We’ve made nearly 300 jars of jam in the last year, and it’s been a really fun learning curve. Pete does most of the actual jam making; my job is to prepare the pectin, sterilise jars and most importantly, to sit on the kitchen bench and cheer him on.
We’ve learnt a few things through experience over the last 12 months, and I thought I’d pass these on, in case they’re of use to anyone. Making jam at home is not complicated, but it is desperately rewarding and will provide you with an endless supply of much appreciated, highly anticipated gifts. Here are our top tips.
1. Make your own pectin. Homemade apple pectin is so much easier to use than commercial pectin – the latter can only be boiled briefly, whereas the homemade version can be added to the fruit right from the beginning. Apart from tasting better (our personal opinion), it’s also easier to control how the jam sets with your own pectin, because you can start with less and add more to adjust as you go. We always make our pectin in large batches and can it (see point 11 below), but there’s no reason why you couldn’t make a small amount for the batch of jam you’re planning and use it straight away.
2. Source really good glass jars. If you’re in Australia, try either Cospak or, our favourite, Plasdene. The ladies at Plasdene in Milperra are particularly helpful, albeit occasionally bemused by us (“Celia, what on earth are you going to do with all these jars?”). They have a wonderful showroom which can inspire lots of new ideas, and watch out for the specials by the door as you walk in. Both places have minimum orders, so it’s worth ringing first before you order or visit. Also, the glass jars are easy to recycle, but you really can’t reuse the lids, so if you can afford it, try to buy some extra lids for the refills while you’re there.
3. Use a big stock pot. Jams and jellies need wide fat pots, not narrow tall ones. They also need to be BIG, because the mixture needs to boil up in the pot before it will set. Pete’s recommendation for jelly making is that the jelly should only fill about 1/8 of the pot when you start, although jam can be a little fuller.
4. Try to use fruit at its peak. Apart from being the whole purpose of jam making – that is, to preserve the fruit at its very best – it’s also really the only time it’s worth doing, for both quality and economic reasons. Having said that, make full use of your freezer if you have one – fruit frozen in season works perfectly well for jam. In many cases, it doesn’t even need to be defrosted first.
5. There are four key elements of jam making – fruit, sugar, pectin and acid. If any one of these is absent, the jam usually won’t set, and if the balance is out, the jam won’t set well. Lemon juice is in every jam we make, as it helps to activate the pectin. Sometimes, particularly with jellies, the mix won’t set unless there is enough sugar. Every recipe is a guide, because the fruit varies from batch to batch, so you need to constantly taste and adjust as you go.
6. Don’t add the sugar too soon. Begin the jam making process by placing the prepared fruit, pectin and acid in a large stock pot and bringing it to the boil. Once the fruit has softened to your liking, then add the sugar. When the sugar is added, the skins of the fruit won’t soften any further, and fruits like strawberries won’t break down much more. But for fruits like raspberries, which fall apart very easily, the sugar can be added straight away.
7. Try to minimise the amount of added sugar. Start with a lesser amount than you think you need, then add more if required to set the jam. Sugar is often used in commercial jams to cover up poor quality fruit, but conversely, if you have really great fruit, too much sugar will mask that as well. Lately, Pete has been experimenting with using more pectin and less sugar, and the jams have all been setting quite well (albeit a little firmer than normal). Again, it’s all about the balance between the four key ingredients.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that jellies need a minimum amount of sugar to set (usually one cup of sugar to one cup of liquid) – jams are more forgiving on this front.
8. Boil gently at first, then at full-bore. This is an often disputed point in jam making. Pete’s approach is this: bring the fruit, pectin and lemon juice to a gentle (but proper) boil, and keep it at that level until the fruit softens to a consistency you’re happy with. Add the sugar, then bring it back up to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves. Skim well at this point – you won’t be able to skim once the pot is boiling vigorously. Once the sugar is dissolved and the jam has been clarified, then raise the heat and bring the pot to a full rolling boil (one that rises up in the pot) until the jam is set.
Jellies in particular will never set until they are brought to a feverish boil which causes them to rise up in the pot (which is why you need to use a big, wide pot!). If you’ve brought them to a rising boil and the jelly still won’t set, you will probably need to add something – either more pectin, sugar or acid.
9. Always skim off as much foam as you can. This is particularly important with jelly – as it boils, the foam rising to the surface carries with it the impurities (for want of a better word) in the jelly, and the more you can remove at this time, the clearer and more jewel-like the finished product will be. By the way, foam and surface scum are really good signs – they mean the pectin is doing its job and setting the preserve.
10. Test for set. Before you start, put a small saucer in the fridge to cool. Alternatively, you could use an ice-pack and put the saucer on that to chill. Test the jam or jelly by putting a small blob on the cold saucer. Wait a minute or two, then give the jam a poke with your finger. If it wrinkles, then it’s ready. Make sure you turn off the heat while you’re testing, or you might end up scorching your jam.
11. Hot water processing. Another hotly debated issue and there are many people who don’t believe this step is necessary. We always ladle our jams and jellies into sterilised jars, then seal them and boil them in a hot water bath for ten minutes. It’s an easy process, providing you remember to put the hot jars in hot water (pouring cold water on the hot jars can crack them – I learnt that the hard way). We either use a pasta pot, or we place a silicone mat in the base of our big stock pot, and stand the jars on that. Make sure the boiling water covers the top of the jars by at least 2.5cm (1″). Please note that if you’re making preserves other than sweet jams and jellies, then hot water processing may not be adequate, and you might need to invest in a pressure canner to ensure food safety.
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Do you have any jam making tips? We’d love to hear them! And for more information, including recipes, please have a look at our JAMS page.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I’m almost inspired to take up jam, or to be specific, marmalade making again after all those useful tips. My experience used to be rather hit and miss, but part of the fun was experimenting with different combinations and achieving surprising results each time. Many thanks for the suggestions…and yes, I know, why would I want to make jam when I can buy the best in the world from you…!!
Well, you’d make your own because a. it would be better and b. we never make marmalade! :)
I have no idea where to start on marmalade, but I do know that it apparently needs twice as much sugar (at least) as regular jams. It’s a good time too, as citrus are everywhere at the markets right now!
Celia,
I am interested in your experiments with the less sugar, Do you still take it to around 105 degrees celsius? and do you find that there has been more liquid removed from the Jam. My suspicion is that the reason it sets harder is that to get to the 105 degrees for the pectin and acid to react you need to be at a certain concentration of sugar, so the end result is that the sugar content of the Jam is the same as if you added more sugar at the start, the additional pectin would explain why it is slightly stiffer than normal Jam.
Let me know if this doesn’t seem to be the case as I am keen to find out :)
James
James, I’ll try and get Pete to field this question, as he’s the jam maker in the house. I know he doesn’t use a thermometer, but he is insistent that the jam has to get to a certain temp before it will set (which he determines by the way it boils up in the pot). I’ve just posted his recipe for raspberry jam, which was an attempt at lower sugar jam, so you can see the finished result. It’s definitely a lot less runny than other raspberry jams, but still very spreadable, even out of the fridge.
You may well be right that the end result is the same as if we had added all the sugar at once – I guess Pete’s aim of adding it gradually was so that we didn’t add more than was absolutely necessary to set the jam.
Celia
James,
When we use less (but enough), sugar with plenty of pectin and acid it doesn’t usually take any longer to reach the setting temp, (it’s not reducing down any more). I suspect what is happening is that quite a lot of jam has far more sugar than is strictly necessary for setting purposes. Also our ‘pectin’ includes fructose from the apples which doesn’t taste the same as sucrose, so both of these factors may contribute to an end product that is clearly far less sweet to the palate than ‘normal’ jam.
Pete
Pete,
Thanks for the info, I will try less sugar next time and see if it gives similar results to yours.
James
I’ve had a busy SUmmer of Jam here in New York, too! In the past I’ve used standard canning jars with two piece lids but I recently found a supplier for cheaper & prettier jars in more sizes & shapes with lids very much like the ones in your picture. They are one piece lids with a white coating on the interior. They screw on with a half-turn.
I was wondering what sort of shelf life you’re getting with these types of jars. I’ve water-bathed them but they don’t quite give me that satisfying “you know this is safe to eat” vacuum “POP” when they’re opened.
Any input would be very appreciated!
Miss B, I buy the lids with a raised button on the top, so I know they’re sealed when they “pop” (ie. the suction pulls the button down). Like the ones you get when you buy commercial jams and sauces – let me know if you’d like me to take a photo of one for you. I think the plain ones still concave in a little from the suction, but I agree with you about the satisfying “pop” sound (in our case, the jars make that noise as they’re cooling).
I think if the lids you’re using aren’t popping when you’re opening them, then they’re possibly not sealing well enough? Our well sealed jars are keeping well for up to a year, although the texture and colour change a bit over that time. No spoilage, though. After about eight months, we’ve noticed some of the jams tend to darken a little, and some become a bit runnier, but I think that’s the norm, particularly with jams like strawberry.
Hope that all makes sense..
Celia
They pop a little bit, but not enough to make me feel all that safe canning in large quantities. The company *says* they’re for jams & preserves, and sells them to big companies as well as the little guys, but I don’t know.
I need to find a jar company that sells lids with buttons!
Thanks for the information!
And I’m being very serious….with this primer, I promise you that I will start making more and more jams – with focus, with seriousness and with enjoyment. I’ve always made patchwork jams – jams that didn’t set, didn’t gel, didn’t anything…and then ended up adding ‘gelatine’ at the end…resulting in a thick mass of almost solid stuff. My memories of mint jelly….not fond at all. This is great stuff. i appreciate it and I can promise – you’ll see the results! Thanks once again
BTW, have you heard of superjam? google it please. Its made without sugar (and I’ve sampled numerous jars) and can testify to their being as jammy as they come. It is sweetened with grape juice. I reckon that would work well wouldn’t it? If you use homemade pectin…Have you ever tried making no-sugar jams?
Thanks Oz! I hope the primer helps..
Pete hasn’t ventured much into the world of no-added sugar jams – will get him to google it. Of course, adding grape juice is still adding sugar – just not the wicked white refined stuff. :) He’s been experimenting with lower sugar jams – had some success with a raspberry jam, which was well set but still lovely and tart. There is a real balance needed to get the jams to set – pectin, sugar, acid, fruit – all need to be working together. I think if you leave one out all together (and don’t use something like the grape juice to compensate for the sugar), then you might end up with a thick stew rather than a properly set jam. Thanks for the suggestion though – I’m sure it will give Pete some new ideas.. :)
Celia
What a great site! I was just looking at the page for making your own pectin and am grateful for the photos – this page too.
You mentioned using lemon juice to help activate the homemade pectin – how much is needed? Does it depend on the pectin content of the fruit?
Thank you! :)
All jams need acid, (to allow it to set and to provide a taste balance for the sweetness) and most fruit doesn’t have enough natural acid. Lemon juice is very commonly used but it is not the only option. The amount of acid required is probably more to do with the taste than the chemistry. However, we would always add at least the juice from 1/2 a lemon (per kg of fruit) to all jams. Personally I like tart jams so there is often more that this used, particularly for low acid fruit.
Often more tart fruit, (particularly less ripe fruit), has more natural pectin so less added pectin and acid is required. The amount of added pectin required is all to do with how firm you want the jam to set, the amount of acid is mostly a matter of taste.
Hi
I am about to make lots of jam for a school fete next year. What size hexagonal jar would you recommend? 190mls looks a little small?
Claire,
Most of the hexagonal jars we use are 300ml. The 190mls are nice, but they can be a bit fiddly to fill. I think the best value jars are the round 300ml salsa jars – not only are they the most economical, they have a really wide 82mm mouth, which makes them much easier to fill. In Sydney, you can also buy a stainless steel jam funnel at kitchenware stores which will fit in neatly – great if you’re filling a lot of jars (note that we’ve never found a funnel for the hexagonal bottles). What jams are you planning to make? :)
Celia
I make raspberry and apricot and i plan to make some relish and chutney for this market. I bought a funnel today that fits the 190ml hexagonal jar. It is from a wonderful cookware store called scullery made in Malvern, Melbourne. Thanks for your help, i am addicted to your site!
Thank you, that’s made my day! :) I’ll see if Scullery have a website – it’s hard to find small funnels which are wide enough to let the jam through. Raspberry and apricot – we’ve never tried that before, although we have done raspberry and rhubarb. We’ve tend to use frozen raspberry, they’re just too expensive fresh for jam making. That might be different in Melbourne, since they don’t need to travel as far from Tassie…
Cheers, Celia
Celia I mean’t I make Raspberry Jam and Apricot Jam, not the two combined!!! I source the Raspberries from the Dandenongs which are about half an hour drive from Melbourne. I take my 4 children along for a morning of berry picking. It is a lovely activity to do with them. Scullery have a website but it is a work in progress. You would be better to call them. The funnel cost around $13.00. Made of aluminium. Cheers
Hahaha…we make a nectarine and raspberry jam, so the apricot and raspberry didn’t sound so far fetched! How wonderful to be able to go raspberry picking! Don’t think it’s possible in NSW. I’ll keep my eye out for the funnel now I know they exist. Thanks!
Is it possible to have the recipe for nectarine and raspberry jam, sounds delicious. Thanks
Claire, all I wrote down was the ingredients list.. :)
2kg nectarines, stoned, skinned and diced
500g raspberries
2kg sugar
lemon juice
500ml homemade pectin
From memory, Pete boiled up the nectarines in pectin and lemon juice until soft, then added the sugar and raspberries and boiled until set. Nectarines can take a while to soften, so don’t add the sugar and raspberries until the nectarines are at the consistency you want. Hope that helps – sorry it’s so sparse!
Cheers, Celia
does anyone have any ideas about making jam in a bread maker or slow cooker??
I’ve been making jams and jellies for the past 3 – 4 years. Up until now I’ve either simply covered the jars with cellophane covers (like my mother used to do) or used paraffin to make a seal (but still adding a cellophane cover to keep dust etc off). (The melted paraffin is poured over the jam once it has cooled.) The only problem I’ve encountered with the cellophane alone is that the jam tends to dehydrate after a few months if it’s not kept in a cool place, so that’s why I started using the paraffin (I like to arrange the jars on the pelmet above the kitchen sink, where they are decorative, but it is a warm spot). Out of many batches of jam the only problem I’ve had with spoilage was a single jar of spaghetti squash jam (made in imitation of the Argentinian dulce de cayote), and that I attribute to not having been able to get the mixture to a proper setting point.
Now, yesterday I tried sealing some jars of quince jelly with screw-on lids, and found that the jelly in the sealed jars did not set as well as jelly from the same batch that was left to cool in unsealed jars. The jelly that cooled in open jars set perfectly. Have you encountered this problem? I’ve made quince jelly on several occasions previously, always adding a little lemon juice but never any pectin, and never encountered problems with setting.
Hi Mark, we’ve never made jam with cellophane covers, simply because when Pete started we did a lot of internet research, and the current advice is to not use that method of sealing (see here for example). Even though it’s been used forever, and is still the prevailing method required for jams and preserves being entered into shows!
Does make sense though that the jelly under cellophane would dry out more and therefore set better, which it won’t do in a sealed jar. All of Pete’s jams and jellies are made with pectin (with the exception of crabapple, from memory) and very occasionally one won’t set properly – I know he had a terrible time with grape jelly last year – by the time it finally set, it was more of a sticky syrup! With the jams, it’s not too bad, since he prefers them to be softly set anyway. :)
Sorry we couldn’t be of more help…
Celia
Hi everyone!
I am in need of a jam funnel urgently in Sydney and would appreciate if anyone know where to get them! Could get it on the internet but that require about 2 to 4 weeks. Have already try Cospak and Plasdene and most of the hospitality warehouses and they have got none.
Philip, try calling Gina Cucina in Leichhart, or Chef’s Warehouse in Surry Hills. I’ve seen them in both places. The jam funnel is very large – only fits into the large salsa jars you can buy, not the smaller ones. I think the salsa jars are 82mm openings. Good luck! PS. Please let me know if you ever find a smaller jam funnel, we could use one for our jars with smaller openings! :)
Hi,
I was wondering if you could tell me what the fruit to pectin ratio is. Or at least a starting point. I have never tried making my own pectin. I would like to, but would need to know how much to add to the fruit.
Thanks!
Jackie, I’m sorry to be imprecise, but it really does take a bit of trial and error as it depends on the fruit and how strong the pectin is (it loses a little setting strength over time or with freezing). Pete will often add one jar to pectin rich fruits like plums and up to three jars to fruits such as raspberries which have no pectin at all. It isn’t really a problem though, because unlike commercial pectin, you can add some pectin at the beginning and more later on if the set isn’t to your liking. As a ballpark, I’d start with one 300ml jar of homemade pectin to a kilo of fruit, and see how you go from there.
Hope this helps…
Celia
[…] read Celia of Fig Jam & Lime Cordial’s great Jam making primer: you’ll learn a lot about the jam test and […]
I LOVE making jams but have had mixed luck getting them to set. So I guess I should say I love making jams and/or sauces. Ha. I can’t wait to try your pectin recipe. Do you use the same (roughly) amount of the homemade pectin as the commerical stuff that the recipes call for?
Preppy, I’m sorry, we’ve never used commercial pectin, so I have no comparison. The amount we use depends enormously on the amount of natural pectin in the fruit – some fruits such as certain varieties of plum don’t need much at all, whereas others such as berries seem to need more.
Hello folks,
i can only echo others by saying – Wonderful site full of info for jam makers ! txx
I don’t use a funnel tho i have thought of it .. i use a nice sized plastic measuring jug which does the trick rather well. Today i have tried your pectin recipe, can’t wait to use it … now at least the birds won’t get all our apples !
Cheers
Hi there, thanks for stopping by! There seems to be so many Moomin fans who leave me comments – I must get myself some of the books! Have fun with your pectin! :)
Great page for jam making.
In the past I have made hedgerow jam and potted into recycled jars and lids with no problem of spoilage, even after 1year, of course the houses in UK were far cooler year round than here in NZ or in OZ I imagine.
Thanks Viki!
Just discovered your wonderful site of jam making. Recently I made strawberry guava jam, but the pips were a real pest, although I tried to sieve them. I think the guava needs a another fruit. Can you suggest something. I have lots of persimmons on the tree and I plan to make some jam. Are they high in pectin?