Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Backyard jam



Today Noel has made a very nice batch of jam. [Photo: with a couple of jars of jam]

It's backyard jam because the fruit grew in the backyard.
The recipe is based on the fig jam recipe from the 1976 Queensland WMU cookery book (they didn't include the 'P', which stands for Presbyterian, and the 'WMU' stands for Women's Missionary Union). Fig is the main fruit. Other fruit added are cumquats and peaches, so it has a citrus tang from the cumquats.

Here's the recipe:
Weigh the fruit. The ratio of fruit to sugar is 4:3
1.6 Kg fruit
1.2 Kg sugar

Cut stalks off the figs and halve or quarter them; cut any unripe ones into smaller pieces. Cut the other fruit to suitable sizes.
Put cut fruit into a large pot with about half the sugar sprinkled over the layers. Let them stand for about 12 hours, which will bring out juice.
Next day bring the fruit to the boil, then add the remainder of the sugar.
Boil until it jells.
Fill clean dry glass jars.
If you have metal lids for the jars, put the lids on while the jam is very hot, and invert them. This heat sterilises the lid and airspace. After a couple of hours stand the jars upright.
If you don't have lids for the jars, allow to cool without cover, then cover with suitable material (I use a piece of baking paper and rubber band).