CraftLee Recipe - How to make Jam.

Hi There!
Its a dull and dark rainy day here in Cork City so I've brightened up my morning with some great nespresso coffee,  warm buttery toast and sunny home made apricot jam for breakfast. I made this jam during the summer holidays and when the winter starts to close in I open a pot of fruity goodness it brings me straight back to those long sunny fruitful days.

Have you ever made your own jam ? You can adapt this recipe and make jam with any type of fruit.
Its really simple ! Just follow these easy steps below!

How to Make Apricot Breakfast Jam - 

You are going to need the following :

Your chosen FRUIT 
- the jam I've made here is Apricot (with some lemon & lime added as I don't like my jam to be too sweet!)
Jam Sugar - sugar with pectin added in (this helps the jam to set)
Weighing Scales
Decent sized pan
- it doesn't have to be a jam making pan any large heavy based saucepan or pot will do.
Second large pan - for sterilising equipment
Jam Jars ( you can use old jam jars or pasta sauce jars)
Lids (you can use metal lids or cellophane tops with elastic bands available from any cook shop)
Ladle & large wooden or plastic spoon
Spatula - I love the rubber kind
Labels - buy them or make your own but you need to label your jam to remember when you made it
(& obviously let the world know about your status as a Domestic Goddess!!)

& not essential but it does make life a lot easier -
A Jam Funnel (a fairly handy piece of kit to get the jam actually IN to the jars!)
A Pre-set Timer - either on your phone or oven, its easier to use one than to watch the jam and the clock at the same time !

Whew!
That does seem like a pretty long list but once you've everything gathered in one place it is easy! - promise!

The beautiful apricots for my jam were delivered to my door by a very generous neighbour who owns the apricot tree that I can see from my kitchen window - how lucky am I ?!

First Things First - weigh your fruit and your jam sugar. You want approximately the same amount of jam and sugar (or maybe a little less sugar depending on how sweet your fruit is). So I've used 1 kilo of apricots & 900 gm's of jam sugar here.

Now wash and prepare your utensils and jam jars (& metal lids if using) by washing and scrubbing them in very hot soapy water.

Pop the lids and utensils into your large pan, cover with boiling water and simmer on the hob whilst you are preparing the jam - this will ensure they are sterile.

To sterilise the jars, after washing rinse them in boiling water and place them on a sturdy baking tray in a warm oven for approx 20 mins (you can use this time to prepare your fruit). after the time is up turn off the oven and leave jars in the warm oven until you are ready to fill them with jam. Using 1 kilo of fruit you will need about six regular sized jam jars.

Now its time to prepare your chosen fruit. Wash, de-seed and chop into bite sized pieces. My apricots were VERY sweet so I added the juice of a lemon and a lime to my jam.

Pour in the sugar and lets get this party started!

Give everything a good stir !

Move the pan on to the hob and turn up the heat! If there are small people living in your house - this is the time to ensure that they are otherwise occupied!
When the jam is cooking it will take all of your attention for the next 10 minutes or so....

And keep stirring ! As the mixture heats up the sugar will melt and the fruit will soften. Its needs your stirring attention to make sure that the sugar does not stick to the bottom and burn.

Keep stirring ! (& enjoying those wonderful fruity aromas filling up your kitchen!)

Eventually the jam will boil and at this stage it needs 110% of your attention ! Stir like a mad thing ! Be careful not to get splattered as hot jam is 'hotter than the sun!' Follow the instructions on your Jam Sugar packet - mine required the mix to boil for 2 minutes.

When the jam has boiled for the required time allow to cool slightly - stirring gently for about five minutes  After this time carefully remove your sterilised jars from the oven.Using the jam funnel and ladle, carefully fill your jars up with your yummy jam.

Don't fill your jars to the very top and ensure you keep the rims clean!

Using a clean tea towel and a lot of care get the lids on your jars as quickly as you can. Ensure the lids are as tight as possible. When the jars are cooled you can add your labels with the type of jam and the date. The best place to store home made jam is in a dark cupboard. Correctly sealed it should last for about a year and must be stored in the refrigerator once opened.

Now set that table I'm ready for my second breakfast of the day !!
If you have any jam recipes you'd like to share I would love to hear about them.

Thank you for visiting & please do call again!

Love Siubhan x x x