These days we tend to make most of our own condiments and it is actually quite therapeutical. The recipe is straight forward and even though I was a kitchen hand observing this is bullet proof so yes even I can do this.
The recipe step by step
1kg fruit (your choice)
4 table spoons lemon juice
6 table spoons of Pectin
6 cups of sugar (1.5kg)
We made a batch of 9 jars of Blackberry jam and another batch of 8 jars of Pineapple jam which should last us a good 6 months unless we give some away which we tend to do.
** Red magnet far right which you will need later in the process.**
First off you start placing your selected fruit into a metal dish and here we have pineapple. Metal dish as this is going to go onto the stove or even a baking bowl would suffice if it can take heat.
Here we have split the 6 x 250 g of sugar and placed 2 x 250g of sugar with the 6 table spoons of pectin. This is so it does not congeal and we can add the sugar in the next step once it has heated up and is ready.
The balance of the 4 x 250g sugar so as not to miss a step and can show you what to do.
Heat through the sugar and pectin and you will see the texture change and looks more creamy.
Now we add the balance of the sugar to the sugar pectin mix and cook until ready to serve into the containers/jars. Yes we have the gadgets and granny does loads of gadget shopping.
The jars are sterilized in the dish washer of high and the lids are placed into a bowl of boiling water. We cannot have any foreign contamination so germ free and no touching with hands either. In the bowl of fruit photo there is a red gadget on the top right which is a magnet which is used placing the lids on the jars.
The steam canner is a neat piece of equipment which is very important as this helps seal the jars. One has to bring the temperature up to match your altitude above sea level. In Johannesburg we are 1753 meters above sea level (5751 feet) so we have to steam this for 10 minutes. This basically also vacuums the lids onto the jars and seals the jam so no foreign bodies can make there way in and this obviously preserves the jam. Yes there is a lid that goes over the top of this and just noticed no photo taken.
The jars are placed on the steamer and once done they are left to rest so the vacuum process is not disturbed.
Very simple really and at the same time cost effective once you have all the gadgets. I would guess this is roughly R15 per jar of jam which is around a third of the price.
I will make a batch of Monkey Gland sauce over the coming weeks and highly recommend anyone who loves a sweet and sour type sauce give this a go. Monkey Gland is a specialty sauce from South Africa that goes very well with meat and it does not contain Monkey. This is my favorite hamburger sauce and will share a step by step guide so it is well worth trying.
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