jam making - do's and dont's please

[Headfry]

Help needed please....
i get my jam to correct bit on the thermometer 'jam' but it still wont set?
does this have anything to do with the amount of water in the fruit to start with.

[Alison]

Probably Headfry, it also makes a difference what sort of jam you are making - pectin levels and all that. Some seem to set just by looking at them and others are more bl**dy minded.

[kirsty b]

My lot don't eat jam with 'bits' in so I make mostly jellies.
I cook the fruit with a little water to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan until it goes soft/mushy.
I then press the pulp through a sieve. Once I've done this I use a pound of sugar for every pint of juice.
For apple jelly I strain overnight through muslin so that I get a really clear jelly. That also a pound to pint ratio of sugar. This is what works for me.

I make jam from damsons, blackberries, cherry plums, elderberries. Going to have a go at apple/rosehip jelly this year.
Have fun experimenting

[yoanbob]

DO make jam your household will eat, nothing worse than a cupboard full of jam when the next glut comes around!
DONT make jam for the sake of it! see above, try cordials and wines instead.