It’s the same story every summer. Pots of bubbling fruit and sugar filling the soft warm air of my kitchen with aromas that - if I could bottle them - would make me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. But since I can’t do that, I am content to live with the amazing knowledge that I’ll keep doing this year in and year out, and loving it.
No matter what else is going on, making jams, preserves, conserves, confit and such just makes me happy.
My obsession with jam making started more than 40 years ago, being raised in Utah, with easy access to abundant orchards that dotted the Wasatch Front in those days. Sadly, much of that land now sports suburbs. But back in the day, we had the best of peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, raspberries ( I made school money picking them! ) and so much more. We made jellies, jams and fruit nectars that we would store in the ‘root cellar’ portion of our basement.
The root cellar was a dug out underneath the front porch of our house in Holladay, and it maintained a year round temperature of about 60 degrees. We also kept onions and all sorts of pumpkins, potatoes and such down there as well. On really meltingly hot summer days, it was a great place to go cool off!
Early on I became fascinated with the ability to ‘put by’ the bounty of summer - in a flavorful, and attractive way. And it soon became apparent that I had a knack for it.
These days, I don’t have a root cellar. I wish that I did, because I have jam stuffed into closets and cupboards around the house. Actually, I’d be dangerous with more space. I’d have a sauerkraut and pickle crocks bubbling, in addition to full-throttle charcuterie. Imagine having cool, dry space to hang ham, sausages and such?
Once upon a time, I even got talked into making my obsession into a business venture. Good idea. But too many other factors weren’t, uh … good.
And many friends have asked me to teach them the hush, hush big secrets to jam making. The big question: how to ensure they keep their traps shut? They all find out my secrets and then go on to make fabulous products on their own! Sigh. It’s like little birds leaving the nest. I look at it as a legacy that I leave behind - people making jam, and hopefully, passing that talent and knowledge along.
One of the best reasons to make one’s own jams, is for gifts. I’m never short a hostess or new neighbor gift, and since the recipients ask for more, I think it’s safe to say that it’s always appreciated.
Another reason to make jam is for the creative outlet that it provides. I used to feel so confined by my ingredients - particularly the old style pectins. There were very specific recipes - with just so much sugar and fruit to X amount of pectin. And the pectins, whether powder or liquid, needed to added at just the right moment before or after boiling point was reached. Too many batches never achieved that perfect ‘set’ that serious jam makers seek.
Then, I had one of those ‘light bulb’ moments while sharing jam making ideas with the wife of a friend. She is from France, and they have a wonderful jam and preserve making tradition there. The epiphany? They don’t use pectin. It’s simply a matter of loosely measuring out a ratio of fruit to sugar, and then cooking it to ‘set’ point. My friend simply noted how odd it was that Americans didn’t just put fuit and sugar into a pan and cook it until thick. What’s the big deal?
Vive la difference! I was ready to storm the barricades of genuine French confiture - wooden spoon in hand and copper jam pot on the flame!
Being a little unsure at first, I relied on one book in particular : Mes Confitures, by Christine Ferber.
This book was a watershed experience for me.
The first couple of recipes, I followed to the letter. But it soon became apparent that the rule of ratios would work for me regardless of what specific changes I would make - adding in a fruit, changing some herbs or other flavor components such as liqueurs. It was like the whole world opened up and the ideas began flooding in. Reduced to it’s simplest terms - you begin with a rough ratio of 100 % fruit and then whatever 50% of that weight is in sugar. Tweak from there, if you will, but it’s just that plain. Obviously, I strongly recommend using a digital kitchen scale - and please! learn to weigh and measure in metric! It’s so much easier to develop recipes in grams/kilograms!
Some of my better confiture creations are:
Perfectly Pear Jam - Pears, with Grannie Smith apples, toasted pine nuts, raisins plumped in pear liqueur and thyme. It makes a wonderful accompaniment with cheeses, like chedder or gouda.
Tipsy Berry Jam - Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries with raspberry liqueur and un tout petite peu of pepper.
Alehouse Relish - Grannie Smith apples, celery, ale, honey and fenugreek spice. This works so well as a condiment for fish! It sounds odd, perhaps, but those who’ve tried it - and that includes some food industry professionals - swear it’s addictive.
… and everybody’s favorite,
Bacon Roasted Pepper Jam - Roasted baby sweet peppers, bacon, smoke. This one makes an awesome glaze on grilled salmon or rotisseried chicken!
Certainly, I have my favorites, too. My Orange Marmalade rocks. I’ll use Tangelos, and put lots of very finely julienned zest into it. The Peach Bourbon is one that others have insisted that I teach them to make - and I have to admit, everybody loves it. And, my hands down breakfast favorite is a Carrot Walnut jam with oranges. It’s my take on an old French favorite - carrot jam - that’s simply killer.
Perhaps my biggest surpise came when I made the switch from heavy commercial stainless kettles to the classic French Mauviel copper jam pots. I had always figured it was some sort of silly conceit, needing these beautiful but very pricey pots. What’s the big deal, I said.
Well, once I tried one, I swore never ever to go back to the tall stainless pots. These make better jam. Period. The reason? The sloping sides is one. They allow for much faster evaporation of the water - and that’s essentially what we do when making jam. We draw/evaporate the water out from the fruit by boiling, replacing it with sugars. Additionally, the copper heats so evenly and quickly, that I never have any more ‘hot spots’ or scorched jam. I use the 10.6 quart size. If you really LOVE the Mauviel products, you might want to shop their website for special deals.
As you can see above, I don’t use the standard ‘Mason’ canning jars anymore, either. During my short-lived adventure in pursuit of a commercial product, I was testing various jars that would be appropriate for store shelves. That led me to SKS Bottle & Packaging, where I began buying cases of jars, and bags of lids. The good news is that you can buy as little or as much as you need. They are very helpful.
With some trepidation, I began using these instead of the old rings that I’d used for more than 40 years. But the fact is, they work just great. And again, I’m able to really create a professional looking item in keeping with the hand-crafted, high-quality product I make. Obviously, I’m careful to never reuse the lids - just as with regular old style Mason jar lids.
Once I made the switch to the professional jars, however, I found that none of my old standard wide-mouth funnels would work with them! Yikes, talk about making a mess of things! Yes, I tried angling the funnels over the jars. That didn’t work. Then I bought a plastic funnel and tried cutting the hole to the right size. Another waste of time. Then, I found the Kuchenprofi funnel which was absolutely perfect! It has a tapered funnel spout that will fit nearly any jar or bottle, plus a handy strainer insert. I highly recommend this funnel, as it will replace so many of the ones you probably have in your kitchen tool drawer. The strainer is great for straining gravies, sauces and more.
So, there you are. Such is my journey to the sweet, sticky spot. It’s April now, and I’m starting to get all eager to start hitting the farmers market in search of my next jarred success story.
Cheers, and Bon Apetit!
Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 19:23 
