How To Make Jam (And Share With Others)

by Fallen Fruit

THINGS YOU NEED:

  • Public Fruit (if possible) - local fruit trees that are well within public space.  

  • Reusable bag for picked fruit

  • Fruit picker 

  • Friends

  • 6 - 8-ounce glass jam jars with lids ¼ cup or 2 ounces or 1 packet of pectin.  (Or low sugar pectin) 

  • 5 cups of white sugar (Sugar is a natural preservative)

  • 12-14 pieces of fruit (the size of an orange or apple)

  • 1 large cooking pot 

  • 1 ladle or large spoon

  • 1 canning funnel 

The best way to make jam and share with others is when you go with family and friends and pick the fruit from public spaces. Fruit is a symbol of generosity and goodness. There are fruit trees that are ignored along streets, alleys, and public parks in cities around the world. Harvest the fruit trees when the fruit is ripe. Go by foot. Take a friend, someone from your family, and maybe a neighbor. Only take what you need to make a batch of jam (5-6 cups of cut fruit is about 12-14 oranges or 16-20 plums).

Sterilize six - 8-ounce glass jars boil them for 3 minutes (or use a dishwasher). Wash the fruit and remove tough skin, pits, blemishes, the pith (the white parts of citrus fruit tastes bitter when cooked). Cut about 5 cups of fruit into small pieces. The smaller pieces help the cooking process go quickly. Place the cut fruit and pectin into a large cooking pot on the stove at medium high heat. Stir the fruit continually to make sure the heat is evenly dispersed. Add a small amount of liquid water or lemon juice to the pot if needed to make sure the fruit does not burn. 

Watch the jam carefully and bring the jam to a full boil.  After a rolling boil, add the same amount of sugar as the fruit (it is a 1:1 ratio). For low sugar pectin follow directions on package. Keep stirring and bring it to a second full boil. It transforms quickly from a yummy sauce into delicious jam. Remove from the heat and use the jar funnel to ladle your public fruit jam into 6 glass jars. Quickly, put the lids on tight and turn the jars upside down. This helps to sterilize and seal the jars. 

Keep some of your jam for your family and share the rest with others. 

 

MEYER LEMON FIG LAVENDER JAM
Our favorite Jam. Cut lemons and Figs and bring to a boil Add the fresh lavender last, but only a small amount when you are filling the jar.

PLUM JAM
Cut ripe plums (do not use under-ripe fruits) into small pieces add the juices or about ¼ cup of water or lemon juice to keep the fruit from sticking to the bottom of the pot to keep from burning. Stir continually to prevent burning. Add sugar to taste. Add fresh lemon to make the flavor exciting.  NOTE: Plums naturally have a high amount of pectic and natural sugars it is very common to make plum jam without additional ingredients.

PRICKLY PEAR JAM 
16-20 good sized prickly pears. The fruit, which tastes a bit like melon or strawberries, is also made into syrup. Removing Thorns:  Carefully cut the ends from the fruit to create a flat top and flat bottom. Stand the fruit upright so that the most stable end is on the cutting board and with a paring knife cut down the sides of the fruit to remove the skin and thorns.  Chop the rest of the fruit into quarters and then a fine chop to add to the pot.  Note: the red tunas prickly pears will stain your skin -- wear gloves!