At this time of year the fruit and vegetables are great, so I like to make the most of availability and make sauces, chutneys and relishes so we can enjoy them later in the year. I am seriously trying to reduce the amount of plastic used in our house, and preserving in glass jars certainly helps! I found this great blog Food in Jars where there is endless information. So I used their recipe to make Small Batch Strawberry Plum Jam!
The recipe seemed clear and didn't use masses of fruit, so I thought, perfect for me. I remember my mum making jam and it all being rather stressful, however my first venture into the world of jam making was great fun!
This is when I wish we had smell a vision, at this stage the smell was amazing! I really didn't have a clue about making jam, and in this recipe she said to put fruit and sugar in pan and leave for 15 minutes to draw the liquid out of the fruit! Fascinating!
The only thing I was unsure about was how long to boil it for, the recipe didn't say a rough guide for this, so then I was a bit worried would it set. I used my canner to seal the jars so that it didn't need to stay in the fridge and it will keep for up to a year. (If it gets a chance too?)
I got four pots, and when I checked it this morning by tilting the jars it seems to have set! Happy days! In the photo above you can see I also make some Bengal chutney, which is the closest thing to that well known pickle, so it was a successful day I think! It wasn't a sticky situation just a fun day preserving!
