Quince Jam, Plum & Apple Jam, Blackcurrant Jam

Recipes for using Quince, Plum and Blackcurrant for Set Fruit Jams

Aug 12, 2008
Susan Morris

Spreading a Home Made Jam - Roswitha Schacht@Morguefile.com

Cooks will enjoy recipes for making traditional jam. Here are older fruit jam recipes for creating three distinct set jams of quince, plum & apple and blackcurrant.

Summer brings ripened fruit ideal for making jam using the set jam method. Strawberry and raspberry & apple remain classic and popular recipes.

Fruit tree and shrub growers and their neighbors and friends sharing in this summer fruits and autumn fruit harvest can experiment with blackcurrant jam, plum & apple and quince jam, to companion figs, nuts and cheeses or to spread on breads and croissants.

Quince Jam

Ingredients:

4 lbs quinces
5 pints water
6 lbs sugar

Directions:

Peel, core and slice the quinces.
Put them into a preserving pan with the water, and cook slowly until it is stewed. Quinces, when ripened (see below), are a woody fruit and will take a long time to stew. The contents of the pan will reduce considerably.
When fruit is tender, add the sugar, bring to the boil and boil for about 15 minutes and test for jelling.
As soon as the jam sets when tested on a cold plate, pot into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Plum & Apple Jam

Victoria plums are a poplar variety to use in sweets and hot puddings. Dessert plums varieties such as Opal can be used when making jams for extra sweetness.

Ingredients:

3 lbs plums
3 lbs apples
2 ½ pints of water
6 lbs sugar

Directions:

Peel, core and slice the apples.
Remove the stones from the plums.
Put both fruit in a preserving pan with the water and simmer gently until the fruit is thoroughly stewed, and the contents are reduced by one third.
Add the sugar, bring to the boil, boil for 10 minutes then test for jelling.
As soon as it sets when placed on a cold saucer, pot and seal immediately.

Blackcurrant Jam

Ingredients:

4 lbs blackcurrants
3 pints water
6 lbs sugar

Directions:

Put the fruit, which should be just ripe (shown below), into a preserving-pan with the water, and simmer until the fruit is thoroughly tender, broken down, and the contents of the pan reduced by one- third.
Add the sugar, stirring whilst it comes to the boil, boil for 10 minutes, then test for jelling.
As soon as it sets when tested on the plate, pot immediately and seal.

About the Recipes

Making quince jam and blackcurrant jam requires a larger quantity of water to fruit ratio than other summer fruit jams. Water is needed due to the woody nature of quince and the tough skins of blackcurrant.

Cooks should check that all fruits are well stewed before adding the sugar as hard fruit will not soften later during the set jam method. Any fruit left not stewed will increase the moisture in the jam mixture for setting. The jam will not will keep as well under such conditions.

The original recipe authors are unknown as these jam recipes were noted in a ‘receipt book’ without attributed sources. The Quince Jam may have been published in the 1950s or 1960s.