
Plum jam first, but I would also like to try making carrot jam.
Blueberry Jam
strawberry jam
Elderberry 🙂
Blueberry 🙂
I am addicted to raspberry jam on crusty toast
Summer fruits – using homegrown berries
Love to have this plum jam
Hmmm, either strawberry or apricot, my two faves!
I would make Blackcurrant Jam.
Strawberry
I would make a strawberry jam x
I would love to make apricot jam
We now have a few blueberry bushes so I would love to make blueberry jam
We would do a mixed fruit jam as the children have already asked if they can make it
I’d have a go at making some blackberry jam 🙂
Blackberry and strawberry jams 🙂
I would love to make blackcurrant jam – thank you very much 🙂
I would make plum jam! My fave!
I would make plum jam
Raspberry because it’s my favourite
I’d love to try making my own strawberry jam!
Strawberry as its a favourite in our household
Plum jam – with our home grown plums
I would make rhubarb jam. Its delicious but tricky to set. A thermapen would hopefully solve the problem 🙂
Blackcurrant jelly, simply the best, can’t beat the flavour 🙂
I’d like to try and make some Chilli Jam.
I would make a raspberry & strawberry jam! x
strawberry jam
Black cherry
A blackberry jam would be lovely
I’d make raspberry from my own raspberry canes 🙂
I’d make raspberry jam with the Thermapen.
Blackberry
Raspberry!
I’d start with blueberry jam
I would make a classic strawberry jam
apple and blackberry – its one of my faves
I’d make apple, cinnamon and vanilla jam. Perfect for these wintry weeks!
i would make raspberry jam my sons favourite jam
Strawberry Jam
my husbands dad has a plum tree in the garden and we always get some plums when there ready and i always wanted to try making jam with them
If I won this, I would make some strawberry jam first, because my children like it best, Thanks for the lovely giveaway.
With so many brambles around, it has to be blackberry
I’d make raspberry jam first I should think
Blackberry & apple as we have loads right now!