Jam!!

Feeling a little autumnal after my jam making session! The blackberry and apple jam is SO GOOD! It actually tastes not unlike the Bonne Maman black currant jam. I promise I haven’t cheated though! My tip is to roughly sieve your fruit and add a little butter to the boiling sugar for creaminess!

Here is the recipe I based this on:http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/blackberry-and-apple-jam

I used the same proportions of apple:blackberry:sugar, the description for how to make the actual jam there is a bit rubbish though, i think they’ve missed out a step.

I chopped the apples and left them with the core in , boiled the fruit and then strained it roughly through a sieve. Add the fruit puree to the sugar (I didn’t use jam sugar, just normal granulated) and boil, adding a small knob of butter at this point. The recipe says you only need to boil it for 5 mins, but I think I had to boil it for more like 20 before I got a set (test every 5 mins), but possibly that was because I just sort of sloshed in water at the beginning rather than measuring it (I am one of THOSE cooks). I also added another small knob of butter once the jam had achieved a set. Because you can never have too much butter (probably).

I also ignored various bits in the recipe – I sterilized my jars by boiling not baking. Poured the jam into the jars straight away without leaving it to cool, and also have started eating the jam straight away – it tastes delicious now, whats the point in leaving it for 6 months? it’ll be spring by then and there’ll be tonnes of fresh fruit around. Jam is for autumn/winter! FOOLS!