(This blog comes with a warning about cats and "presents")
Last year I tried learning how to make jam. It was a disaster.
I over cooked the jam to the point of cement and added citric acid. To be fair, the recipe I had, said to add citric acid but, never again will I use the evil stuff.
(Teen even banned it after I mistook it for sugar and added it to his cuppa. Whoops.)
So, a year has passed and the time to make jam has arrived again. I have been putting it off but my freezer is now full of raspberries and I still have to forage for brambles. There are twice the amount of bramble bushes than raspberry bushes so I really need to do something with them.
So here goes, this is how I made jam.
Ingredients
1 cat undertaking a bizarre insanity episode where it forgets it knows what anything is, this is to distract you from jam making whilst you google "Cat has suddenly gone insane" and read lots of replies stating "erm, that's normal for cats".
1 cat coming home with a "present", this is so you can practise praising said cat whilst pathetically screaming "is it DEAD".
1 further cat playing with it, (it was dead and not wholly entire), this gives you the opportunity to get trapped on the corner of the sofa whilst said cat throws around a disintegrating "present" whilst you scream "PLEASE won't somebody remove it, there's bits EVERYWHERE".
(I did wash my hands before commencing with the jam making)
Sterilised jam jars, you can sterilise them in boiling water (and wash your hands at the same time).
Twitter, so you can get badgered by LucyMooFace into actually making the jam.
A teenager (much needed taste tester, there is no way, after last time that I'm going to be trying it) + (is easy to designate them "present remover")
Numerous recipes and on line comments, this is so you can learn other peoples mistakes and not do them.
Numerous book recipes, which then get used to prop up the phone so you can listen to some tunes.
8oz of frozen raspberries, they aren't meant to be frozen I just forgot to get them out of the freezer.
4oz of sugar, all the recipes stated equal amounts of raspberries to sugar but after reading the on line comments it said to halve it. I like to keep a used vanilla pod in my sugar as it adds a lovely flavour.
Utensils
Stock pot, I use a huge stock pot, I needed to as I managed to splash the jam everywhere.
Face guard and overalls, because I managed to splash the jam everywhere.
Rolling pin, to mash the frozen raspberries.
Wooden spoon, it is easier to stir the jam with a spoon than with a rolling pin.
A bowl, this is to warm the sugar.
Method
Put the raspberries in the pot and bash with the rolling pin whilst heating.
Warm the sugar in the microwave, keep the microwave next to the stove so you don't have to stretch whilst stirring.
Boil the raspberries, not full heat, and lob in the sugar.
Stir whilst boiling and using eye protection.
Put a spoon in and drip the jam off the spoon. If it is runny it isn't done.
Repeat spoon test, whilst boiling and stirring, until the jam drips off like honey, runny honey not solid honey. You could use a jam thermometer but where's the fun in that!
Pour into jam jars, wait until they have cooled before putting the lid on otherwise you get a crusty top. I discovered this as I did this.
Viola
Whilst you're waiting for it to cool build a cat den in the kitchen with the picnic blanket then write a blog whilst waiting for insanity kitty to decide he is insane enough to sleep on the keyboard.
Get distracted by kitty cuddles and state "I'll update the taste test tomorrow after baking scones" that's "sc-on-s"
p.s. I love glass lidded jars, you can probably tell from the picture, they are so handy and useable for anything, get some,
Bye
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