PROCESS

NOTES

Pulp (and filter for jellies only)

Procedures to produce pulp shown in Diagram 3.1. Some jams also contain whole fruit pieces. For jellies the pulp is filtered through mesh and fine cloth until it is crystal clear.

Mix ¬ sugar
Mix ¬ acid
Mix ¬ pectin

Add sugar (approximately equal weight to fruit pulp depending on recipe) and mix in correct quantites of citric acid (to obtain pH 3.0-3.3) and, for some fruits, pectin (approximately 2% by weight). Precise formulation found by experimentation.

Heat

Heat quickly in stainless steel pan, with constant stirring to prevent burning, until soluble solids content reaches 68-72% as measured by refractometer (Fig. 9).

Fill/seal ¬ jars + lids

Bottles and caps sterilised by boiling in water for minimum of 10 min. Hot fill while bottles are hot to prevent breakage. Small lid sealers available (Fig. 11).

Cool

Cool in air or more rapidly in a bottle cooler (Fig. 8).