The Jam Topic

[Malawry]

I'm a jam aficionado. I buy new jams all the time and sample them.

I had a Polish friend over for lunch today, and we chatted about Polish jams. She mentioned a rose preserve I need to try. Not rose hips, rose petals. Apparently it's a special type of rose that has a bitter pithy "white" on the petals which must be removed before putting the jam by. She spreads a thin layer on her homemade cheesecakes. I told her about the Aronia jam I'd picked up recently at the Polish deli in the next burb over. (Here's a thread about the deli:

http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...4bda8f21e659963 )

I purchased some ginger preserves at a "gourmet" market some time ago and we cracked it open on Thursday when I broke in my new waffle maker. Heaven is a hot crisp waffle slathered with ginger preserves. These were made by Wilkin & Sons. The cubes of ginger were gorgeously yellow-gold-translucent on top of the brown waffle.

My favorite jam of all time is the black raspberry from Ferry Landing Farm in Virginia. The farm owner sells at my local farm market. It's dark and sour and just sweet enough and really thick with crushed fruit. The season is kicking in and he says his wife will start cranking it out soon. I can hardly wait.

What are your favorite jams? Why? Where do you get them?

[Toby]

My favorite jams are two I make -- one is a Bartlett pear jam made with very ripe pears, grated up and left to sit for a while with an equal amount of sugar. Then I cook them down with a cup or so of good apple cider. Then, just as they're done, I stir in some walnuts and a shot of rum or bourbon. I like to eat this spread on angel biscuits.

The other is peach jam -- peel peaches, cut in chunks, let sit overnight in equal amount of sugar and some fresh lemon juice; then cook down the next day -- the syrup will thicken and the peach chunks will get soft and translucent; add some rum or bourbon just as they're done.

My friend made a pumpkin jam that was amazing, and also a blackberry preserves. I'll see if she'll tell me what she did.

[Sandra Levine]

I make banana jam, flavored with lemon and fresh ginger, that I've never seen outside my own home. I like it a lot.

[Toby]

Banana jam sounds delicious. How exactly do you cook it? Does it turn into a thick puree or do the bananas stay in pieces?

[Sandra Levine]

It becomes a thick puree. You need 8 ripe bananas, mashed; 3 lemons, 3 cups of sugar, a couple of chunks of peeled fresh ginger, and some cloves, if you like them.

Make a simple syrup of the sugar and water and boil for about 10 minutes. Add the juice of the lemons, the rind, cut into thin strips, the bananas, the ginger and cloves. Continue simmering for 30-45 minutes, stirring enough so that it doesn't stick. Remove the ginger before packing into jars.

I read about this jam in Catherine Plaemann's book, Fine Preserving, which says it is of Indian origin. I'm skeptical, but that's my nature.

[Fat Guy]

Let us not forget marmalade, which many consider the pinnacle of the genre. The Wilkin & Sons grapefruit marmalade was a favorite in my parents' household. And who can forget the swipe at "bought marmalade" in Gosford Park?

[oliva]

Armenian Walnut Preserves

You will need fresh green walnuts, cloves, sugar and water.

Peel the walnuts and let them soak in water for five days. You will of course have to keep changing the water daily. You have to stuff the walnuts with two cloves, just make a small cut in the side of the walnut. In a pot, bring to a boil some sugar and water (this is all acoording to taste, sorry, unfortunately in my house we just don't use measurements). Add the walnuts to this sugared water and let it all boil for 45 minutes or so till the mixture is syrupy and sticky.

There is a recipe similar to this in Elizabeth David's 'A Book of Mediterranean Food' which uses walnuts and almonds. For exact measurements you can look there.

[Sandra Levine]

This is very intriguing. Where does one obtain green walnuts? Do you have to find a walnut tree and do it yourself or can they be purchased somewhere? If the latter, what kind of food store (ethnicity) is likely to carry them?

Edit: Oh, I see -- Armenian wlanut preserves -- I guess I can try a Middle Eastern grocery. What is the season for green walnuts?

[Jaymes]

What are your favorite jams? Why? Where do you get them?

My absolute favorite is homemade fig preserves. By my Aunt Melcina. Who lived in Baton Rouge.

First, Aunt Melcina's fig tree died. Then Aunt Melcina died.

She told no one exactly how she made her fig preserves. And I got no fig tree anyway.

So I haven't had good fig preserves for years.

(Not that you can tell by looking. )

[Steve Plotnicki]

Sandra - Sounds like you need to call Kalyustan's. The world's best food store. If anyone has green walnuts.... In fact they might have the ready made jam.

[Sandra Levine]

But then I wouldn't have the fun of making the jam myself.

[Toby]

I've been frustrated by not being able to find green walnuts. In Aperitif, Georgeanne Brennan says, "... the walnuts must be immature, and the shell not yet formed beneath the thick green skin. The developing walnuts must be still tender enough to be pierced through with a needle." Apparently most of the walnuts in the U.S. are grown in California, where the walnuts, to be green, must be harvested between late May and mid-June. When I lived in San Francisco, I never saw green walnuts in the farmers' markets, although I guess I could have asked for them, but I didn't know much about them then.

[stellabella]

Jaymes, PM me your address and I'll send you fig preserves. When I get back from the UK it'll be time to strip the fig tree and I'll try to make you some both spicy and sweet.

I love fig preserves--when I make them I use very little sugar--if they are perfectly cooked they are delicious eaten by the spoonful right from the jar. If they are heavily sweetened and spiced they are to-die-for on toasted crusty bread with butter.

I love marmalade. I love strawberry jam on scones with clotted cream.

I am a terrible failure at jam-making. It's tricky--so many variables--humidity, fruit sugar content, alignment of planets and so on. Those of you who make delicious jams are doubly blessed.

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, PM me your address and I'll send you fig preserves.  When I get back from the UK it'll be time to strip the fig tree and I'll try to make you some both spicy and sweet.

.

I swear StellaBella I'm sobbing. Hard to admit that food can be that imortant to me

I'll only do it if you can think of something I can send you from Texas that will pay you back for your kindness. (You'd darn well better think of something, because I REALLY want those fig preserves!!)

[stellabella]

hand-tooled leather cowboy boots embossed with mermaids

jaymes, fageddaboutit--i am happy to send you figs--someday you will be able to fulfil one of my dreams, as well

[Toby]

Stellabella, I can get figs but I make terrible fig preserves. What exactly and in detail, please, do you do?

[oliva]

I made my green walnut preserves jam in Armenia, and I know it is difficult to find fresh ones here.

You should try Middle Eastern grocery stores, particularly Irani/Persian. I would also ask the manager at Dean and Deluca as they are quite aware of how one should order specialty foods. But I know that their prices are extortionate, therefore it is best to stick to the ethnic grocers.

If you really want this preserve readymade it is made by 'Ararat' in Yerevan, Armenia and is available in specialty food stores in the US, I have seen it a Lebanese market in San Francisco. The walnuts take on a dark colour once they have been preserved.

Sandra, the season for green walnus is now, usually all the way till the end of August.

[foodie52]

Thursday's Cottage ( English ) Bitter Orange marmalade is great. I also like any kind of blackcurrant jam: Vavel ( Polish line) does a good inexpensive one. Hero ( Swiss ) jams are always good.

[stellabella]

toby, i'm having trouble with the computer i am using and when i get home next month, if you'd like, i can email you or even send you some figs and instructions on how to make them. i should warn you they are not gourmet, just honest and i like them that way. pm me if you'd like some.

[bigbear]

Sandra - Sounds like you need to call Kalyustan's. The world's best food store. If anyone has green walnuts.... In fact they might have the ready made jam.

Kalyustan's

See the last entry on the list.

Prod-id=FRJW01

[Jim Dixon]

My favorite jams are the ones I grew up eating and still make, blackberry, raspberry, and apricot. Both my mother and grandmother always made the apricot with orange slices (my mom grew up in The Dalles, a smallish town at the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge where a lot of stone fruit is grown), so I make it that way, too.

I like the berry jams with the seeds, and we'll go out and pick 'wild' blackberries in August. They're actually an introduced nuisance species (Himalayan blackberry) but they make good jam and you can usually find a patch without going too far.

We met a German woman living in Italy last fall who made wonderful jams, including a simple fig that I want to try to imitate, so I'd like copies of your recipes, too, stellabella.

Last year I also made a bunch of quince jam (also made quince paste), but more for eating with cheese. I adapted a recipe for a type of mostardo (from Nigella's How to Eat) that's basically jam with dry mustard, but the heat of the mustard diminishes as it's heated. I haven't quite figured out how to keep it there if I'm going to process the jars to seal them, but it still tastes good.

I used to make an easy prune jam (I was just thinking about it the other day) that was sort of like a pruny-plum preserve my sister used to bring us from Germany. I heat dried prunes in a saucepan with a little orange juice until they soften, pit them if necessary, then process in the cuisinart until jam-like. Sometimes I'll also add orange or lemon zest. This is quick and easy, and I just make small quantities to keep in the fridge.

Jim

[Suvir Saran]

It becomes a thick puree.  You need 8 ripe bananas, mashed; 3 lemons,  3 cups of sugar, a couple of chunks of peeled fresh ginger, and some cloves, if you like them. 

Make a simple syrup of the sugar and water and boil for about 10  minutes.  Add the juice of the lemons, the rind, cut into thin strips, the bananas, the ginger and cloves.  Continue simmering for 30-45 minutes, stirring enough so that it doesn't stick.  Remove the ginger before packing into jars.

I read about this jam in Catherine Plaemann's book, Fine Preserving, which says it is of Indian origin.  I'm skeptical, but that's my nature.

We do make a Banana Chutney in India. But it is prepared very differently than the above.

Your jam recipe sounds wonderful Sandra.

Thanks for sharing.

[zennenn]

I just made Sandra's banana jam for the second time - the first time, it was delicious. The second time around, I added a little ground cardamom - it brought a whole new dimension. Can't wait to try other spice combos. Thanks Sandra, and I hope you don't mind me taking liberties.

I am a jam/preserves/marmalade/chutney-making addict. Are there any you all make during the winter (using winter fruits, dried fruits, etc)?

And, what do you like to do with your end results? I have stirred a spoonful of my Italian plum jam made with Grand Marnier into a pan sauce for duck, for instance.

[Sandra Levine]

Would you mind posting the recipe, Zennenn?

[SethG]

I want to know if Jaymes ever got those fig preserves.

And how did she like them?