Advantages of preserving and picking fresh fruits and vegetables
The advantages of preserving and pickling fresh fruits and vegetables are:
- Possibility to use bumper crops saving them from spoilage
- Advantage of creating a 'shelf life' for the product
- Advantage of increasing the price of the product through value addition
- Ability to reduce the raw product to a higher margin/value less bulk product
- Ability to produce a product that when packaged can travel with less chances of spoilage
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Jams |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
Jams
Making Jam is very simple and generally follows two basic rules
- One, add equal amounts of sugar to fruit pulp
- And two, bring the jam to a boil and then boil very gently for as long as it takes before the 'setting test' proves the jam is ready.
Step by Step Plum Jam
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Ripe Fruits |
(c) Su Kahumbu
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Cut Fruits |
(c) Su Kahumbu
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Fruits and Sugar |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
3. Weight the fruit and put them in a heavy cooking pot. Add equal amounts of sugar.
4. Add lemon seeds from one large lemon.
5. Add spices if the recipe calls for it (Cinnamon, cloves etc can add an interesting taste to plum jam).
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Fruits and Lemon Seeds |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
6. Gently bring the fruit, lemon seed and sugar to boil.
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Boiling Fruits |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
![]() stiring fruits (c) Su Kahumbu |
7. Gently boil for about an hour stirring continuously for first 15 minutes and then every 10 minutes making sure not to burn the jam by allowing it to sit on the bottom of the pan for prolonged periods of time.
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You may notice a frothy bubbly film on the surface of the jam, reduce the heat further and remove this film with a spoon. It can be either discarded or eaten on bread or toast. |
The Froth | |
(c) Su Kahumbu
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8. Perform the 'setting test' (shown here with orange marmalade). Take a teaspoon of jam from the saucepan and put it on a clean dry saucer or plate. Let the jam cool then hold the plate at an angle and see how far the jam moves. If it is too runny it will fall off the plate and requires further cooking. If it moves very slowly, then it has 'set' and is ready.
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Testing |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Ready Marmalade |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Jam |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
Jam that is set, ready for consumption and/or packaging.
9. Sterilise jam jars and lids by boiling in water for 5 minutes and leaving to drip dry.
10. Fill jars whilst jam is still hot. DO NOT burn the jam by allowing it to sit on the bottom of the pan for prolonged periods of time while the heat is still on!
11. Immerse filled jars into boiling water bath for 10 minutes to ensure pasteurization.
12. Carefully remove jars from boiling water and allow to cool before labelling.
13. Store jams in a cool place before transportation to market or other use.
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Ready Jam |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
The same recipe can be used for most fruit and berries. Berries can also be used to make combination jams and preserves e.g strawberry and raspberry mix
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Pineapple Chops |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Pineapple Cubes |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Pineapple Jam |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
Pineapple jam made following same method above as for plum jam.
Marmalades
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Citrus Fruits |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
Marmalades are made from citrus fruits and sometimes from combinations of citrus fruits. Marmalades that incorporate the skins of the fruits have a slightly bitter taste due to the citrus oils in the skin. This can be avoided by peeling the fruit.
Step by Step Orange Marmalade
1. Choose good oranges, wash and cut slices and then triangles
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Orange Slices |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Orange triangles |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Traingles |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
2. Add the seeds from the oranges and seeds from one lemon into a small cotton or net bag.
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Lemon Seeds |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
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Sac |
(c) Su Kahumbu |
3. Add the bag of seeds, cut oranges and equal amount of sugar to weight of orange into a deep heavy saucepan.
4. Bring to boil gently stirring until all the sugar has melted.
5. Stir continuously on a slow boil for about an hour. This will depend on the volume of marmalade you are making. The larger the volume the longer the time.
6. As the marmalade thickens, do the 'setting test' by removing a teaspoon full of the marmalade and testing how it moves when it is cold, on a clean dry saucer or plate.
7. When the marmalade is ready, remove it from the heat and bottle whilst still hot in sterilised jars.
8. When cool, label and store in a cool place until used or taken to market.
Pasteurising Jams and preserves
Step by Step Pasteurisation using water bath method
1. Make sure all jars and lids have been cleaned in hot water to remove any debris from within.
2. Fill jars with contents (jams, preserves etc) whilst they are still hot leaving one centimetre of space between content surface and lid. Filling whilst contents are still hot will minimise the time needed for pasteurisation.
3. Gently submerge the jars into a saucepan or sufuria of hot water and quickly bring it to a gentle boil.
CAUTION !! Try to make sure the jars fit fairly tightly in the saucepan otherwise they will jump about and may easily crack.
4. Remove the jars after 15 mins and leave to cool before storing.
CAUTION !! Be sure not to burn your hands in the hot water or against the hot jars, use a wooden spoon and cloth or jar holding tool to guard against this.