1.Select the firm-ripe fresh fruit. Fresh, slightly under-ripe fruits rather than overripe ones are preferred. Preference is also placed on fruits rich in both pectin and acid such as: santol, bignay, sour guava, green tamarind, carissa and lipote.
2.Soften the fruit. Prepare the fruit as for other cooking purposes: remove stems, leaves, or deceased portions and rinse the fruit in cold water. Stone fruit may be left whole or stoned. If the flavor of the kernel is desired in the jam some of the stones may be cracked and the white kernel cooked with the fruit. Simmer the fruits gently for some time before the sugar is added to soften the skin and break down the cell-walls of the fruit to extract the pectin. Bring the fruit to a boil and then allow to simmer gently until reduced to a pulp. Fruits which break down readily like strawberries do not require the addition of any water, but strawberries may require simmering for 15 minutes before adding the sugar. For fruits requiring the addition of water, boil them down until the %volume is reduced by about one-third before adding the sugar.
3.Add the acid. For fruits low in acidity, add acid before it is cooked as it helps to extract the pectin. Fruits which are deficient in acid are papaya, sweet varieties of guava, sweet varieties of mango (see list). The following quantities are suitable for addition to 4-pound fruit: 2 table-spoons kalamansi juice (approximately 1 average sized lemon ) or 1/2 level teaspoon of citric acid or tartaric acid.
4.Best for pectin. When the fruit has been simmered until the skin is softened, place in a cup or glass 1 teaspoon of juice which is as free as possible from seeds and skin. Add 3 teaspoons of alcohol when it is cool. Shake together gently and leave for 1 minute. Note the clot formation: if a transparent, jellylike lump is formed, there is plenty of pectin in the fruit, if the clot is very firm and is broken into two or three lumps, the pectin content is moderate; if the clot is broken into numerous small pieces, there is very little pectin.
5.Add the pectin. Add pectin to fruits which are deficient by blending with fruits rich in pectin such as papaya, or by adding fruit juice rich in pectin.
6.Add the required amount of sugar depending upon the pectin content of the fruit. Add a smaller amount of sugar to fruits which have moderate amount of pectin than to those fruits which are very rich in pectin. The usual range suggested is 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar per cup of pulp. Add the sugar when the skin of the hard fruits has thoroughly softened or else toughened at once and this mistake cannot be corrected. On the other hand, sprinkle sugar on soft fruits like strawberries overnight to keep them whole, if desired. Do not add the sugar too early in the .process for if the fruit and sugar boiled too long together, both the flavor and color of the jam are spoiled and skins may be toughened. Furthermore over boiling may cause a sticky jam.
7.Boil rapidly after the sugar has been added until the setting point is reached. If the fruit has been well cooked and broken down before the addition of sugar, boiling should take only 3-20 minutes, according to the kind and quantity of the fruit. Boil rapidly and adhere to the maxim of jam-making: "Cook slowly before adding the sugar and rapidly and quickly afterward s."
8.Test the setting point. The setting point is usually attained when the added sugar is 60 per cent of the final weight of the jam. Under-boiling results in less than this proportion, and may cause fermentation; over-boiling, on the other hand, increases the possibility of the sugar crystallizing out. It is then when the sugar concentration is 65 per cent (60 per cent from the added sugar and the 5% per cent from the (fruit) that setting in jam occurs. Determine the end points by the method discussed in the general directions for jelly making; the three tests which test the sugar concentration (the weight test, the volume test, and the temperature test) and the two tests which show when the jam will set out give an indication of the proportion of sugar in it (the sheeting, or flake test, and the cold plate test).
9.Finish the jam. Remove the jam from heat immediately after it has reached set-ting point. Quickly remove the scum, if any, with a perforated spoon dipped in boiling water and wiped just before use. Pour the jam at once into perfectly clean, dry, and if possible, warm jars. Fill right to the top with hot jam to allow for the consider-able shrinkage which takes place during cooking. For jams containing whole fruit, prevent the fruit rising in the jar by allowing the jam to cool in the pan until a thin skin begins to form. Then stir the jam gently and pour into the jars. Gently press a well-fitting waxed tissue or the surface of the jam in each jar and carefully wipe a clean cloth wrung out after dipping it in hot water. Tie down jars at once or protect by a clean cloth or paper until quite cold before covering.
10.Store jams in a dark, cool, airy place. Remember excessive heat or dampness may enhance mold growth.
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