Preserving Fruits in Jars: Main Jam-Making Steps

Preserving fruits in jars in the form of a jam allows the preservation of fruits long-term and has been known in different cultures for centuries. Whether you are new or have years of practice, knowing the techniques for making jams will help you in the future to cook tasty, fragrant and colorful jams. Below you will find a list of the main techniques that will help you prepare tasty homemade jams for the whole family and friends.

1. Select the Fruits: Start by selecting the fresh and ripe fruits. Ideally the fruits should be organic. Fresh fruits contain a lot of pectin, which is important in the production of tasty homemade jams.

2. Prepare the Fruits: First start by washing the fruits with cool or warm water. Sometimes it is better to soak the fruits. Then peel and cube them if needed. Fruits should be pitted and any seeds should be removed. If we need a pureed consistency then sometimes there is a need to cube and then mash the fruits, such a s apples or pears. There is no need in cutting or mashing berries, but you can halve the big strawberries.

3. Add Some Sugar: Sugar in jams has a few functions. Sugar adds sweetness but also can be a great substitute to a pectin, what is more it can be a great preservative. The amount of sugar you need to add to your homemade jam depends on the recipe, the level of sweetness you would like to have, but also on the fruits from which the jams are made. Preserving fruit without sugar is a more risky but still used method.

4. Add Some Pectin: You can use artificial pectin in liquid, powdered or granulated form, but remember that almost all the fruits have natural pectin. The difference is that some fruits, such as pears, apples, peaches or oranges have more pectin and some, such as raspberries or blueberries have less pectin.

5. Prepare the Jam: Cook the fruit jam over low to medium heat, but don’t forget stirring to prevent the jam from burning and rising. Bring the jam to a boil and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until your homemade jam reaches the consistency you need. Sometimes you can use a thermometer to check if the jam is ready at 200-230 degrees Fahrenheit or about 100 degrees Celsius.

6. Test the Jam: Your jam should set and to test that cool a bit of a jam on a plate. The jam should have the consistency of jelly and if not just continue to cook the jam and add more pectin or sugar.

7. Prepare the Jars: How to preserve jam for long time? The answer to that question would be jars. The jars should be sterilized. Boil them in water or sterilize them in the oven. Sterilization of your jars is very important because this step will help your jam last longer.

8. Fill the Jam Jars: Ladle or pour the jam into the previously sterilized jars. Place the lids on then screw the lids on the jars.

9. Process the Jam and the Jars: Preserving jam in jars is a very important step. Process the jars with your homemade jam in a water bath for 20 minutes.

10. Store the Jam: When the jam is ready and the jars are full of your delicious homemade jam it is time to eat the jam or store it for the long winter evenings. Store your jam in a cool and dark place for up to one or even two years. So the answer to the question of how to preserve fruits without fridge is very simple, all you need is just to make the jam from your fruits. You can eat your homemade jam with cookies, toast or bread.