Q&A for How to Make Jam

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What can I do to prevent my jam from hardening?

Community Answer

Overboiling the jam usually causes the jam to harden when cooled. Take care to prevent this by watching it carefully.

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Question

Can I use brown sugar and a lime instead?

Community Answer

You cannot use brown sugar, but you can use the lime. Lemon and lime are pretty much the same (apart from the taste), so it taste different, but you could always add less. With brown sugar, it tends to be clumpy and quite hard to boil down, and has a different taste compared to normal sugar.

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Question

How do I check to make sure my jars are sealed? Your images show glass lids instead of the metal lids the article says to use.

Community Answer

An easy test to see if your jars are sealed is to press down on the center of the lid. Once you press the center of the lid down, it should not spring back. If the center can pop in and out, that means that the lid is not sealed.

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Question

I didn't boil the jars with the jam in it while the jam was hot, can I still do it once it and the lidded jars are cold, or do I have to put the jam back in the stove and redo the jar sterilization again?

Community Answer

It is imperative to boil the contents while in the open jars (filled jars within the boiling water bath). The reason for this is that the temperature of the bath must be at it's boiling point for an adequate amount of time after it begins to turn to steam, around 212 degrees F. This temperature kills all bacteria and allows for proper final 'canning'. Boil the properly filled jars (always leave the proper 'head-space' down from the top of glass), as this is needed for the purpose of contraction of air that appears when that air cools down and creates the vacuum effect, thus providing the correct suction for the drawing down of the lid.

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Question

Do I have to use jars? If I'm planning to use all of it within two days, can I store it in an airtight container?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as you're using it within a few days of making it, that's fine.

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Question

What happens if I didn't boil the jar with the jam?

Community Answer

You won't seal the jar, and the point of all of this is to keep any microorganisms out of the jam. If you don't seal, you'll have to eat it in the next week - and there's a probability that the jam will spoil in this small amount of time, so it'd have to be kept refrigerated as well.

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Question

What should I do if I forgot to add pectin and the jam seems to have set? Will it keep, or do I need to start over?

Community Answer

Pectin has no role in keeping the jam stable, many jams are made without added pectin. If the jam is set, if there is enough sugar and acidity, and if you have processed correctly with the boiling water bath method, your jam should keep for a year.

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Question

Can you crush the fruit to be smooth?

Community Answer

Yes. I am actually currently making jam from a berry that grows native in my country. I am crushing them a lot to make them less chunky.

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Question

What if my jam is too runny?

Community Answer

It will thicken as it cools down after you take it off the heat, like condensed milk.

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Question

Do I have to add sugar if I am making jam?

Community Answer

No, but you'd wind up with a very tart jam, in most cases, and that wouldn't necessarily taste good.

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Question

Can I use paraffin to seal jam jars?

Community Answer

No, you cannot use paraffin to seal your jam jars. That would increase the risk of botulism.

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Question

Can use honey instead of sugar?

Community Answer

Yes. There are recipes available online with a simple internet search.

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Question

How do I get the fruit evenly distributed in the jar instead of rising to the top?

Sheila Calnan

Community Answer

After about 30 minutes of cooling, you can turn the sealed jars upside down. Leave them like that for about 15 or 20 minutes, then gently shake the jars and set them right side up again. Also, after cooking time, just before you fill the jars, let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes.

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Question

Can I use honey instead of sugar for my jam? If so, how much should I use?

Community Answer

I've used honey as a sugar substitute for years in canning. Use the same amount of honey as you would sugar (i.e. 1 cup sugar = 1 cup honey).

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Question

How long can the jam be preserved?

Batendi Nduna

Community Answer

That depends on type of fruits you are using. If you are using lemon juice as one of the ingredients, this will prolong the shelf life due to its acidic state.

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Question

How do I know when the mixture is ready when I take it off the stove?

Meet Khare

Community Answer

The jam will be syrupy and a little thick. Then you should take it off the stove.

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