Preserving the Season. Mary Tregellas
Wait until the end and skim all at once to avoid wastage.
Marmalades
The key to a good citrus marmalade is to cook the peel thoroughly before adding sugar, or the final preserve will be tough. There are two ways to make marmalade: either cook the fruit whole, or shred the peel before cooking. To tell if the cooked peel is soft enough: with whole fruit, there should be no resistance when piercing with a fork; with shreds, you should be able to crush them easily between your thumb and finger. Once the peel is softened, the method is much the same as jam—dissolve sugar and boil rapidly until a setting point is reached. See here for more information on making marmalade.
Curds
Fruit curds are soft and creamy preserves made from the juice and zest of citrus fruits, or the purée of other fruit varieties. The juice or purée is whisked together with butter, sugar, and eggs in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Curds need careful attention while cooking to ensure they do not curdle. Make in small batches because they keep for only about four weeks in the fridge.
Cordials
Fruit that is too ripe for jam- or jelly-making is fine for cordials, since there is no setting point to worry about. The process starts in the same way as for jelly—cook the fruit with a little water until juicy, then strain through a jelly bag. Dissolve sugar in the strained juice and then bottle. Cordials will keep for one to two months only in the fridge, but you can extend their keeping times by freezing and pasteurizing.
Freezing: allow the cordial to cool, then fill clean plastic bottles, leaving a gap at the top to allow for expansion as the cordial freezes. They should keep up to a year.
Pasteurizing: you will need a very deep saucepan, a sugar thermometer, and bottles that are not too tall. After filling the bottles, screw the lids on lightly. Put a folded dish towel in the bottom of the pan and stand the bottles on it. They should not touch each other. Fill the pan with warm water to within 1 in. (2.5 cm) of the bottle tops, and heat the water to sterilizing point, 190ºF (88°C). Maintain this temperature for 20 minutes, then remove the bottles, and tighten the lids. Cordials processed this way should keep for up to a year, stored somewhere cool and dark. Refrigerate after opening.
Chutneys
Fruits and vegetables are cooked slowly with vinegar, sugar, and spices until soft and well reduced. Depending on the ingredients, this can take up to two hours, so do not abandon the pan, especially in the later stages when it is more prone to catch and burn. Chutney is ready when a spoon drawn through it leaves a trail. It will thicken a bit more when cooled. If you can wait, leave chutneys to mature for a few weeks before eating—they will mellow and taste less vinegary. Most chutneys will keep for at least a year or more, though they may discolor a little.
Jellies
One of the joys of jelly-making is that it requires minimal preparation; just wash and chop the fruit roughly (no peeling or de-seeding required). The fruit is cooked with water to release the juice, and then strained through a jelly bag for several hours or overnight. The juice is then measured and cooked with sugar until it reaches setting point. The usual sugar-to-juice ratio is between 1–1 lb 5 oz. (450–600 g) of sugar to 1 pint (600 mL) juice.
Acid and pectin are essential in the setting of jams and jellies. I like soft jams, so rarely worry about achieving a firm set, but nobody wants runny jelly, and jellies need pectin in order to set well. Use high-pectin fruits (or combine with those that are), or add pectin in liquid or powdered form. Adding tart cooking apples or freshly squeezed lemon juice can help.
Squeezing the jelly bag yields more juice but turns the jelly cloudy, so for a crystal-clear preserve, allow the jelly bag to drip instead.. This is especially desirable when making light-colored jellies, such as apple and quince. However, with darker varieties, such as bramble, I squeeze or press down the contents of the jelly bag with a spoon. As the jelly is very dark, a little cloudiness goes unnoticed.
Ketchups and Sauces
A little like chutneys, these are made from fruit, vegetables, vinegar, sugar, and spices, but turned into a smooth purée by rubbing through a sieve or a mouli, and then cooked until they reach the desired consistency.
Sterilizing
Jars and bottles should be sterilized just before filling to prevent the growth of bacteria. Do not use any that have cracks or chips. The method I always use is as follows: wash well in hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and drain. Place on a cookie sheet in a cold oven, turn it to 300ºF (150°C) and leave them for 15–20 minutes— try to time it so that the jars are ready at roughly the same time as the preserve. Most metal jam-jar lids, including many lined ones, can be sterilized in the same way, or placed in boiling water for 2 minutes, and then thoroughly dried with paper towels. Jars and bottles can also be sterilized in a dishwasher, using the hottest cycle.
Alternatively, place the jars in a saucepan, and cover with warm water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes, then drain, and leave to air dry.
Testing for a Set
Do this for jams, jellies, and marmalades. Always take the pan off the heat while you are testing for a set.
The wrinkle test: place a saucer in the freezer for a few minutes. Put half a teaspoon of preserve on the chilled plate, and return to the freezer for a minute. Then push the preserve gently with your finger—it will wrinkle if setting point has been reached. If not, boil for another 2–3 minutes, and test again. I find this method to be the most reliable.
The thermometer test: the setting point of jam and marmalade is 220°F (105°C). If your preserve has reached this temperature, in theory, setting point has been reached. (In my experience, this is not always the case!)
The flake test: dip a wooden spoon in the preserve, let it cool for a few seconds, then let it drop off the spoon. If the preserve forms flakes that hang on the edge of the spoon, setting point has been reached.
Potting
Remove any scum from the preserve with a metal spoon. Make sure you have everything ready— funnel, ladle, sterilized jars. (I keep the jars on a cookie sheet when filling to catch any spills.) Ladle the hot preserve into the hot jars, filling them almost to the top. With thicker preserves such as chutneys, you may need to remove air pockets by pushing down with a teaspoon. Place a waxed paper disc (wax side down) on top of the preserve, cover with a circle of plastic wrap if using, then screw the lid on tightly. Use an oven mitt or dish towel, as the jars will be hot. Leave to cool and label.
Preserves that contain large pieces of fruit should be left to cool for 15 minutes before potting, so that the fruit/shreds do not all rise to the top of the jar.
Storing
Most jams, jellies, chutneys, and marmalades will keep for at least a year. They should be stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Once opened, all preserves should be kept in the fridge and eaten within a few weeks. See individual recipes for specific storage instructions.
All jars need to be sterilized before use.
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