There’s nothing quite like the simple pleasure of enjoying jam with fresh toast in the morning. Toast and jam aren’t just for breakfast, you can have this combination as a snack too. Store-bought jams are always delicious, but there’s something special about making your own jam at home. The Indian summer offers a bounty of fresh fruits, perfect for jam-making: you have mangoes, apricots, pineapples, guavas, litchis, and cherries. Just follow this simple sweet recipe at home
Mango Jam
Ingredients:
- 400 gm diced mango
- 100 gm sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 lemon zest
Instructions:
- Peel and chop the mangoes into tiny pieces so they break down quickly during the cooking process.
- Add them to a saucepan along with sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. You can also use lime if you want for extra tartness.
- The saucepan should be on medium heat, so allow it to slowly simmer for around 20 to 30 minutes.
- After half an hour, the mixture should thicken and look like pudding. Let it cool down completely.
- Transfer into a sterilized glass jar, and store it in the fridge. You can use this jam for not just toasts but also to have with ice cream, cake, and cheesecakes.
Old Fashioned Apricot Jam
Ingredients:
- 320 gm apricots, cleaned, halved and pitted
- 300 gm sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions:
- You should have around two cups of apricots that you have washed and dried thoroughly, then pitted and halved. This should be around 320 gm or slightly more.
- Add them to a large bowl, then add the sugar, and lemon juice.
- Cover the bowl and let this mixture marinate for around 12 hours at room temperature.
- Add the mixture to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and let it cook down and boil for about 5 to 8 minutes.
- You can let it cool down a little before transferring it into sterilized jam jars. Seal tightly to prevent any contamination.
Cherry Jalapeño Jam
Ingredients:
- 900 gm fresh, pitted cherries
- 400 gm sugar
- 350 ml water
- 150 ml vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 4 sliced jalapeño peppers
- 1 large apple, cored and chopped
Instructions:
- Wash the cherries thoroughly to remove any grime. Remove the stems and let them dry on a kitchen towel.
- Then de-seed them and place in a saucepan along with all of the ingredients.
- Bring the mixture to a boil first, then reduce the heat and let it simmer.
- The liquid will reduce and thicken. Skim any foam from the top and discard it.
- The entire process should take about 50 minutes.
- Cool the jam and then transfer into sterilized jars and store. Enjoy this sweet and spicy jam on toast or add it to your charcuterie board.
Litchi Jam
Ingredients:
- 700 gm fresh litchis, de-seeded
- 350 gm sugar
- 20-30 lemon seeds
- Juice of a lemon or lime
Instructions:
- Peel and remove the seeds of all the litchis. It’s a time consuming process so do it with your friends or family!
- Add the litchis to a food processor and blend well. It’s also up to you whether you want a smooth or chunky jam.
- Add the litchis into a medium saucepan along with sugar and lemon juice.
- Don’t discard the lemon though, place in a muslin cloth along with the seeds, tie it into a pouch and add it to the saucepan.
- Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. The mixture should take on a thick consistency.
- Discard the muslin cloth pouch, and let the jam cool down.
- Then transfer into a sterilized jar. Store I. The fridge and enjoy with some fresh sourdough bread.