How to make delicious Jam, Marmalade, and Chutney at home
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I think it's fair to say that as a nation we don't make jams and chutneys often enough. With the increase in the availability of ready-made alternatives like Coles, Woolies, and Aldi's own label jams and sauces, it's easy to forget how simple it is to make your own.
Now I'm not one of those people who believes that homemade will always be better than shop-bought. I'm sure you've all had the experience of making something from scratch, only to find it doesn't quite match up to the shop-bought alternative. However, when it comes to jams, preserves, and chutneys I believe that there is a noticeable difference in flavour.
And the benefits are not just limited to taste. Homemade chutney, marmalade, and jam make wonderful presents, or they can be used in recipes as a way of instantly adding some flavour. With this article, I hope to encourage you to give homemade a go, and by the end of it, you'll be ready to experiment with your own combinations.
To begin with, we'll look at some basic recipes, and then I'll go on to give you some ideas for some more adventurous combinations.
Jam
This is the simplest and most common of the preserves. Jam is made from fruit and sugar cooked together, with some pectin added to make it set.
Pectin is the natural substance which causes fruit to gel when cooked, and comes in the form of either a liquid or a powder. The liquid form is most common, and it can be found in packets in the jam section of your supermarket.
If you don't want to buy pectin, you can substitute it for something else. I've used apple sauce in a pinch, or you could use the juice from the fruit you're using.
Credits: Shutterstock
Here's a basic recipe for jam which I hope you'll agree is pretty simple and quick to make.
1kg of fruit (apples, pears, plums, berries, etc.)
1kg of sugar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 packet of pectin (follow the instructions on the packet)
Peel, core, and chop your fruit. Put the fruit in a large pan with the lemon juice, and cook gently until the fruit is soft. Leave to cool.
Place the cooled fruit in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. For every 500g of fruit you use, add 500g of sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, and then bring to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the pectin and continue to boil for another 4 minutes, or until the mixture reaches 105°C.
If you don't have a thermometer, test the jam by placing a teaspoon of the hot mixture onto a cold plate. Leave for two minutes. If it wrinkles when pushed with a finger, then it's ready.
If your jam is not ready, boil for another minute, and test again. Repeat until ready.
Pour the jam into sterilised jars, and leave to cool.
The jam is ready to eat now, but the flavour will develop further after a few days.
If you prefer video instructions, take a look at the (slightly different) method below:
Marmalade
A marmalade is simply a jam made with the bitter peel of citrus fruits. The peel is cooked with the pulp, and then the resulting mixture is strained to remove the peel.
This recipe is inspired by the marmalades of the days of yore, which were made from the peel of Seville oranges, which grow in the Mediterranean.
Nowadays, most marmalades are made from the peel of oranges, which are more readily available and cheaper. Seville oranges are still available, and if you can get your hands on some you'll notice that the peel is thicker and the pith is much yellower than the orange peel you usually see.
1kg of fruit (apples, pears, plums, berries, etc.)
1kg of sugar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 packet of pectin (follow the instructions on the packet)
Peel, core, and chop your fruit. Put the fruit in a large pan with the lemon juice, and cook gently until the fruit is soft. Leave to cool.
Place the cooled fruit in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. For every 500g of fruit you use, add 500g of sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, and then bring to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the pectin and continue to boil for another 4 minutes, or until the mixture reaches 105°C.
If you don't have a thermometer, test the jam by placing a teaspoon of the hot mixture onto a cold plate. Leave for two minutes. If it wrinkles when pushed with a finger, then it's ready.
If your jam is not ready, boil for another minute, and test again. Repeat until ready.
Pour the jam into sterilised jars, and leave to cool.
The jam is ready to eat now, but the flavour will develop further after a few days.
If you prefer video instructions, take a look at the (slightly different) method below:
Marmalade
A marmalade is simply a jam made with the bitter peel of citrus fruits. The peel is cooked with the pulp, and then the resulting mixture is strained to remove the peel.
This recipe is inspired by the marmalades of the days of yore, which were made from the peel of Seville oranges, which grow in the Mediterranean.
Nowadays, most marmalades are made from the peel of oranges, which are more readily available and cheaper. Seville oranges are still available, and if you can get your hands on some you'll notice that the peel is thicker and the pith is much yellower than the orange peel you usually see.
Credits: Shutterstock
This recipe is a little more involved, but the results are well worth the bit of extra effort.
6 Seville oranges
2 lemons
1.8 kg of sugar
Grate the rind from the oranges and lemons. Squeeze out the juice from the oranges. Cut the peel into small chunks. Put the rind, juice, and peel into a large pot. Add the sugar, and stir until it has completely dissolved.
Boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a sieve and into sterilised jars. Leave to cool.
The marmalade is ready now, but, like the jam, will continue to develop flavour as it ages.
Marmalade is a very seasonal product, so I make a batch of this in the late summer and store it in the cupboard for the whole winter.
Again, here’s a slightly different video tutorial:
Chutney
A chutney is a thick, spicy relish. It can be made from any fruit or vegetable. This recipe is for apple chutney.
6 Seville oranges
2 lemons
1.8 kg of sugar
Grate the rind from the oranges and lemons. Squeeze out the juice from the oranges. Cut the peel into small chunks. Put the rind, juice, and peel into a large pot. Add the sugar, and stir until it has completely dissolved.
Boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a sieve and into sterilised jars. Leave to cool.
The marmalade is ready now, but, like the jam, will continue to develop flavour as it ages.
Marmalade is a very seasonal product, so I make a batch of this in the late summer and store it in the cupboard for the whole winter.
Again, here’s a slightly different video tutorial:
Chutney
A chutney is a thick, spicy relish. It can be made from any fruit or vegetable. This recipe is for apple chutney.
Credits: Shutterstock
The recipe
4 apples
1 onion
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 cup of vinegar
2 cups of brown sugar
Peel and chop the apples. Peel and chop the onion. Put the onion, apples, and all the other ingredients into a large pan. Cook gently until the fruit is soft, stirring regularly.
Pour into sterilised jars, and leave to cool.
Here’s one last video recipe for making chutney:
Well, there you have it, folks. It may be a little more time-consuming than buying it from the store, but I can almost guarantee the homemade versions will taste better. If you give any of these recipes a go or have any recipe tips, let us know in the comments below.
4 apples
1 onion
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 cup of vinegar
2 cups of brown sugar
Peel and chop the apples. Peel and chop the onion. Put the onion, apples, and all the other ingredients into a large pan. Cook gently until the fruit is soft, stirring regularly.
Pour into sterilised jars, and leave to cool.
Here’s one last video recipe for making chutney:
Well, there you have it, folks. It may be a little more time-consuming than buying it from the store, but I can almost guarantee the homemade versions will taste better. If you give any of these recipes a go or have any recipe tips, let us know in the comments below.
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