So Mom made a batch of peach jam a few weeks ago, and to our interest, it turned out exactly as the peach jam I’d made years ago did: super, super stiff, almost crystallized. She thought it needed a couple more peaches, and since I love peach jam with an unholy passion and peaches are available right now, I got some and yesterday made a batch with two more peaches than Mom had used.
It’s unbelievably pretty and very tasty, but still surprisingly stiff. Not as stiff as Mom’s or as the batch I’d made back when, but stiffer than I consider ideal for jam.
We had a discussion about this, in which I mentioned that although it’d been years since I made jam, it reaaaaaalllllllllly seemed to me that the recipes had changed since I last made it. Mom thought they had too, so probably they have. We suspect they’ve added sugar, perhaps in order to sell their low-sugar pectin more effectively. Anyway, so I think I’ll make another batch and reduce the sugar by a bit, even though they give dire warnings about messing with the recipe. I mean, we’ve already messed with it. :)
alas, I am allergic to peaches, or I’d be begging for the recipe. Though I do wonder if cooking them would take out whatever makes me react…..
Anyway, what I remember of home-made jams growing up is large chunks, thick, gooey, and stiff. Not spread so much as glopped. When I make jam for the most part I use no recipe, I just throw in some fruit and let it cook down, and then add a bit of sugar, and then try to decide if it’s going to need pectin or not by how thick it is when hot. Very scientific! :D
My recent canning efforts have been… less than stellar. Far from being too stiff, the plum jelly I’ve attempted came out more like a plum sauce. Even reboiling and adding more pectin did not significantly enhance the result. It makes me feel only marginally better that I have read in a number of places that plums are among the most-difficult fruits to can; I’d rather it worked.
On the other hand, the apple jelly turned out fine. I just wish I hadn’t put it into quart-size jars.