From Cookery Recipies Old and New compiled by EIS Domestic Science Section, Glasgow Branch. Price 2/6d.
Method 1
1lb blackcurrants 3lbs sugar 2 pints water
Boil water & currants ½ hour. Leave overnight. Add sugar and boil until it sets (about ½ hour). Put in jars.
Method 2
3½lbs large blackcurrants 6 lbs sugar 2½ pints water 1oz fresh butter
String and wash currants. Place in pan with the water and bring to the boil. Add heated sugar and butter, and boil till set.
From Teach Youself to Cook - English Universities Press 1938 - Price 2/-
4 lb black currants 7lbs preserving sugar 3 pints water 1oz fresh butter
Rub the preserving pan with salad oil or glycerine.
Pick over the fruit and remove all the stalks.
Place in the pan with the water and bring slowly to boiling point.
Simmer gently for 1 hour.
Allow to cool.
Add the sugar and bring sloly to the boil.
Cook until a little, when tested, sets easily.
Just before it is ready, add the butter and stir till it melts.
The butter helps keep the currants from going hard after the jam has been kept.
Pour into jars and cover.
From The Dairy Book of Home Cookery - Milk Marketing Board - 1978 - 0 900543 41 8
1kg / 2lb stemmed and washed blackcurrants
900ml / 1½ pints water
1½ / 3lbs granulated sugar
15g / ½oz butter
Put blackcurrants into saucepan and add water.
Bring to boil, cover pan and reduce heat.
Simmer gently until fruit is tender (about 45 minutes).
Add sugar and stir until disolved. Bring to boil. Boil briskly for 5 to 10 minutes (or until setting point is reached)
Draw pan away from heat. Stir in butter to disperse scum.
Pot and cover.
About 2½kg / 5lb jam.
2004
3 lbs fruit, 4½ lbs sugar, 2¼ pints water
Had to be split when boiled but reasonable jam if too much sugar.
July 27 2005
1½ lbs berries 30oz sugar 1 1/3 pts water
Bring berries and water to the boil, turn down heat, cover and simmer "until tender" (15 mins)
(lift lid every few minutes to control frothing)
Add sugar, stirring till disolved
Bring to the boil and keep boiling until ready to "set" (15 mins)
(How hard you boil depends on your tolerance to the gap twixt froth and lip!)
4 jars
August 2 2005
as above except 1lb 6½oz berries
simmer for 20 minutes.
Cap jars while hot.
(next year, simmer 25 or 30 mins)
July 24 & 28 2006
as above except
1½ lbs berries 30oz sugar 1 1/3 pts water and
1lb10oz 32.5 28.8 floz
Simmer 25, boil (gently) 25
August 02 2007
1lb berries 20oz sugar 20floz water
Simmer 20, boil 25 (gently)
August 02 2008
16oz berries 20 floz sugar 21 oz sugar
5 mins to boil, 17½ mins simmer
add sugar, stirring till disolved
turn up heat (a bit) for 25 mins
From Cookery Recipies Old and New compiled by EIS Domestic Science Section, Glasgow Branch. Price 2/6d.
7lbs strawberries 7lbs sugar 2 lemons (juice)
Hull and gently wash fruit. Put into a large baking bowl and cover with measured sugar and leave 24 hours. Skim off the strawberries and pour sugary liquid into a preserving pan, plus juice 2 lemons. Dissolve liquid slowly and bring to the boil. Boil quickly for 15 minutes. Add strawberries and boil until set. Pour into warm clean jars.
Strawberry Jam from Toshiba Book of Microwave Cooking
Cooking container: 7pt / 4.0L casserole
Cooking time: 18 minutes
Makes: 1½ - 2lb / 700 - 900g
1lb / 500g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1floz / 30ml lemon juice
1lb / 500g caster sugar
Cook the fruit and lemon juice in the casserole pn PL9 for 3½ minutes then beat to a pulp with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar, stirring well. Cook on PL9 for 4 minutes or until the sugar has disolved and stir again. Cook on PL9 for a further 11 - 12 minutes or until the setting point is reached, stirring 2 - 3 times. Leave for 30 minutes then pour into sterilised jars.
From the Pectin packet.
Crushed Strawberry Jam - Microwave Instructions
800g (1.75lb) prepared strawberries
1kg Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar
1 x 13g sachet Silver Spoon Pectin
knob of butter
Place the fruit in a 2.8 litre (5 pint) bowl and microwave on HIGH uncovered for 7 minutes. Crush the strawberries with a potato masher. Stir in the pectin and butter. Microwave on HIGH uncovered 14-16 minutes, stirring halfway through. The mixture must boil vigorously for 4 minutes during this time. Pot and cover in the usual way.
Micro Jam (as sent to Val)
12 oz each of berries and caster sugar
4 or 5 x 5ml spoons lemon juice
LARGE bowl (eg 5 pint, the largest we've got that fits in the oven)
Roughly chop the berries and cook with the lemon juice for 3 minutes.
Beat to a pulp (or nearly) with a wooden spoon and add the sugar,
stirring well.
Cook for a further 3.5 minutes (or until the sugar is dissolved),
stirring once about half way through. Stir again at end. This is the
time when most frothing occurs so keep an eye on it. My father believes
that a slight smear of butter around the top half inch of the bowl
helps to control the frothing!
Cook for a further 11 minutes (or until setting point is reached),
stirring after 2, 5, and 8 minutes. Give it a quick stir at the end and
leave for about 25 minutes, then pour into (sterilised) jars.
Latest variation
12oz berries, hulled, washed & sliced.
25ml lemon juice (or 4.33gms pectin)
3m30s in microwave
Beat to a pulp with a wooden spoon, stir in the sugar.
3m30s in microwave during which, lick spoon & wash it.
(probably need oven gloves after this point)
stir then 3mins in microwave
stir then 5mins in microwave
stir then 3mins in microwave
Leave for 30 minutes then pour into jar(s).
From a scrap of paper
2lb Berries }
2 ½lbs Sugar } Heated & left overnight
1 ¼pts Water }
1tbsp Lemon Juice
Simmer for 20 minutes, boil to set 15 minutes. (4½lb jam)
My version (27 June 2006) -
Too much for largest pot, split in two in the morning.
Gas on and keep simmering for 20 mins (total) the boil 15 mins.
Batch A - 1 tblsp lemon juice, sit for 2-3 mins then pour. (clearer)
Batch B - 2 tblsp lemon juice, pour almost immediately. (bubbles)
From the Pectin packet.
Brandied Summer Fruit Jam - Microwave Instructions
250g (8oz) prepared strawberries
125g (4oz) prepared raspberries
350g (12oz) prepared blackcurrents
1kg Silver Spoon Granulated sugar
1 x 13g sachet Silver Spoon Pectin
knob of butter
75ml (8floz) brandy
Halve or quarter the strawberries depending on size. Place in a 2.8 liter (5 pint) bowl with the other fruit. Microwave on HIGH uncovered for about 7 minutes. Mash gently with a potato masher then stir in the sugar, pectin and butter. Microwave on HIGH uncovered for 14-16 minutes, stirring halfway through. The mixture must boil vigorously for 4 minutes during this time.Stir in the brandy, pot and cover in the usual way. (Makes about 1.4kg (3lb).)
(Based on a modern 650W microwave oven: increase cooking time for lower wattage ovens.)