Fruit-Preserving Primer

PRESERVING BASICS

In years past, it was common to call the process of putting up food in jars for long-term storage “canning.” Today this is a misnomer because we use vacuum-sealed jars, not cans. “Preserving” is now the more common term. Here are a few other related terms you should know.

Chutney: Fruit that has been cooked with vinegar, sugar, and pungent spices. This mixture is usually chunky and has a good shelf life. It is most often thought of as a condiment for Indian food, but a good chutney can enhance a roast chicken, lamb chop, or cheese.

Condiment: A flavorful sauce or spread that is used as an accompaniment to cooked foods or cheese plates. This term includes chutneys and mostardas as well as other smoother spreads and ketchups.

Conserve: A fruit preserve to which other elements, such as nuts or dried fruits such as raisins, have been added.

Fruit butter: Fruit that has been cooked and then pureed, with sugar added to the puree. The mixture is then cooked slowly for a long time until it thickens and mounds on a spoon rather than attaining the texture of a jam or jelly. As it does not have to gel, which requires a certain amount of sugar, it does not have to be sweet and uses only about one part sugar to three parts puree. Fruit butter can be thickened on the stove top, with lots of stirring to prevent scorching, or can be transferred to a shallow pan and put into a 300°F oven, with occasional stirring until the desired texture is achieved. A bit of honey for flavor can be added at the end of cooking.

Jam: For jam, the fruit is chopped or mashed and cooked down into a relatively smooth spread. There is no desire to keep individual pieces of fruit distinctive. Everything melds together. If the fruit is low in acid, ample lemon juice is added, and if the fruit is low in natural pectin, apple pectin or grated apple may be added. A mixture of ripe and some underripe fruit will increase the pectin level in the jam.

Jelly: Jellies are clear mixtures of sugar and fruit juices. The fruit has to be high in pectin or it will not gel. The most pectin-rich fruits are apples, quince, damson plums, and currants. Other fruits will require the addition of pectin. The fruit is thoroughly cooked to extract maximum flavor, and its juices are drained through a colander lined with dampened cheesecloth or a jelly bag. Then the juices are cooked with sugar, and lemon and pectin are added if the fruit does not have enough natural pectin. I prefer to add Homemade Apple Pectin (this page) rather than commercial pectin, using about ¾ cup of the pectin to every 4 cups of juice.

To be candid, making jelly is trickier than making jam. Sometimes, mysteriously, a jelly will not set. There are many possible reasons why this might happen: The fruit might not have had enough natural pectin. Too little sugar may have been added. Too much water may have been used in the initial cooking. The jelly could have been undercooked, causing a weak set. Or the jelly may have been overcooked, causing the pectin to break down. In other words, unless you have pectin-rich fruit, can follow the recipe especially carefully, and have good karma, stick with jam. (Just kidding about the karma.)

Marmalade: A chunky spread made with the pulp, pith, and peel of citrus fruits. It is usually cooked on and off for two days in order to tenderize the peel. Citrus fruits come loaded with their own natural supply of pectin and set up easily.

Mostarda: In Italy, the classic mostarda di frutta is served as an accompaniment to bollito misto, a platter of assorted boiled meats. This condiment is made with whole or cut-up fruits cooked in a dense sugar syrup that has been spiked with a very potent essential oil called olio di senape, or mustard oil. Mostarda is sweet and hot, seductive and delicious.

Olio di senape is not imported to the United States. Food importer Chiara di Geronimo tells me that erucic acid, a component of this mustard oil, is toxic to human skin and organs when used in high doses. For that reason the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not allow the sale of olio di senape in the United States. The irony is that it is 100 percent natural and the Italians believe it has many health benefits due to its heat-producing properties. It allegedly aids in digestive as well as respiratory ailments. The oil comes in a tiny bottle with an eyedropper and is so powerful that you add it drop by drop (up to three drops per one pint of preserves). If you are in Italy, you can walk into a pharmacy and easily buy a bottle. So what do you do if you are a home preserver and want to make your own mostarda? You either fly to Italy or get creative. I do both.

Because most of us will not have ready access to olio di senape, I have been playing with mostarda-like recipes for a few years. At first I tried using the mustard oil you get in Indian groceries, but it was not right. I have now devised a mostarda formula using powdered mustard, mustard seeds, cayenne, and vinegar to get the bite that plays so wonderfully against the sweet fruit. I have made mostardas with apricots, cherries, and plums. I serve them with poultry, pork, lamb, and veal.

Preserves: This is a generic term that covers all foods that are put up in jars, but I use it specifically to signify preserves in which the fruit is whole or in large pieces, such as whole cherries, whole strawberries, or halved cherry tomatoes. The fruit pieces are distinct and are surrounded by a jellylike syrup. Preserves often have a soft set.

SHOPPING FOR PRODUCE

Most preserving recipes give fruit measurements by the pound (versus flat or box). If you are not interested in putting up a big batch of each jam or chutney, or are short on storage space, shopping by the pound is certainly sensible. In my recipes, I tell you about how many pounds of fruit to buy, but after pitting and cutting, I find that cup measurements are often more accurate for the success of the recipe. With berries, I give the amount in cups and also suggest the number of baskets because that’s typically how they are sold, but keep in mind that baskets are not consistent in fill and weight. Strawberries are sold in full pints or smaller baskets, depending upon the farm. Blackberry and raspberry baskets can hold 6 to 8 ounces of fruit. So shop by the basket or flat but cook with the cup measurements I give in the berry recipes.

When you go to the farmers’ market and find the most amazing cherries or apricots, you may want to take advantage of the season and buy a flat. Buying fruit by the flat is the most economical way to shop. You can prepare three different recipes with each flat of fruit. If you are not feeling that ambitious, ask a friend or family member to join you in your preserving venture. Often I have enlisted my daughter-in-law, Barbara, as my preserving partner. We divide the labor and the goodies. Our families benefit.

Slightly underripe fruit is more acidic than ripe fruit, so use a mixture of ripe and underripe when selecting your fruit for a recipe. When shopping, try to taste the fruits before you buy and purchase those that have ample acidity, not just sweetness. When you taste the fruit, first you will taste expected notes of sweetness, but there should be a hit of tartness at the end of the taste. Without acidity the jams will lack depth of flavor and nuance.

PREPARATION TIME

When you are preserving by yourself, set aside some open-ended time to work—a quiet morning or an afternoon—because the ritual of preserving is like a meditation, involving repetition and routine. It takes a while to cut up the fruits, prep all of the ingredients, and set up all of the equipment and jars. You taste, you smell, you peel, you chop, you grate, you pit, you weigh, and you measure. You get the jars and lids ready. You don’t want to feel pressured to get it done. Enjoy the process, take pleasure in working with your hands and engaging all of your senses and, for a time, relax your overstimulated mind. Preserving is slow food at its best.

Some jams and preserves require an hour or two the day before to start the process and a few hours the next day to finish them. Many condiments, such as mostardas and chutneys, can be prepared in one session. Be sure to read the recipe carefully before you begin, so you’ll know how much time to set aside.

TASTE, ADJUST, AND FREESTYLE AS YOU GO

If you taste your preserves only at the end of the cooking process, just before you fill the jars, you may miss the moment to make them better. In cooking and preserving, tasting should be ongoing. It is important to taste the preserves as they simmer on the stove so you can make flavor adjustments as you cook. You might find, upon tasting, that the preserve could be better. It is just missing something. There are a few obvious steps you can take right away. Try a pinch of salt. Or another squeeze of lemon. If those don’t bring it together for you, there are other options to bring it into balance. Cultivate the ability to improvise. Let’s start with the pantry basics, listed in order of their importance in producing good results.

Sugar: Most of the preserves use granulated white sugar—it is the best sweetener for preserves, with the longest shelf life. You can splurge on organic sugar, but I do not think that is necessary.

If I want to highlight the color of apricots or carrots or mangoes or cherry tomatoes, I use granulated white sugar. Brown sugar adds a deeper note and darker color to preserves and is used in chutneys and condiments.

Some people wonder if they can reduce the amount of sugar in the preserve recipes or use a different kind of sweetener. First let us agree that preserves are not diet food. Yes, they are sweet, but they are eaten in small amounts. They are an enhancement to a meal, not the meal. A spoonful on toast or in yogurt or stirred into a pan sauce will raise your daily calorie count a bit but will not set you on the road to ruin.

Sugar is a crucial ingredient in preserving. It helps with the set. When heated to 220°F (the set point), it bonds with the pectin in the fruit and provides structure and makes the preserve spreadable. Other sweeteners, such as honey and agave syrup, do not hydrate the fruit or retard the growth of spoilers as well as sugar does and will not keep the preserve as bright and color-true to the fruit. Jams made with honey may have a looser texture and darken over time. Without sufficient sugar, the preserves will be runny and prone to developing mold. To assure a good set, sugar should make up 55 to 70 percent of the total weight of the preserve. With fruit that has a high acid content, the precise amount of sugar is less crucial. Preserves made with sugar have a longer shelf life and will last in the refrigerator longer than those made with other sweeteners.

My recipes use white sugar almost exclusively as the sweetener and preservative, but if you like the flavor of honey you may use it in place of some of the sugar. To do so, use ¾ cup of honey to replace 1 cup of sugar. So, for example, if a recipe calls for 5 cups of sugar, use 3 cups of sugar and 1½ cups of honey. To substitute agave syrup for some of the sugar, use 2⁄3 cup agave syrup in place of 1 cup of sugar. Just keep in mind that these preserves will have a shorter shelf life. (When I add a bit of honey to a fruit butter or preserve, I do it just for the flavor, and I add it toward the end of the cooking process, just before the final plate test.) If you are adding either honey or agave syrup, decrease the amount of liquid in your recipe. Most of the time, especially when the maceration process is used, I do not need to add extra liquid. The exceptions are for chutneys with added vinegar or preserves with fruit juice added; for those I decrease the liquid in the recipe by ½ cup. Alternatively, you can cook the preserve longer to reduce the liquid and achieve the proper texture.

Pectin: Fruits vary in their amount of natural pectin, which is essential for gelling. I do not rely on commercial powdered or liquid pectin for my recipes but instead use my Homemade Apple Pectin (this page) when more pectin is needed for reaching the gel point. Powdered and liquid pectin are inherently bitter, and if you use them, your preserve will require more sugar to suppress the taste. Too much sugar will mask some of the vibrant flavor of the fruits. There is a relatively new product on the market called Pomona’s Pectin that allows you to use less sugar to reach the gel point because it contains low-methoxyl citrus pectin activated by calcium. However, it requires a different preserving technique than is used in most classic preserving recipes, and thus it comes with its own instructions. This calcium-activated pectin produces a soft gel.

By not relying on commercial pectin to reach the gel point, I may have to cook the fruit a bit longer or increase the lemon juice. That is just fine with me, because I think fruit preserves need some acidity to cut the sweetness and to bring out the flavor of the fruit. In most recipes, lemon juice and zest will suffice.

Some recipes tell you to cook sliced or chopped apples with the base fruit and then remove the apples. What a nuisance. If you want to cook apples along with the jam fruit instead of using apple pectin or apple jelly, grate or puree the apples in the food processor so they cook quickly and dissolve in the jam. Or cook the slices in water until tender, then mash them and add the puree to the simmering jam.

Fruits with High Pectin Levels

Apples (tart varieties)

Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines)

Cranberries

Currants

Damson plums

Quince

Fruits with Medium Pectin Levels

Apples (sweet varieties)

Blackberries

Blueberries

Plums

Raspberries

Sour cherries

Fruits with Low Pectin Levels

Apricots

Cherries

Figs

Mangoes

Peaches and nectarines

Pears

Rhubarb

Strawberries

Fruits with High Acid Levels

Cranberries

Currants

Most citrus

Rhubarb

Fruits with Medium Acid Levels

Apples (green)

Blackberries

Blueberries

Japanese plums and damsons

Mangoes (green, unripe)

Plums

Quince

Raspberries

Sour cherries

Strawberries

Sweet oranges

Fruit with Low Acid Levels

Apricots

Figs

Peaches

Pears

Prunes and French plums

Ripe mangoes

Sweet cherries

Lemon juice: Lemon juice is prized not only for activating pectin but also for intensifying the natural acidity of the fruit and helping maintain its color. I usually indicate the amount of lemon needed for a recipe by the number of lemons (for example, “zest and juice of 2 lemons”). But remember that not all lemons are equally sour, and preference for acidity is personal. I always have freshly squeezed lemon juice in the refrigerator. Meyer lemon juice is lower in acid than regular lemon juice and so should not be counted on to provide the correct acidity level. Fresh lemon juice is fine for most fruit preserves, but for a few recipes, commercial bottled lemon juice is advised because of its predictable acidity level. Bottled lemon juice is recommended when you need to get the fruit you are preserving into the safe PH zone to prevent illness. It has a guaranteed acidity of 4.5 percent, so for safety it is recommended for tomatoes and sometimes for pears, figs, and pumpkin recipes that are low in sugar and low in vinegar or lemon juice. In this book, it is used mainly in tomato sauce (see this page), for which I use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid crystals for every 2 pounds of low-acid fruit.

Bottled lemon juice tastes quite bitter. You will not detect it in small amounts, but fresh lemon juice, because it is not very bitter, may be increased at will in a recipe, both to create a vibrant taste and to aid you in reaching the set point. There is no need to go overboard and use bottled lemon juice for all preserves.

For recipes that require 4.5 percent acidity to get to a safe PH zone, you can add either bottled lemon juice or citric acid crystals, using ¼ teaspoon per half-pint jar and ½ teaspoon per pint jar.

In the winter, I squeeze extra Meyer lemon (and blood orange) juice and put it in small freezer containers to have on hand to flavor or color spring and summer preserves.

Vinegars: White wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are used for chutneys and mostardas. Most are at 5 percent acidity, which is needed for long shelf life and recommended for safe preserving. The higher the acidity, the lower the PH.

Salt: Just as in baking and pastry, a pinch of salt will heighten and brighten flavors in a sweet jam.

Flavor enhancers: When fruit, sugar, and lemon are not enough to achieve maximum flavor satisfaction, the following flavor enhancers can balance and brighten a preserve that just misses the mark.

Flavored sugars: While rose water and orange-flower water are beautifully aromatic, their flavors will fade over time. Therefore, you might want to create some scented sugars. They permeate the preserves and have longer-lasting power. You can buy rose sugar at some spice shops, or you can create your own. Dried edible rose petals and lavender are available online from purveyors such as Kalustyans and Whole Spice Company.

To make rose sugar, grind ½ cup dried unsprayed and organic rose petals with 1 cup granulated sugar in a food processor.

For lavender sugar, grind 2 to 3 tablespoons unsprayed, organic lavender with 1 cup granulated sugar in a food processor.

For vanilla sugar, cut up a vanilla bean and grind it with 1 cup granulated sugar in a food processor.

PERSONAL STYLE

Some preservers are purists who want just one fruit in a preserve—no additional flavors or textures. Other home preservers like to combine fruits or add textural elements such as nuts, dried fruits, or slivers of lemon peel. I know that after I master a basic jam, I want to riff on it. Playing with flavor options is a creative challenge that I enjoy, and it leads to some interesting and unique preserves. If you don’t like taking a flavor chance and want a sure thing, that is just fine. It’s okay to stick with the basics.

We all have texture prejudices. Before you make a preserve, taste the fruit and then decide what to make. Pay attention to what the fruit is telling you after a few bites. If the fruit is soft and ripe, a jam is your best bet because its texture will be lost after the initial cooking. If the fruit is quite firm, you might opt for a preserve, conserve, or chutney.

I am not a fan of jellies, but I do make them occasionally. I like to see pieces of fruit, halves of small apricots, or whole berries or cherries in my preserves whenever possible, but I do enjoy a smooth jam or clear jelly from time to time.

Just as we all have different texture preferences, we also have predilections for acidity and spice. I like my flavors to be a bit sharp rather than sweet. At the market, I am always looking for fruit that has an acid backbone. Even then, I am always adding more lemon. If I add ginger, I want to taste it. But you may be one for subtlety. Just keep in mind that the flavor will be the most intense the day you put up the preserve. Over time it will lose some of that intensity. Acid and heat in chutney and other condiments should be overly strong when you jar them because these elements recede after a while. This is why some recipes advise you to let a chutney, pickle, or condiment sit for a month or so before serving, to give the preserve time to settle into flavor balance.

FOOD SAFETY

If you have any fears about food safety or spoilage, please put them aside. I am still standing after eating my preserves all these years. (So, too, are my family and friends.) I am neither a reckless daredevil nor a compulsive worrywart. I am a practical, no-nonsense home cook who has run a restaurant, worked in commercial kitchens, and sold preserves to the public. High-acid foods are safely preserved when heated in a boiling water bath that reaches 212°F, which kills most molds, yeasts, and bacteria. With my preserve recipes, there is no danger of botulism because it cannot survive in the presence of high-acid fruits, ample lemon juice, and vinegar. Low-acid foods need to be preserved in special pressure canners. I do not include those in this book.