Red Love Jam

Before I start, let me just say that you can use any variety of apples to make this jam, they don’t have to be the almost unheard of “Red Love” variety.

I have quite a few fruit trees in the garden here in Spain. I have tried to choose the varieties so that I have a continuous supply of fresh fruit from early summer to late autumn. I have also mixed in some unusual varieties to liven things up a bit, this apple variety is one such tree. This one is special in that the flesh of the apple is red! Getting hold of one of these trees though turned out to be far more difficult than I could ever have imagined……….

I saw the tree advertised on a gardening website in the United Kingdom and put in my order. It was rejected as they could not ship it to Spain. Not put off I put in a new order with a UK shipping address. This too was rejected as the credit card I had used was my Spanish one! Perhaps the company has something against Spaniards?

Others might have given up, but I was determined to have “my” apple tree. Eventually I called up a family member in the UK and got them to order it with their UK credit card and have it shipped to their UK address.

I went over to the UK to pick it up. I had decided that the best option was to stick it in a box and have it posted to my Spanish address. It was a bare-root tree, which are actually pretty tough and can stand quite a bit of rough treatment. I went round to the local Post Office with the tree already sealed into a suitable package. I wasn’t sure if there were any export restrictions and was therefore hoping they wouldn’t ask too many questions.

No such luck…… they had me fill out quite a few forms, one of which had me state the contents of the box, namely a tree. I was in a quandary as to whether I ought to tell the truth or not. I was a little worried that they might be disinclined to send a tree through the post, but in the end I filled the form out truthfully. I needn’t have worried, as the lady at the desk didn’t even read the contents declaration. Moreover, she didn’t put the form with the other paperwork that was to accompany the box either. I actually left with the form in my pocket……

Back home a couple of weeks later the box arrived without problems. I planted the tree and it has flourished. I hope the tree is enjoying the warm Spanish sun and  that it occasionally reflects on what it took for it to be where it is!

The tree has in fact grown so well that this year we have a surplus of apples and hence the recipe for this week.

 

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Red Love Jam

Serves: 4 standard jars

 

Ingredients:

150ml Water

1 Lemon

1 Kg Chopped apples

1 Kg Sugar

1 sachet Pectin

 

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Method:

Put a dish, preferably metal, in the freezer to chill.

Put the water into the pan you are going to use to make the jam, then sieve in the juice from the lemon.

Core and chop the apples. Put them quickly into the water and lemon liquid and stir to stop them from discolouring.

The weight of apples in the recipe is for the chopped apples, without the cores.

There is no need to peel the apples.

Cook the apples, covered, for about 30 minutes or until soft.

Stir occasionally to ensure they cook evenly and don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Stir the pectin into the sugar in a large bowl.

Purée the apples with a hand blender or food mill.

If using the latter ensure it is one with large holes!  Purée directly into the sugar if you want to save washing up!

Mix the purée into the sugar then pop back into the pan.

Put the jars into the oven and heat to around 100ºC to sterilise.

Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then raise the temperature and bring the mixture to a fast boil.

Boil for just 3 minutes, stirring all the time. I recommend wearing a glove whilst stirring to protect the hand from any hot splashes.

Remove from the heat and put a scant spoonful of the jam onto the metal plate.

Pop back into the freezer for a couple of minutes then check set.

If the jam feels firm and the top layer wrinkles when you push it with your finger it is set.

Pour boiling water onto the inside of the lids to sterilise.

Dry well before use.

Fill the jars with the jam and fit the lids tightly.

 

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Apples already contain a lot of pectin so some might ask why I add more? The truth is I almost always add natural pectin to my jam recipes. Adding pectin reduces the time you have to boil the jam. Apart from saving time it also ensure a brighter, lighter flavoured jam.

I wanted a crisp sharp apple flavour to this jam so I used pectin.

As I said at the top of the article, you don’t have to use red apples. This recipe works fine with the more usual green ones. You might also want to consider tweaking this recipe with additional flavourings such as:

• Adding a little spice like cloves, cinnamon or star anise
• Adding fresh grated ginger and/or some chopped crystallised ginger
• Boost the apple flavour by substituting the water with cider

I always reuse my jars. I never reuse my lids.

A good wash and dry, then a few minutes in the oven and the jars are fine. The rubber in the lids can retain the mark of the previous jam jar top and may not therefore seal properly. I don’t think it is worth running the risk of the contents spoiling for a few relatively cheep new lids!   

 

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Suggested Links:

This week I have some other summer preserves I thought you might like. They are also excellent for using up any surpluses you might have:

Apple and Mustard Pickle

Tomato (Pasta) Sauce

Tomato Ketchup

Key:

tsp – Teaspoon – 5ml

tbsp – Tablespoon – 15ml

 

Imperial to Metric Measurement:

1 oz – 28g

1 lb – 16 oz – 454g

1 gill – ¼ pint – 142ml

1 inch – 25mm

 

Common Flour Types:

Cake Flour

Gluten: 8% to 10%

Type: ES 70W

 

All-Purpose Flour / Plain Flour

Gluten: 8% to 11%

Type: DE 550 / FR 55 / IT 0 / ES 200W

 

Bread Flour / Strong Flour / Hard Flour

Gluten: 12% to 14% protein (gluten)

Type: DE 812 / FR 80 / IT 1 / ES 400W

 

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2018 Lincoln W. Betteridge