Talk:Fruit preserves/Jam

message: Okay I've dug into the library for some ancient sources. One from the US and one a UK/Australia joint production.
Berolzheimer R(ed) et al, 1959, Culinary arts institute encyclopedic cookbook (revised), Culinary arts institute, Chicago USA.
On "Jellies" (pp826-829)
:"Good jelly is clear and sparkling and has a fresh flavor of the fruit from which it is made. It is tender enough to quiver when moved, but holds angles when cut.
:EXTRACTING JUICE - Pectin is best extracted from the fruit by heat, therefore cook the fruit until soft before straining to obtain the juice ... Pour cooked fruit into a jelly bag which has been wrung out of cold water. Hang up and let drain. When dripping has ceased the gab may be squeezed to remove remaining juice, but this may cause cloudy jelly."
:It goes on to explain that after that it may be necessary to test for natural pectin before starting the reduction process by boiling the resultant juice, adding sugar (additional pectin if needed) and putting into containers.
On "Butters" (pg830)
:"Fruit butters are generally made from larger fruits, such as apples, plums peaches or grapes. Cook until softened and run through a sieve to give a smooth consistency. After sieving, cook the pulp...add sugar and cook as rapidly as possible with constant stirring... The finished product should mound up when dropped from a spoon, but should not cut like jelly. Neither should there be any free liquid."
On Jams (pp831-832)
:"Jams are usually made from pulp and juice of one fruit, rather than a combinations of several fruits. Berries and other small fruits are most frequently used, though larger fruits such as apricots, peaches, or plums cut into small pieces or crushed are also used for jams.
:Good jam has a soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit, a bright color, a good fruit flavor and a semijellied texture that is easy to spread but has no free liquid."
: It goes on to describe a similar process to jelly making minus the filtering.
Howard L & Patten M (eds), 1960, The Australian Women's Weekly - Cookery in colour, Paul Hamlin LTD, London UK
On Jams (sections956-971)
:"Simmer the fruit very gently to extract the pectin and soften the skin or peel. When once the fruit is soft and the sugar is added boil rapidly.
:It goes on to explain the steps of testing for pectin content and placing into containers. This book makes no distinction between jams and jellies but has a section on jelly recipes all call the use of a jelly bag to filter the  initial hot fruit mixture as per the US instructions above. (eg Apple jelly, Blackberry or Bramble jelly, Medlar jelly (apple and lemon) and Redcurrant jelly)
All the Scottish and English sources I've seen have the same procedures and terminology as the my Australian experience with jam making.
--Monotonehell 11:03, 20 January 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Those look okay, then. Can you please include the references when you include them in the article. Thanks. Fourohfour 16:45, 21 January 2007 (UTC)
replies: text:  Changes look reasonable to me since they're referenced. Thanks, Fourohfour 12:36, 24 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  References of sorts 

message: Are jams the only types of preserves? What about certain chutneys, etc Dessydes 16:12, 7 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jam? 

message: This may be true in the UK but i'm not sure about the rest of Europe. Water melon certainly is commonly used to make jam in South Africa, where it usually goes under the Afrikaans name waatlemoenkonfyt(watermelon jam). Booshank 23:07, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It's debatable whether "usually" qualifies it enough, but I removed melons as an example anyway. Fourohfour 13:35, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Watermelon not commonly used in jam?