How to Make Juice Jam
There are many different types of jam and jelly, but juice jams are among the most delicious of all, particularly if they’re made using the pulp left over from your juicer, along with fresh fruit. Juice jams are easier to make than you might think and they can be used on toast, bagels or just eaten out of the jar. Here’s how to make juice jam!
Ingredients you need
Juice of your choice, jams and jellies, chilled water. It is best if you get organic fruits and vegetables that are non-GMO. You can use any type of juice you want but it is better if you use low or no sugar juices because they have not been altered with high amounts of sugar. Most fruits will be good for making juice jam except melons, pineapples, cantaloupe and honeydew melons. If you want to add more flavor then using a sweetened juice would be good because most other flavors tend to not blend in well with sweetened juices.
Prepping the fruit
The first step to making juice jam is preparing your fruit. Juice-making experts recommend using ripe, non-fibrous fruits, as these tend to contain more natural pectin than underripe or overripe fruit. For example, apples and oranges are good choices because they’re high in pectin; strawberries and raspberries aren’t great choices because they don’t have much natural pectin. Some recipes will instruct you to cook or process your fruit before mixing it with sugar; others call for mixing raw fruit right into a pot of boiling syrup with no additional preparation.
Cooked fruit is much easier to add sugar too and will help it dissolve. As you cook your fruits, either simmer them over low heat or sauté them in a pan until they're soft. Keep cooking until your fruit is nice and thick. The consistency should be much thicker than that of applesauce, but if you're not sure, start with half a cup of sugar per pint of fruit; that's how much my recipe calls for when I'm making juice jam. Your exact measurements may vary depending on what kind of jam you're making. If your jam isn't as thick as you'd like it after mixing in all of your sugar, simply cook it for a bit longer.
Add it all together and simmer slowly until thickened
While making juice jam can be a bit more time-consuming than regular jam, it's definitely worth it. All you have to do is combine all of your ingredients in a pan and bring them to a boil. Stir regularly, then simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened. As long as you stick with low sugar fruit juices, jams made from fruit juices will store at room temperature for several months before going bad. Add an extra spoonful of pectin if you want your jam thicker. Jams made with high sugar content fruits like cranberry will last about half as long as those made with less sugary fruits like apple and grapefruit...and may not store well at all if they're not canned properly.
Cooling time
It's important to allow your jam time for cooling before you can put it in jars. The reason is that, as a jam cools, some of its moisture evaporates from it and through its surface, which helps prevent spoilage. Without cooling, there's a greater chance that harmful microorganisms may be able to survive and flourish on your homemade preserves. So if you're into eating preserved fruits and vegetables or making homemade gifts for family and friends, keep your preserves safe by allowing them plenty of time (at least two hours) to sit undisturbed while they cool off completely before jarring them up. Remember: never place hot foods directly into jars without first letting them cool down completely first! Do so at your own risk!
Time to enjoy!
What’s not to love about jam? You can eat it straight out of a jar or dollop it on top of scones and pancakes, or use it as a glaze for meat and fish. The possibilities are endless! It’s tasty, it looks beautiful and you only need a few ingredients. Time to make your own! Here’s how: First, find some tasty fruit that's in season and grab an equal amount of sugar (we used white here). Next, squeeze them into a pan with some lemon juice, add in your sugar and cook over low heat until all the moisture has evaporated. At that point you'll have a thick-ish paste.
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