Have you considered making your own homemade jam? This hobby is perfect for those looking to enhance their home preserve supplies, the experimenters looking to make new and interesting flavours, and anyone looking to sell their creations for a bit of extra money either online or at local markets. But everyone needs to start somewhere, and if you’ve never made jam before, the prospect can be daunting.

At Freeman & Harding, we supply a wide range of high-quality glass jars and bottles, including preserving jars that are ideal for jam storage. Our team has come together to guide you through some delicious, beginner friendly jam recipes, which you can build from to experiment with further flavours down the line. Keep reading to find out more. 

Homemade Vs Store-Bought Jam 

If you aren’t planning on using your jams as part of a business venture, you may be wondering whether or not it’s worth making your own jam over buying from the local supermarket. We’re here to tell you that if you like standard jam flavours, the supermarket is an excellent choice for you - with cost effective, long lasting jams costing a couple of pounds a jar. 

However, if you prefer fun and unique flavours, making your own jam can be an excellent solution. In addition to creating rich, fruity flavours, or savoury tastes for making a spread, making your own jam is a rewarding experience that has delicious results. Below, we have listed three easy to follow fruit jam recipes that we’re sure you’ll love. 

Essential Tools

Before you begin your jam-making journey, it’s important to have the right tools for the job to ensure the process goes off without a hitch. Some of the things you will need - no matter which flavour of jam you plan to make - includes:

• Large Pan

• Wooden Spoon or Heat-Resistant Spatula

• Measuring Cups and Spoons

• Knife and Cutting Board

• Masher

• Ladle

• Sterilised Preserve Jars with lids, our fruit lids are ideal!

• Clean Towels or Cloths

While there are some other tools you can purchase, they aren’t essential and can be costly, so you should only buy additional tools if you plan on fully committing to making jam for hobby or business purposes. Now, let us guide you through some easy to make jam recipes. 

Basic Fruit Jam

Ingredients: 

• Strawberries - 500 grams

• Blackberries - 500 grams

• Raspberries - 500 grams

• Sugar - 650 grams

• Fresh Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

• Coarse Salt - ¼ tsp

How to Make: 

Stir the fruit, sugar, and salt together in a large pan, slowly bringing to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, use a masher to mash the fruit to the correct consistency. Continue to boil and add the lemon juice and continue stirring until the mixture sticks to the spoon/spatula but falls off in chunks. This process should take ten to twelve minutes. Once complete, skim the foam from the top and transfer to the jars using a ladle, leaving a ¾ inch of space from the top. 

Wild Plum Jam

Ingredients: 

• Wild plums - 500 grams

• Sugar - 500 grams

• Lemon Juice - 500 grams

How to Make: 

Use a knife to open the plums to remove the stone inside and add the plums into a large pan with the lemon juice. Cook for a few minutes until the juices are released from the plums. Add in sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and continue to stir for about ten minutes until the jam has thickened and the consistency is chunky but falls from the spoon or spatula easily. Once the desired consistency has been reached, ladle the mixture into preserve jars. 

Tomato Jam

Ingredients: 

• Tomatoes - 2 kilograms

• Sugar - 350 grams

• White wine vinegar - 125ml 

• Fresh ginger - 50 grams

• Sweet smoked paprika - 4 tbsp

• Dried chilli flakes - ½ tbsp

• Salt - 1 tbsp

• Ground black pepper - 2 tsp

• Lemon juice - 2 fresh lemons

How to Make: 

Roughly chop the tomatoes and place all ingredients into a large pan and stir on a low heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Simmer on a medium heat for around fifty minutes or until the consistency is jam-like. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely before transferring to preserve jars using a ladle. Once stored, keep cool and consume within a few weeks. 

For more information, contact Freeman & Harding now

If you would like to know more, or place an order with us for our quality preserve jars, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at Freeman & Harding today! In addition to preserving jars, we also offer a wide selection of honey jars, honey buckets, glass bottles, pickling jars, and more!