a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

This is needed by single, alien-in-the-kitchen.

Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
recipes and instructions **to the letter**.

I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
directions.

Now the blackcurrant bushes are sagging under the weight of fruit.

Anyone can see I need help!


Brian MItchell

In article , Brian Mitchell
writes
a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

Yes, it's called a saucepan! :-)
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In article , Brian Mitchell
writes
a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

This is needed by single, alien-in-the-kitchen.

Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
recipes and instructions **to the letter**.

How did you test for readiness? I find the cold saucer test works better
than a jam thermometer.

I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
directions.

The liquid one is excellent for trickling over ice cream or stirring
into yogurt.

Now the blackcurrant bushes are sagging under the weight of fruit.

Anyone can see I need help!

Freeze the lot and stuff yourself on blackcurrant and apple pies all
through the winter.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Kay Easton pushed briefly to the front of
the queue on Thu, 10 Jul 2003 08:09:07 +0100, and nailed this to the
shed door:

^ In article , Brian Mitchell
^ writes

^ Now the blackcurrant bushes are sagging under the weight of fruit.
^
^ Anyone can see I need help!
^
^ Freeze the lot and stuff yourself on blackcurrant and apple pies all
^ through the winter.

Blackcurrant wine is rather drinkable. Blackcurrant and x wine, where
x might be elderberry or damson, for example, would I imagine be
sensational - haven't tried it yet. So yes, freeze the lot, wait for
the elderberry-harvest-to-end-all-elderberry-harvests that is in the
pipeline, and ease off on the pies a bit ...

Andy
--

"No, you claim the magpie is to blame for all the
worlds ills, based on your ignorance of magpies."
(4a7391c12e538ef306d33d71c9482221@TeraNews)

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 03:58:34 +0100, Brian Mitchell
wrote:

~a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
~Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?
~
~This is needed by single, alien-in-the-kitchen.
~
~Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
~recipes and instructions **to the letter**.
~
~I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
~of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
~directions.
~
~Now the blackcurrant bushes are sagging under the weight of fruit.
~
~Anyone can see I need help!

I advise buying a jam thermometer. Boil jam till it gets to the
correct temperature and then bottle.

A bit of a bewa I made bramble jelly last year and on the first go
it didn't set well, so I shoved it back in the pan. Turned out the
thermometer I bought registers a slightly lower temperature if it's
not totally submerged (I wasn't making a full batch) so I allowed for
this and it turned out right the second time. I wish I'd bought one
years ago - the wrinkly saucer thing never quite made sense!

Blackberry toffee sounds like a wonderful thing for microwaving and
sticking on ice cream, or using as base for the sauce in a summer
pudding.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

In article , Kay Easton
writes


Freeze the lot and stuff yourself on blackcurrant and apple pies all
through the winter.

Hot with Ice Cream MMMMmmmmmmmmmmm


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Pacific Fleet Hayling Island Sept 5th - 8th
Castle Class Corvettes Assn. Isle of Wight. Oct 3rd - 6th.
R.N. Trafalgar Weekend Leamington Spa. Oct 10th - 13th. Plus many more
National Service (RAF) Association Scarborough. Nov 7th - 10th (Nearly Full)

"Andy Spragg" wrote in message
...

Blackcurrant wine is rather drinkable. Blackcurrant and x wine, where
x might be elderberry or damson, for example, would I imagine be
sensational - haven't tried it yet. So yes, freeze the lot, wait for
the elderberry-harvest-to-end-all-elderberry-harvests that is in the
pipeline, and ease off on the pies a bit ...

You have to be careful with blackcurrant wine, it's got a heck of a lot of
acid in it and you can end up with thin, watery battery acid type stuff if
you're not careful. Look up a recipe, and I reccomend using one that uses
only about 2-3lb of fruit per gallon.

Alternatively soak some blackcurrants in rum with sugar, the resulting
blackcurrant rum is truly superb.

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 03:58:34 +0100, Brian Mitchell
wrote:

a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

yes it's called a wife!

failing that, there's something called a W.I.

--
Derek Turner

Outlook Express is worth precisely what you paid for it.

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 03:58:34 +0100, Brian Mitchell
wrote:

a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

This is needed by single, alien-in-the-kitchen.

Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
recipes and instructions **to the letter**.

I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
directions.

Now the blackcurrant bushes are sagging under the weight of fruit.

Anyone can see I need help!


Brian MItchell

Unfortunately Brian, I`ve found it`s all down to practice. Any extra
strawberries we grow (like swmbo does`nt eat em all anyway) are
jammed. NOT by me tho, they all go down the in laws who have been
making jams and marmalades for years. They do a mean marmalades but
only use seville oranges so when they are in season here we have to go
collect about 20 kilos of em. Last a year tho.

The trick I`ve noticed is equal amounts of sugar. And then it really
is down to the timing of the cooking. Test often as directed (cold
plate, wrinkly jam) and once it is as they state then turn off the
heat and get it in jars asap.

It`s an artform in itself is jam making and our Boston Show has a
MASSIVE entrance for all the different jam sections.

Have another go!

To reply to your question - yes there is. Most breadmaking machines will
also make jam for you.

Neil

"Chris Norton" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 03:58:34 +0100, Brian Mitchell
wrote:

a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

This is needed by single, alien-in-the-kitchen.

Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
recipes and instructions **to the letter**.

I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
directions.

Now the blackcurrant bushes are sagging under the weight of fruit.

Anyone can see I need help!


Brian MItchell

Unfortunately Brian, I`ve found it`s all down to practice. Any extra
strawberries we grow (like swmbo does`nt eat em all anyway) are
jammed. NOT by me tho, they all go down the in laws who have been
making jams and marmalades for years. They do a mean marmalades but
only use seville oranges so when they are in season here we have to go
collect about 20 kilos of em. Last a year tho.

The trick I`ve noticed is equal amounts of sugar. And then it really
is down to the timing of the cooking. Test often as directed (cold
plate, wrinkly jam) and once it is as they state then turn off the
heat and get it in jars asap.

It`s an artform in itself is jam making and our Boston Show has a
MASSIVE entrance for all the different jam sections.

Have another go!

Alan Gould wrote:

In article , Brian Mitchell
writes
a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

Yes, it's called a saucepan! :-)

And a couple of packets of Jam sugar.. Get it in the supermarket..
Foolproof method of making Jam.. cook for 4 minutes and place in jars
sterilised in the oven.. Lovely jam, keeps well..

Beats all this sodding about with 'gel' testing on a saucer;-)
//
Jim

Alan Gould wrote:

In article , Brian Mitchell
writes
a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?

Yes, it's called a saucepan! :-)

And a couple of packets of Jam sugar.. Get it in the supermarket..
Foolproof method of making Jam.. cook for 4 minutes and place in jars
sterilised in the oven.. Lovely jam, keeps well..

Beats all this sodding about with 'gel' testing on a saucer;-)
//
Jim

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 03:58:34 +0100, Brian Mitchell wrote:

a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?
Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
recipes and instructions **to the letter**.
I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
directions.

Hi Brian,

I have made jam for the first time this year. Haven't really checked it
yet, but it seems OK, over solid if anything I suspect - but better than
runny!

(Just a mad idea - mix your toffee and runny jam together and get
something in the middle????)

Jam is roughly equal amounts of fruit and sugar PLUS a dose of pectin to
get it to set.

My method was to gently heat the fruit, sugar and pectin together until
all the sugar had disolved and melted, and you have a consistent glop in
the pan (you can pre-crush or crush as you go on the fruit, depending what
sort of finish you want. You then bring it up to a rolling boil (its
there when you can't stir the bubbles back in), and then let it rolling
boil for 4 mins. Then straight into hot jam jars.

You can either buy jam making sugar, which has the pectin built in, or
However, if you can find a supermarket doing it (a large ASDA did the
trick for me), you can buy boxes of pectin powder (a Silver Spoon
product) and normal sugar, which works out much cheaper. The boxes
contain 3 sachets - each sachet does 1kg of sugar. I paid £1.29 for a
box, whereas the jam making sugar was about £1.29/kg.

I made my jam in small batches in my largest steel saucepan - did make it
easier to cope with than making a large single batch.

HTH, Sarah

I've been making jam for the last 30+ years and have never had to add
anything other than ordinary sugar.
I have made Black currant, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, and
loganberry jam as well as apple jelly.
Just use good firm fruit .
Must say I have never tried making Jam in the microwave.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

"Sarah Dale" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 03:58:34 +0100, Brian Mitchell wrote:

a jam-making machine? (I hope this isn't too OT)
Where ingredients go in one end and jam comes out the other?
Last year I tried making blackberry jam (preserve?), following all
recipes and instructions **to the letter**.
I still have four impenetrable jars of blackberry toffee and four jars
of a preserve so fluid you have to hold the bread precisely level in all
directions.

Hi Brian,

I have made jam for the first time this year. Haven't really checked it
yet, but it seems OK, over solid if anything I suspect - but better than
runny!

(Just a mad idea - mix your toffee and runny jam together and get
something in the middle????)

Jam is roughly equal amounts of fruit and sugar PLUS a dose of pectin to
get it to set.

My method was to gently heat the fruit, sugar and pectin together until
all the sugar had disolved and melted, and you have a consistent glop in
the pan (you can pre-crush or crush as you go on the fruit, depending what
sort of finish you want. You then bring it up to a rolling boil (its
there when you can't stir the bubbles back in), and then let it rolling
boil for 4 mins. Then straight into hot jam jars.

You can either buy jam making sugar, which has the pectin built in, or
However, if you can find a supermarket doing it (a large ASDA did the
trick for me), you can buy boxes of pectin powder (a Silver Spoon
product) and normal sugar, which works out much cheaper. The boxes
contain 3 sachets - each sachet does 1kg of sugar. I paid £1.29 for a
box, whereas the jam making sugar was about £1.29/kg.

I made my jam in small batches in my largest steel saucepan - did make it
easier to cope with than making a large single batch.

HTH, Sarah

Another tip for jam making, if you can't be bothered with all the fiddling
with wax paper, cellophane and annoying little elastic bands that fly
accross the kitchen, get some suet from your local butcher, melt it down,
pour off the oil that results from that on top of your cooled jam, it sets
hard as its a form of tasteless and odourless lard and it keeps all air out
as it settles all round the top of the jam. A bit time consuming and you
need lots of suet but my jams keep for over a year and not a bit of mould
forms

Shan