Preserves Online: Jam Preserves Difference

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Jam Preserves Difference

For so many years, I didn’t make jam because I was sure that I’d poison anyone who spread even a lick of it over toast – just about every recipe for jam that I ever looked at when I was first learning how to cook mentioned botulism at least once in the first sentence. And then, a few summers ago, I shook off the kitchen nightmares and decided to make jam whenever the whim struck. And, in the beginning, I made small batches, stored them in the fridge and ate them quickly. I’ve since progressed to ‘real’ jam, but I still love the quick eat-em-now preserves and so I went quick with my apricots and, you know what, the jam went quick(ly) too – a couple of breakfasts, a couple of gifts to friends and whoosh, all gone … only the smiles and thanks lingered on.After cutting the apricots into chunks, I tossed them into an enamel-over-cast-iron Dutch oven, poured in the sugar, gave everything a good stir and then covered the pot and left the fruit overnight to get all sweet and juicy without my help. I did, however, peek and stir each time I passed the pot.