Summer preserves – how to make delicious jams and juices at home?

09.07.2024

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Summer preserves – how to make delicious jams and juices at home?

Summer is a time of abundance of fruits and vegetables that we can use for preserves and enjoy their taste all year round. Making homemade jams, juices, and compotes doesn't have to be difficult, and it can even become a wonderful family tradition involving all household members! Below, we present a complete guide to help you start your adventure with preserves.

Choosing Jars

Whether you've gathered jars from used products or bought new ones at the store, remember to wash and sterilize them before use.
If you're planning to use old jars, check if the lids are tight, free of rust, and not deformed.
For jams, juices, and compotes, smaller jars around 150-250 ml are ideal.
For juices, you can also use glass bottles from beverages. It's important that they have metal caps that function like jar lids.

When fruits are suitable for preserves?

Apples are best for applesauce and jams. Their natural season is from August to October.

Blackcurrants are excellent for juices and compotes, best in July.

Cherries are perfect for jams and compotes, harvested in July.

Plums are used for plum preserves and compotes. The season runs from August to September.

Pears are suitable for compotes and jams. The best fruits are in September.

Tomatoes are worth processing into passata or tomato puree. Their peak season is from August to September.

Below are a few simple recipes to start your journey with homemade preserves.

Apple sauce with cinnamon

Ingredients:

2 kg of apples (preferably a few different varieties)
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Juice from one lemon

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel, and dice the apples.
2. Place the apples in a saucepan, add water, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 1 hour until the apples soften and the mixture thickens.
4. Transfer the hot sauce to sterilized jars, leaving about 1 cm of empty space at the top. Seal tightly and turn upside down to cool.

Blackcurrant Juice

Ingredients:

2 kg of blackcurrants
1 liter of water

Instructions:

1. Wash and clean the blackcurrants.
2. Put the fruits into a large pot, add water (about 750 ml), and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
3. Strain the juice through cheesecloth or a fine sieve.
4. Return the leftover pulp from the cheesecloth back into the pot, add 250 ml of water, and bring to a boil again.
5. Strain the juice from the second cooking and add it to the previous batch.
6. Pour the hot juice into sterilized jars, seal tightly, and turn them upside down to cool.

If you want the juice to be sweeter and taste like syrup, add 750 g of sugar to the pot with the strained juice and cook until dissolved.

Cherry Jam

Ingredients:

2 kg cherries
500 g sugar

Instructions:

1. Wash the cherries, remove the stems, and pit them.
2. Put the cherries into a pot, add the sugar, and mix thoroughly.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
4. After boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the jam for about an hour, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens.
5. Leave to cool for about 5 hours.
6. After this time, bring the jam to a boil again and simmer over low heat for another hour to an hour and a half (to make it thicker), stirring frequently.
7. Transfer the hot jam into prepared jars, seal tightly, and invert them upside down for about 10 minutes.
After that time, turn them back to their standard position and let them cool completely.

Tomato Juice

Ingredients:

3 kg ripe soft watery tomatoes preferably a few different varieties
½ cup water
1 level tablespoon salt

Instructions:

1. Wash the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and chop them into smaller pieces.
2. Put the chopped tomatoes into a large pot, add salt and water.
3. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes break down.
4. Strain the pulp through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to obtain smooth tomato juice.
5. Pour the hot tomato juice into sterilized jars or bottles.
6. Tightly seal the lids and let everything cool down.

You can enhance the flavor of the juice by adding your favorite spices, basil, chili, lemon juice, or a touch of sugar.

Universal tips

1. After cooling down, the lids should vacuum seal themselves. However, if any of them do not, tighten them firmly and set them aside - if they are not damaged, they should become concave within a few hours.

2. Inverting them upside down is not necessary; it just slightly helps. Therefore, don't worry about doing so with juices in bottles - leave them in their standard position.

3. When filling jars and bottles, leave about 1 cm of empty space at the top.

4. The quantity of fruits/vegetables in our recipes is provided before peeling, pitting, or removing seeds.

5. You can subject your preserves to additional pasteurization to extend their shelf life.

To do this:

- Place filled and tightly sealed jars in a large pot.
- Pour water into the pot deep enough to cover the jars about halfway.
- Heat the water until it boils. Then, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil.
- Process the jars in boiling water for about 15-20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars from the hot water using jar lifters or kitchen gloves.
- Place them on a towel or cooling rack and let them cool for 12-24 hours.

Store preserves in a cool, dark place.
Ensure that labels include the preparation date so you can monitor their shelf life.

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