Homemade jams. Its conservation, sterilization, pasteurization (part II)

Last week Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour , gave us an introduction to jams and preserves , giving us the differences between jams, preserves and jellies, and explaining how we should do it to prepare them.

But in the preparation of jams there is one very important thing that we must keep in mind, and that is how to do it so that they are kept for a long time, since we often take advantage of seasonal fruits to make jam, and thus be able to enjoy them throughout year.

Well, today Virginia tells us exactly about that: how to do it to sterilize the jam correctly in the jars, and how to vacuum pack so that our preserves can last 6 and even 12 months.

III.- CONSERVATION

The best way to preserve homemade jam is in "healthy" and correctly sterilized glass jars.

The glass jar must be without nicks or fractures and the lids must close correctly. In the kitchen utensils section of our store, you will find canning jars with French closure, which also have a lid that you can completely remove, which makes them comfortable to use and clean, and present directly to the table ( you can see them here )

The best way to tell if a lid closes properly is to fill the jar with water, close it, and turn it on its side. If you lose content, that cover will not serve us and will have to be changed.

Once the jars have been sterilized, the best way to fill them is with the help of a special canning funnel , which has a mouth wide enough for the jam to enter the jar without problems, but narrow enough to fit in the mouth. of the jar. There are also those with an adjustable neck, so that it easily adapts to the mouths of the different sizes of bottles.

Glass jar with French closure ; special wide neck funnel preserves .

IV.- STERILIZATION OF BOTTLES

VACUUM AND PASTEURIZATION:

To sterilize the jars , before filling them with the jam, we can do it by washing them in the dishwasher, which maintains high temperatures, but I recommend the following method for greater safety:
- Fill a large thick-bottomed pot with water and put on the heat. Introduce the jars well covered by water (about 3-4 fingers) and with their lids loose. Use rags to separate the base of the jars from that of the casserole and to separate them from each other, so that they do not hit with the bubbling while they boil, since they can fracture.
- From the first boil, we will count at least 10 minutes. Let cool inside the water to avoid sudden changes in temperature that could break the jars.
- We take out, preferably with the help of special tongs that exist to keep it sterilized and not burn ourselves, and let it dry upside down on a clean cloth or on absorbent paper.
- We do not fill or store in the pantry, until they are completely dry.

Once filled with the hot jam, we must make a vacuum, to extract the air that allows the proliferation of undesirable enemies for its healthy conservation.

The fastest way is to place the hot jam in the very dry and previously sterilized jars, using a wide-mouthed funnel, filling it almost to the brim. Close the lids hermetically, with the help of a clamp, and put the jars upside down until they cool.
In this way we achieve a kind of vacuum that allows the preserve to be stored for 6 months. Preserves that have been vacuumed in this way are better kept cold than at room temperature. Of course, always in a cool, dry and dark place.

Canning preparation set (left); Le Creuset jam jar

However, the most advisable way, if we want our jams to last longer safely, is to make the vacuum by pasteurizing its contents: once we have our jars filled with the preserves, and hermetically closed, we introduce them upright, in a casserole with cold water that covers them about 3-4 cm above. We put them to boil, with rags at the base and sides that separate them from each other, so that they do not hit each other.

From the moment the first boil begins, we have about 20-30 minutes, for small and medium jars, since when dealing with jams with a high sugar content, a good preservative in itself, the time is reduced. Other preserves require up to 45 minutes of cooking for complete pasteurization.

If we do the bain-marie in a fast pressure cooker , the time is reduced by half. I use my WMF Perfect pot, which has two "rings". To give you an idea, pasteurization is carried out with a single ring.
Once the time is up, we turn off the heat and leave them inside the casserole until they are warm enough to remove them. We take them out with the help of the tongs, dry them and put them upside down until they are completely cooled.

When inverted, the lid should be slightly concave, that is, slightly arched towards the inside of the jar. This will mean that the vacuum has been carried out correctly.

With this system, the duration of the preserve is longer, 1 year, and it can be kept without cold, in a cool and dry place and protected from light.

V.- LABELING AND PRESENTATION

The jams prepared in this way must be labeled with the date of preparation to always have them under control, and if we have prepared several jars, indicate the number that each one makes, more than anything to keep track of how many we have left.

It is convenient not to use excessively large jars, otherwise, once opened, when the air enters it tends to spoil more easily if they are not consumed in a certain time. From my experience the best ones are from 200 ml to 500 ml .

If you are going to use the jams as a gift, I recommend putting some pretty cloth or paper hats on the lid , and an attractive label... or a rustic string that also looks great!

OBSERVATIONS : Remember that if you are looking for inspiration to make your own homemade jams, you have several recipes that you can use:

- Peach jam, in the recipe for almond cake with jam

- Rhubarb and Banana Jam with Citrus

- Cherry and blueberry jam

- Green Apple Jelly

- Fig jam with Armagnac

If you are interested in making your own preserves, there is a book that may interest you: From the garden to the pantry, by Mariano Bueno.