Summer is an excellent time to gather products for homemade preserves. If you are going to make them for the first time this year, we will give you a hint where to start. They are sure to taste great all year long and remind you of the past summer.
It is worth bearing in mind that if you have the opportunity, the products for preparation should be of natural origin. So find out how to make delicious jam from various fruits!
Taste of summer closed in a jar, or how to make homemade powidls
Fruits harvested in the summer, especially those you have in excess, can be used to make jam. You can also make delicious and healthy syrups for water, as well as tinctures and jams. Properly prepared jam or jam stored in a dry, cool place will last a really long time. You can later use them in cakes, as a side dish for meats, as well as on sandwiches, in pancakes and pies.
What will you need to prepare the jam?
Depending on which fruits you choose and how much sugar you add to them, they will be sweet or sour, respectively. Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
- 2 kilograms of fruit (plums or cherries),
- 200 grams of white sugar,
- water,
- stonecutter (you can also remove the seeds by hand),
- deep pot,
- wooden spoon,
- jars with screw caps.
How to prepare the perfect jam?
Start preparing the jam by thoroughly washing the fruits and separating those that are not fit for consumption, that is, rotten. Then remove the seeds. Of course, in the case of significantly larger plums, this will be much easier, even if you do not have a stonecutter. On the other hand, removing seeds from cherries can be time-consuming, so be patient. After cleaning the fruits, place them in a pot and cover them with sugar. Add a small amount of water. Cook the whole thing over low heat, covered, and stir from time to time with a wooden spoon, so that the fruit does not stick to the bottom of the pot. The whole cooking process will take about 4 hours.
After cooking, set the jam aside to cool thoroughly. Now you can start the process of putting them into jars. From experience, we know that small dishes work better. Be sure to write down on them the date when they were sealed. To seal the jam thoroughly, it is best to use another homemade method. We are talking about pasteurization, which significantly extends the freshness of the fruit.
How to pasteurize jam in the dishwasher?
The process of pasteurization can be carried out in a dishwasher, which practically everyone has at home. All you need to do is carefully cap the jars and turn on the device. But let’s start from the beginning. You can put fruit preserves in the dishwasher with peace of mind, they just need to be placed in a glass jar with a metal cap or rubber seal. Each should be placed on the top shelf with the bottom up. Wet curing will then work best. After placing the fruit inside the jar, leave a 2-3 centimeter gap between the lid and the jam. Then cap carefully and set at intervals in the dishwasher. Turn on the fast program, just 30 minutes, and your preserves will be perfectly protected for months. It is worth mentioning that the jam will be an excellent source of vitamins even after processing.
main photo: unsplash.com/Barbara Chowaniec
