Jam – benefits and harms, types and methods of preparation. Russian jam. History of Jam - history of appearance

On this site you will find many recipes for a wide variety of jams. Both traditional ones that reign on our tables all year round, and those that you have never had the opportunity to cook before.

Perhaps you would like to try vegetable jam? At your service are recipes for jam from pumpkin, zucchini, carrots and many others, even from tomatoes.

Well, who doesn’t want to enjoy exotic jam? Read recipes for sultana jam, carrots and cherries. Who would refuse to treat themselves to jam made from rose petals?

We must not forget about health. Recipes for health-improving delicacies that retain the vitamins we need so much will help you with this: natural cherries in sugar, lingonberries in syrup and others.

Quince jam

Grate the quince on a coarse grater and put it in boiling sugar syrup (sugar dissolved in water). Once it boils, remove from heat and let cool. Put on fire, bring to a boil, stirring continuously and skimming off the foam. Cook for half an hour. While hot, place into jars and close tightly. Bon appetit.
You will need: 5 large quinces, 1 kg of sugar, 1 glass of water

Rhubarb jam

Wash, peel and cut 1 kg of rhubarb, add about 600 grams of sugar and leave for 8 - 10 hours. Drain the resulting juice and put on the fire, bring to a boil, add another 600 grams of sugar. When the syrup boils, put pieces of rhubarb in it, bring the jam to a boil, remove from heat and let it brew for an hour. Then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon if desired and immediately pour into pasteurized jars, roll up and turn upside down until cool.

Blackcurrant jam

Recipe: water - 3 glasses, sugar 14 glasses, currants - 11 glasses.
Boil syrup from all the water and half the sugar. As soon as the syrup boils, add all the berries. From the moment the syrup with berries boils, cook for 15 minutes over low heat. Then remove from the heat, add the remaining sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved; you can cook the jam, but do not boil. The jam turns out jelly-like and aromatic.

Pear and orange jam

Unusual pear and orange jam - try it! Recipe: honey – 165 g, sugar – 200 g, lemon juice – 2 tbsp. spoons, cloves - 6 pcs., hard pears - 1 kg, small oranges - 4 pcs., lemon cut into slices - 1 pc., mint leaves - 4 pcs., water - 900 ml.

Mix honey, sugar, lemon juice and cloves in water. Peel the pear, remove the core, and leave the tail. Place the pears in the mixture with honey, stir, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat, close the lid and cook for 20 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears into a bowl, and put the oranges into the pan, remove the skin and white pulp from them, bring to a boil, cook the oranges without a lid for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the oranges to the bowl with the pears. Bring the syrup to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes without a lid. Pour the syrup over the fruit, add lemon slices and mint. Boil for 5 minutes, cool.

Small green tomato jam

For 1 kg of tomatoes: 1 kg of sugar, 4 lemons.

Green tomatoes – small ones – rinse, place in a bowl, add cold salted water (50 grams per 0.5 liter of water) and leave for 12 hours. Then boil, drain the water, and rinse the tomatoes with cold water 2-3 times. The juice is squeezed out of the lemons, the zest is finely chopped, combined and heated over low heat. Add the sugar slowly and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place tomatoes in the syrup and cook over low heat, periodically removing the foam, until the tomatoes become transparent. The finished jam is packaged in sterilized jars and rolled up. Tomatoes retain their bright natural color when cooked.

Chokeberry jam with apples

Recipe: 1 kg of rowan, 1 kg of Antonovka apples, 2 kg of sugar, water – 900 g.
Wash the berries, dry them, and pass through a meat grinder. Cut the apples into slices. Then combine with sugar, add water and cook until tender.

White acacia flower jam

400 grams of white acacia flowers, 1.2 kg of sugar, 1 tbsp. grape juice, 1 tbsp. water.
Peel the acacia flowers so that only white petals remain, rub them with your hands with 800 grams of sugar and leave in an enamel bowl for 12 hours. Boil syrup from water, juice and remaining sugar. Pour in the acacia flowers and cook for 30 – 40 minutes until fully cooked.

Barberry jam

Pour washed and seeded ripe berries with sugar syrup (1 kg of berries - 1 kg of sugar) and leave for a day. Water for syrup - 1 glass. Cook in three batches until done (usually 30 – 40 minutes). The jam is stored well in a cool place under a nylon lid.

Assorted jam

Gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, apricots - wash, dry. Remove pits from cherries and apricots - the weight of the fruit should be 1 kg. Boil the fruits in syrup for 30 minutes. (For 1.25 kg of sugar - 2 glasses of water). Cool the finished jam and package it in jars, close with plastic lids.

Pear jam

Pears – 1 kg, sugar – 1 kg, water 1.5 cups, citric acid 4 g.
Peel and core the pears, cut into slices, blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water and cool in cold water. Dip the pears into hot syrup and cook in 3 batches, allowing to stand. At the end of cooking, add citric acid or the juice of 1 lemon.

Plum jam

Plum jam is poured into jars while hot. Wash the plums and remove the pits. Boil the sugar syrup, put the plum halves into the syrup, bring the mixture to a boil, boil for 8 - 10 minutes and cool. During the cooking process, the jam should be shaken, not stirred. Place the finished jam in hot jars.

Zucchini jam with black currants

2 kg of peeled zucchini, cut into cubes, mixed with 1 kg of black currants, add 3 kg of sugar and leave for 12 hours. Cook in three batches for 5 minutes, letting the jam cool each time. Place the finished jam into jars and close with a lid.

Assorted jam

Cut pears and apples, 0.5 kg each into cubes, pour 0.5 tbsp. water and 300 grams of sugar, boil and leave for 10 hours. The next day, add 500 grams of pitted plums cut into 4 pieces, add another 300 grams of sugar, boil for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling, add 0.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and cloves. Stir and turn off. Place in jars and roll up.

Melon and raspberry jam

Recipe: melon – 1 kg, raspberries – 300 g, Saar – 800 g, water – 1 glass, lemon – 1 pc.
Wash the lemon, dry it, remove the zest, cover it with granulated sugar, pour over lemon juice and leave for 1 hour. Wash the melon, dry it, remove the peel, remove the seeds, cut into small pieces. Sort the raspberries, wash and dry quickly.

Drain the lemon juice from the peels, add water and simmer the syrup over low heat. After boiling, add melon, as soon as the melon is soft add raspberries, continue cooking until thickened. Place the jam in sterilized jars and close the lids.

Southern jam

Recipe: watermelon rinds – 1 kg, sugar – 1.5 kg, water – 500 ml, zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon.
Peel the watermelon rinds and separate the pulp. Cut the white peel into cubes. Pour hot water over the crusts and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, then place on a sieve and cool. Boil syrup from water and sugar, add zest, lemon juice, cook watermelon rinds for 20 - 30 minutes, then remove from heat and leave in syrup for 2 hours. Then repeat this operation, once again let the jam sit for 2 hours, cook for the third time on low heat until the crusts are transparent. Place the finished jam into jars.

Strawberry jam

Strawberry jam is one of the sweetest childhood memories. Strawberries – 1 kg, sugar – 1 kg, juice of one lemon.
Sort the berries, wash, dry, place in a bowl in which the jam will be cooked, add sugar, lemon juice and leave for 5 hours. Then cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Cook until fully cooked in a day. Pour the finished jam into clean jars.

Strawberries (strawberries) in red currant juice

Strawberries (strawberries) – 1 kg, red currant juice – 300 g.
Wash the berries, dry them, place them in a saucepan, add juice, boil for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling, pour into sterilized jars and roll up.

Rosehip-rowanberry jam

Remove hairs and seeds from 600 grams of rose hips. Blanch 400 g of rowan fruits (preferably nevezhinskaya) for 2 - 5 minutes, and then cook in three batches until tender with the addition of 1 tbsp of blanching water and 1.3 kg of sugar. Pour the finished jam into clean jars. Blanching is boiling over high heat.

Gooseberry jam

Recipe: berries - 2 kg, honey 1 kg, walnuts - how much the berries will take.

Wash large unripe gooseberries, dry them, carefully remove the seeds without cutting the berries, fill the gooseberries with walnut kernels. You can make it in halves, but crush the nuts. Pour honey over the berries and cook the jam until tender.

Strawberry or strawberry jam

Sort the berries, wash them, and let the water drain. For 1 kg of berries take 1 kg of sugar and instead of water 1 glass of sour juice (red currants, apples, plums or gooseberries). Dip the berries into a hot syrup of sugar and juice and cook until tender, stirring continuously and skimming off the foam. After 30 - 35 minutes from the moment of boiling, the jam is ready. At the end of cooking, you can add 2 - 3 grams of citric acid - this gives a beautiful color. Pour hot jam into heated dry jars, and when cooled, close the lid. If the jam turns out liquid, you will have to sterilize the jars for 15 - 20 minutes and roll up the lids.

Raspberries mashed with sugar

For this jam, you can use both garden and forest raspberries. Sort through the berries and remove any damaged ones. If there are raspberry beetle larvae (white larvae), dip the berries in salted water (20 grams of salt per liter of water) for 10 - 15 minutes and the larvae will float to the surface. There is another way: scatter the berries on the table, the worms will crawl out on their own. Rinse the raspberries in a colander with water and beat with a mixer. Place the resulting mass in an enamel or porcelain bowl, add 1.5 kg of granulated sugar per 1 kg of raspberries and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place in clean, dry jars and seal airtight.

Pumpkin jam

Pumpkin jam turns out very beautiful and appetizing. Peel the pumpkin and remove seeds. Pour cold water into a basin or pan, put baking soda and put in the pumpkin, cut into large pieces. Leave for a day. Then drain the water, wash the pumpkin with cold water and place in a sieve. When the water has drained, cut the pumpkin into squares.

Boil the syrup, put the pumpkin in it, but do not stir. When the jam boils, remove it from the heat for several hours so that the pumpkin does not boil and it does not turn into jam. Then cook until done.
For 1 kg of pumpkin, 1.5 kg of sugar, 1 tablespoon of soda, 0.75 cups of water.

Pumpkin and apple jam

For this jam you will need: 5 kg of pumpkin, 2 lemons, 2 kg of apples, 5 kg of sugar.

Peel the pumpkin and remove seeds, pass through a meat grinder, add lemons without seeds, passed through a meat grinder. Wash the apples, core them, cut into cubes. Pour granulated sugar into the pumpkin, lemon and apples. Cook in three batches for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling, stirring continuously.

Ginger-apple jam

1 kg of apples, 1 kg of sand, a tablespoon of grated ginger, 1 glass of water, 2 large lemons.
Wash the apples, dry them, remove the core and cut into thin cubes. Remove the zest from the lemon and squeeze out the juice. Boil syrup from sugar and water, add lemon zest and juice, apples, grated ginger to the syrup. Cook the jam until it thickens. Pour into dry, sterilized jars and close with a lid.

Rowan jam

It is better to take Nezhin rowan berries. Dip the berries in boiling water for 3 - 5 minutes or place in a warm oven for 1 - 2 hours. For 1 kg of rowan, take 1.5 kg of sugar and 3 glasses of water. Pour boiling syrup over the berries and cook after 6–8 hours, removing them several times for 10–15 minutes. Let the finished jam sit for 10 – 13 hours, then put it into jars. If the syrup is liquid, drain it, keep it on the fire to “evaporate” and pour the jam again.

Jam with honey - cherry, currant

Strawberry jam

Unusual jam
Jam made from rose petals, onions and even...garlic. How do you make such a delicious dessert from these unusual ingredients?

Russian jam

excursion into history

It is believed that making jam from berries and fruits is a Russian tradition; European analogues of jam are confiture (in France) and jam (in England). According to Russian tradition, jam is made from whole or coarsely chopped fruits and berries, while jam, confiture or marmalade, like marmalade, are made from pureed ones. The syrup in the jam should be thick and transparent, the berries should hold well in it - not sink to the bottom or float to the top.

Since sugar was very expensive until the end of the 19th century, molasses and honey were previously used to make jam. Jam was available only to rich people, as it was an expensive pleasure. They made jam without honey: the berries were boiled for 5-6 hours without open fire in a heated Russian oven.

In general, jam was made mainly in noble estates, and usually the housewife herself was in charge of this important task, and each housewife had her own secrets. Great importance was attached to the ability to make jam. The noble maidens were taught this in the same way as drawing, singing, and playing the piano.

Among fruit which were used for jam, the main thing was, of course, apples. It is believed that the cultivated apple tree appeared in the monastery gardens of Kievan Rus in the 11th–12th centuries. Particularly famous was the apple orchard, founded under Yaroslav the Wise (in 1051) and later known as the garden of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Written documents from the 14th century mention Moscow gardens, and Domostroy already gives the first advice on garden care. Apples could be eaten no earlier than August 19 (6 according to the new style) - the day of the Apple Savior (this is the popular name for the church holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord); Then they started making apple jam.

Other fruit trees, from the fruits of which jam was made - pear, cherry, plum - began to be grown in Rus' much later (from about the 15th century), not to mention such southern crops as quince, apricot and peach.

In the garden of every landowner they certainly grew berry bushes– raspberries and blackberries, currants and gooseberries. Berry picking is described by Pushkin in “Eugene Onegin” - remember when the girls were ordered to sing songs “so that wicked lips would not secretly eat the master’s berries”? The collected berries were used mainly for jam.

All these shrubs grow wild in forests throughout Russia, especially along the edges, in burnt areas and clearings, along the banks of rivers and streams. Their berries have always been collected in the forest, but even now many believe that wild raspberries or currants are tastier, more aromatic and healthier than those grown in the garden.

Like many other plants, cultivated raspberries, currants and gooseberries in Russia first began to be grown in monasteries. For example, there is reliable evidence that already in the 11th century. currants were grown in Novgorod and Pskov monasteries. Around the same time, gooseberries and raspberries began to be grown; a little later they migrated to the gardens of wealthy citizens and the estates of landowners. The first cultivated plants differed little from wild ones; an abundance of varieties appeared only in the 19th century.

Particularly popular in Rus' gooseberry, which used to be called “bersen”, or “kryzh bersen” (Bersenevskaya embankment near the Moscow Kremlin owes its name to the gardens along the banks of the Moscow River, where gooseberries were grown). There were many varieties of gooseberries (they were also called “northern grapes”) and many recipes for jam from them. For example, “royal” jam was prepared from seeded unripe green gooseberries, boiled in syrup in which cherry leaves were previously boiled. Catherine II loved gooseberry jam. Almost all ancient varieties of gooseberries were lost at the beginning of the 20th century, when they were attacked by a disease brought from America - spheroteka, gooseberry powdery mildew. The few surviving shrubs and those created by subsequent selection gave rise to the current varieties of gooseberries.

Loved in Rus' and currants, especially black. We began to cultivate it much earlier than in Western European countries, where only at the end of the 17th century. began to show interest in black currant as a medicinal plant. The berries grown in the monastery and lordly gardens were used for jams and liqueurs, and the peasants collected currants in the forest, dried the berries, or evaporated them in the oven, or made them into levishniki (or levashniki) - thin layers of pureed berries dried in the sun. Then the dried or steamed berries were used to make jelly or make fillings for pies. Russia still remains the leader in currant cultivation on the world market.

Raspberries, probably the sweetest of our berries - it is not without reason that in folk proverbs and sayings it is mentioned as a symbol of all the sweetest and most delicious. In addition to its wonderful taste and aroma, raspberry jam has long been valued for helping to fight colds - and in fact, it has mild antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Like other berry bushes, cultivated raspberries at first differed little from wild ones, and only in the 19th century many different varieties appeared. Now raspberries come in yellow, black, white, and a wide variety of shades of their natural crimson color. Modern varieties differ greatly in taste and smell; some of them bear fruit all season long and have berries almost as long as a finger. But the most fragrant and healing, as before, remains wild raspberries, especially those ripened in the sun.

Its closest relative was grown much less than raspberries. blackberries, which also occurs wild in our forests. Perhaps one of the reasons was the sharp thorns - it is not for nothing that many varieties of thornless blackberries have now appeared. Blackberry jam tastes and looks similar to raspberry jam, but without the wonderful raspberry smell.

In the north of Russia, in the forests and swamps, there are other berries that look like raspberries, but have a completely different taste - cloudberries and princelings. They also make very good jam.

Stands apart among berries for jam strawberry, as large-fruited garden strawberries are commonly (and incorrectly) called. To begin with, all its varieties come from a hybrid of two American species, which appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century in France, and reached Russia half a century later. At the end of the 18th century, strawberries began to be grown in Russia almost everywhere, but almost always they remained a “lordly” berry, inaccessible to the common people. Although wild strawberries, found in our forests, began to be grown much earlier - for example, varietal strawberries were in the garden of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Strawberry or wild strawberry jam has always required special skill - these berries are painfully tender!

Many forest berries, from which jam was made, and even more were harvested for the winter in other ways, were never grown until the end of the 20th century, since they also produced abundant harvests in the forest. This blueberry(and her sister blueberry), cowberry, cranberry. In addition, they used it for jam rowan And viburnum– in their raw form, these berries are quite bitter, but in jam they are very good, especially in combination with apples.

Sometimes several different berries were combined into jam, nuts, citrus zest, and spices were added to it. Jams were made not only from fruits and berries, but also from flowers (for example, the famous jam from rose petals), as well as from various vegetables (carrots, radishes, turnips). It is known that Ivan the Terrible was very fond of cucumber jam with honey.

All of the listed fruits and berries have many beneficial properties - but do these benefits remain when they are made into jam? When fruits are overcooked with sugar, of course, they lose most of their vitamins, which are destroyed when exposed to heat. Modern options - five-minute jam and especially “raw jam” (berries, usually crushed, mixed with sugar, but not boiled) - allow you to preserve significantly more vitamins than jam prepared in a traditional way, but are worse stored (sometimes only in the refrigerator).

Jam can also be a medicine, like raspberry jam for colds. The medicinal properties of raspberries are explained by the content of certain organic acids in it. Beneficial acids that reduce inflammation and help fight microbes also remain in jams made from other berries - for example, cranberries, lingonberries, and rowan. In general, almost all berries in a wide variety of forms were used in folk medicine; They were believed to help against many diseases.

In addition to vitamins, berries contain many microelements, which are also necessary for the normal functioning of our body. They are not destroyed when exposed to heat, so these beneficial substances remain in the jam in full.

Pigments from the anthocyanin group - there are many of them in black currants and blueberries - have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is believed (although not yet scientifically proven) that they have a beneficial effect on vision and improve the condition of blood vessels. These pigments also remain undestroyed in properly prepared jam, which can be determined with the naked eye - by color.

It is possible that other useful components of the berries are also preserved in the jam, for example, flavonoids, tannins, essential oils and many others.

The main thing to remember when talking about the possible benefits of jam is the large amount of sugar in it. And the various harms from excess sugar - unfortunately for all those with a sweet tooth - have been irrefutably proven by medical science.

What can you make unusual jam from? Recipes inherited from mothers and grandmothers are not always the most original, but you want something unexpected. Well, in fact, you won’t surprise anyone with a jar of currants and you can’t proudly put such a treat on the table.

So what can you prepare for the winter that will be interesting to cook for yourself and not embarrassing to show to your guests? In this article we have collected the most amazing recipes. To be honest, not all types of unusual jam are listed here: after some thought, I had to abandon the famous onion confiture - after all, it is better not to prepare this delicacy in winter, but to prepare it in small portions; the famous sweet dish made from unripe walnuts was not included in the top - it is difficult to prepare due to the lack of necessary ingredients in most regions of Russia. Also removed from the list was assorted fruit jam - unusual and surprisingly tasty, but inaccessible to most people due to the high cost of the necessary ingredients, even in season.

About jam

“Jam” is an old Russian term denoting a boiled food made from berries, nuts, fruits or flowers based on honey and molasses - there was no sugar then. Our ancestors were very good at making winter supplies, including sweets. In the absence of honey or molasses, the berries were simply boiled down strongly and then used as a filling for pancakes and pies, or drinks were prepared - fruit drinks, infusions and compotes. And when sugar appeared in Rus', they began to make jam from everything - carrots, radishes, pumpkins, green tomatoes, dandelions, etc. Candied fruits were served only in rich houses; such products were not available to ordinary people. Although noble gentlemen often used unusual jam - from cucumbers, nuts or hot red pepper. So those types of jam that seem original to us were in fact well known to our ancestors.

What to put in jars in spring

It is generally accepted that winter preparations should be done in the fall, when stores and on your own plots are full of berries, fruits and vegetables. But in fact, you can cook a sweet delicacy in early spring, for example, from sorrel, mint or dandelions.

Unusual mint and lemon jam

List of ingredients:

500 g fresh mint leaves without stems;

1 kg sugar;

1.5 lemons;

1 liter of water.

Recipe. Chop the mint, cut the lemons along with the peel. Add water and boil for 10-15 minutes over low heat to avoid reducing the volume of the broth. Then cool, strain and add sugar. The resulting syrup should be simmered over low heat for about two hours.

The taste of this delicacy will be mint-lemon, without any cloying sweetness, since this recipe used half the recommended amount of sugar. The color will also be pale, so you can add a drop of food coloring - green or yellow.

Unusual assorted jam

When housewives think about original preparations for the winter, they most often come up with the idea of ​​​​making assorted dishes. And not just an ordinary mixture, but something completely incredible. There are actually a lot of options: cherries stuffed with pine nuts, eggplants with walnuts and cinnamon, a mixture of peaches, apples and lemon, black currants with rhubarb, etc. But the most original of this entire list is currant jam with almonds and hot pepper.

List of ingredients :

3 kg of ripe red currants;

400 g almonds;

1 kg sugar;

2 large or 3-4 medium hot peppers.

Recipe. We sort and wash the berries. Grind through a sieve to obtain a homogeneous mass. Mix the berries and sugar and cook over low heat. Add peeled unroasted almonds and chopped dry or fresh hot pepper. Cook for 1.5 hours, after which the delicacy is ready.

List of ingredients:

1/2 kg of green tomatoes;

650 g sugar;

1-2 cardamom seeds;

3-4 g cinnamon.

Recipe. Wash small green tomatoes and boil for 12-15 minutes, then drain the water. Prepare sugar syrup and dip vegetables in it, let it brew for at least 3 hours - the tomatoes should be saturated with sugar. Then cook over low heat for 20 minutes, cool and let brew for another 2-3 hours. These steps need to be repeated 3 more times: soaking, cooking, cooling, soaking again, etc. At the last stage, cook until tender, and put a bag of spices into the syrup (it is later thrown away).

How to surprise with ordinary strawberries

It seems that there is nothing more banal than But with this berry you can prepare many original dishes with interesting flavor combinations. For example, you can cook sweet strawberries with vanilla and black pepper.

List of ingredients:

0.5 kg strawberries;

0.5 kg sugar;

1 tbsp. l. lemon juice;

1.5 g vanillin (fresh vanilla is better, but this is a rather expensive component, so we use a substitute);

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper.

Recipe. Sort the berries, wash and sprinkle with sugar and vanilla. Let sit until the strawberries begin to release their juice. Add the remaining ingredients, while it is better to grind the pepper yourself from the peas or take it from a new pack (fragrant, not stale). Then cook as usual: either “five minutes” for those who like liquid jam, or about an hour for those who prefer a thick mass.

Unusual currant jam

Currants are the best berry for making “raw” jam, that is, the product turns out to be as natural as possible, fortified and very aromatic. But this recipe is too simple and obvious, so we will tell you how to make blackcurrant jam with ginger. And it is unusual because an unusual amount of ginger is used here, about 1/5 of the weight of the berries.

List of ingredients:

500 g black currants;

100 g ginger;

300 g sugar.

Recipe. Cook like regular jam, but add thin slices of ginger at the beginning of the process. This is a very unusual jam for the winter - sweet and tart, for everyone. But this delicacy is a wonderful way to prevent colds and flu.

Flower jam

You can make an unusual, delicious jam from flowers. Here, no one limits your imagination: in the east, the sweet delicacy is prepared from rose petals, in Asian countries - from lotus and chrysanthemums, and in Russia - from spring dandelions. But in this list we left room for interesting and unusual, but at the same time accessible recipes. So let’s get acquainted with the original jam made from lilac and grapefruit flowers.

List of ingredients:

300 ml lilac flowers;

350 ml lilac for infusion;

250 ml boiling water;

1 cup of sugar;

1 tbsp. l. pectin;

Juice of one grapefruit.

Recipe. Collect lilac flowers - only buds, without green parts. Divide into two parts, pour boiling water over one and let it brew for at least 7-10 hours. Then separate the liquid from the petals and use it to prepare a syrup with the addition of pectin. The syrup should be boiled for 15 minutes, after which grapefruit juice and the remaining lilac flowers are added to it.

The result is a surprisingly aromatic rose jam, sweet and sour and very tasty. This unusual winter jam will remind you of summer even in the most severe frosts.

Delicious plum

According to most housewives, plums are very good on their own - in jams, compotes, salads, and adjika. In general, hundreds of tasty and healthy preparations for the winter are made from this wonderful berry. But you can also make unusual plum jam.

List of ingredients:

0.5 kg plums;

5 g pectin;

1 tbsp. Sahara;

1 tbsp. l. Roma;

10 g fresh ginger;

- ½ bar of dark chocolate;

30 ml water.

Recipe. Cook as usual, but when the mixture boils, you need to add rum and grated ginger, and then stir in the melted dark chocolate. Boil over low heat until thickened.

This unusual taste and light note of ginger will cheer up the whole family on long winter evenings. Fans of chocolate and fruit combinations will be delighted with this filling for pancakes or pancakes.

Amazing apples

Unusual apple jam is very easy to make. It’s just that these fruits are versatile and can be combined with anything, such as kiwi.

List of ingredients:

4 things. kiwi;

5 pieces. medium apples;

600 g sugar;

Juice of one lemon;

15 ml water.

Recipe. Peel the apples, cut them into cubes and pour lemon juice over them to prevent them from darkening. Remove the skin from the kiwi and cut the fruit into cubes and add to the apples. Add water and sugar and let it brew for 2 hours. Then bring to a boil and cook for another 40 minutes.

The finished product smells very good and tastes amazing!

Original pears

An unusual pear jam with the addition of ginger is becoming increasingly popular - the delicacy has a sweet and spicy taste and goes well with both meat and desserts.

List of ingredients:

4 things. firm pears;

0.5 kg of dense grapes;

Juice of one lemon;

- ½ tbsp. l. fresh ginger;

1 star anise;

3-4 carnation flowers;

250 ml water.

Recipe. Wash, peel, and cut the pears into halves or 4 pieces. You don't have to remove the seeds and tails - they will make the jam look more interesting. Drizzle half the lemon juice over the pears. Place the grapes and pears in a container with thick walls, add water and place over medium heat. After boiling, cook for 20 minutes, after which remove the fruit from the water and strain the liquid so that no seeds, fallen off tails, etc. remain.

Using pure fruit water, make a syrup with all the seasonings added, add fruit to it and add the other half of lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes, then set to rest for 6-7 hours. Repeat these procedures 3-4 times: you have to prepare the unusual pear jam for 2-3 days, then the pears will become glassy and the syrup will acquire a rich, beautiful color.

Pine cone jam

Although this is a medicinal delicacy, we still included it in the top of the most original recipes.

List of ingredients:

200 g of young pine cones (collected in May);

1 liter of water;

0.5 kg sugar.

Recipe. Boil the cones for 15-20 minutes. Prepare sugar syrup and dip the boiled pine cones into it. Then cook over low heat for half an hour, and the jam is ready. Sometimes this dish is prepared without cones, based on a single pine decoction.

The resulting delicacy is used to prevent colds, treat asthma, fatigue syndrome and a number of other diseases.

The most unusual jam

Who could have come up with the idea of ​​making garlic jam? After all, this vegetable has such a specific aroma and taste that it cannot be imagined as a dessert! But such jam still exists; moreover, there are many recipes for its preparation and recommendations on what exactly to eat it with. Here we will not write about medicinal garlic jam, which should be eaten a spoonful a day to prevent colds, but we will talk about a real sweet delicacy with an original taste, which can be used as a sauce for meat dishes or as regular jam for sandwiches.

List of ingredients:

300 g baked garlic;

- ¾ cup sugar;

300 ml water;

Ground nutmeg;

Recipe. Peel the garlic and cut it in half, and then bake in the oven at 180-200 °C. Cooking time - 18-20 minutes. Then make a syrup from water and sugar, add spices to it and lower the baked pieces. You need to cook until the syrup begins to thicken, but not until it caramelizes.

Harm and benefit

Is it healthy to eat jam? Everything is not so clear here. On the one hand, jam, even if boiled many times, retains some vitamins (groups B and E) and contains fiber, so such food is beneficial for the body as a whole and for the stomach in particular. But on the other hand - extra calories, harm to teeth and, in some cases, increased acidity. So you can and should eat, but not in liters.

But jam improves your mood - all doctors note this. And the healthiest thing is raspberry: it treats colds, contains useful folic acid, cleanses the circulatory system, normalizes blood pressure, has a beneficial effect on the stomach and intestines after stormy feasts, improves complexion and helps maintain skin elasticity. This is how it turned out that raspberry jam is unusual, although it seems that it couldn’t be simpler.

Who invented jam and when? How long ago did this happen, which people were the first to start storing berries and fruits in the form of jams? When did

An old Russian term denoting a boiled delicacy, that is, any berries, fruits, nuts, vegetables and flowers boiled in a sweet medium (honey, molasses, sugar) (from vegetables - carrots, radishes, pumpkin, green tomatoes, turnips, chicory; from flowers - rose petals, rose hips, Japanese chrysanthemum petals, ylang-ylang flowers, dandelion). The term has retained its meaning to this day, but at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. it was often replaced by the word candiation.
In international culinary terminology, the word jam is accepted to designate exclusively Russian national types of candy, in contrast to French (jam), English (jam), Middle Eastern (smokva), Central Asian (kiem), Ukrainian (jam).

Jam is prepared from whole, uncrushed berries or fruits (fruits), and if crushed, they are cut into large slices (or halves). Jam syrup is always thick, always transparent, preserving the natural color of berries or fruits. The berries should stay firmly in the syrup (not sink to the bottom or float to the surface). Unfortunately, this traditional standard of Russian jam is not always maintained both due to ignorance of the rules of preparation, and due to violation of the technology of its cooking by mixing with other types of candiment. The result is “hybrids” of jam and marmalade with a different concentration and consistency, which quickly sour, become sugary, go rancid, and become moldy.
The basic rule when making jam is the ratio of equal volumes of berries and sugar (liter per liter, not kilogram per kilogram). It is necessary to purify (boil) the sugar, cook hard fruits in syrup, and cook soft, tender berries, previously covered with sugar, only after they have released their juice. Most berries and fruits require careful pre-treatment: washing several times with cold water, blanching, pricking, removing seeds. All these operations are carried out in order to preserve the shape of the berry or fruit, color, prevent overcooking and minimize foam during cooking.
Cook the jam first over high heat, and then over low heat, making sure to remove the foam, but without any stirring. It is only allowed to shake the basin or pan slightly just before the end of cooking. To prevent the jam from being overcooked and losing its natural color (when overcooked, it darkens or shrivels), they resort to this method: after the first 15-20 minutes of cooking, set the jam to cool for 3-4 hours, and then again on the fire for the same time. Some fruits with delicate pulp, such as apricots and peaches, are only repeatedly poured with boiling sugar syrup, and the fruits themselves are boiled for only a few minutes, at the last stage of cooking. Hard fruits (such as quince, strong pears) are slowly boiled in pre-prepared liquid syrup.

An indicator of the readiness of jam is not the cooking time, which varies depending on the temperature of the fire, the air, the humidity of the air outside and in the room, the atmospheric pressure and the material of the cookware, etc., but such signs as the disappearance of foam, the transparency of the syrup, the transparency of the “body” "berries or fruit, the strength of a drop of syrup (should not spread on the saucer) and the strength of the syrup thread (a drop of syrup between the thumb and forefinger should be pulled out into a frayed thread when pulled apart. The fragility of this thread is an indicator of overcookedness of the syrup, and its absence indicates undercooking.

After the jam is ready, covered with a linen towel (to remove excess residual moisture), it should cool in the same container where it was cooked. Immediately after it has cooled, transfer it to dry, heated glass jars, filling them to the top, and cover with oiled paper.

The famous Roman cook Apicius in the 3rd-4th centuries. n. e. wrote a cookbook “De re coquinaria” (“On Cooking”), where the very first recipe for jam is found. Apicius called this sweetness, prepared from quince with honey, defrutum. And a similar jam is still produced according to this ancient recipe, which is available for sale in some southern European countries under the name mosto cotto. The main secret of this jam is adding boiled grape juice to honey, which removes the astringent taste of quince.

Today, many have already forgotten how, during perestroika, store shelves were filled with apple jam, and everyone in their apartment had a refrigerator under the window for storing their own prepared jam. The morning of any Russian in the 90s began with a bun with butter and jam, and on long winter evenings it was so nice to drink tea with currant jam and pancakes.

Nowadays, making jam has become unfashionable, and only diligent housewives and caring grandmothers practice this art.

Meanwhile, making jam for the winter can be a very entertaining and exciting activity for the whole family, as it symbolizes a kind of unity and care for loved ones. In addition, properly prepared jam according to ancient recipes can be much better and healthier than purchased sweets.

The beneficial properties of jam increase many times over if you make it not with sugar, but with honey.

Did you know that in the distant times of Tsarist Russia, jam was available only to people of wealth, because they prepared it with honey, like the Romans and Greeks. Sugar appeared in our country only in the second half of the 19th century. In our country we made jam from raspberries, apples and gooseberries. Catherine II herself loved gooseberry jam so much that she gave her cook an emerald ring for the recipe. The jam was called “emerald or royal.” Our literary classic A.S. also loved it. Pushkin.

The main secret of “emerald” jam is the correct collection of berries. Only green gooseberries harvested between June 10 and 15 are suitable for royal sweetness.

Ekaterina’s “emerald” jam recipeII

1. The berries are washed and destemmed. Then pour in a decoction of cherry leaves so that it completely covers the berries.
2. The decoction is prepared as follows: two handfuls of leaves are boiled for five minutes in a liter of water.
3. The gooseberries should soak in the cherry broth for about a day (in the cold).
4. On the second day, the berries are removed and transferred to boiling sugar syrup.
5. After fifteen minutes of cooking over low heat, the “emerald” jam is ready.

Benefits of gooseberry jam

Many facts speak about the benefits of this jam. Catherine II, even into adulthood, maintained an excellent complexion, attractiveness and efficiency, while managing a huge empire for thirty years.

Gooseberry jam is a low-calorie product containing carbohydrates, which means that by consuming it instead of sweets, you can bring your weight back to normal.

In addition, gooseberries are very rich in potassium, which is beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

Does “emerald” jam help maintain immunity?

Young gooseberries contain a lot of valuable vitamins, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B1, B2.

When jam is cooked for several hours, these vitamins, and especially ascorbic acid, are partially destroyed. Since in the “emerald” jam recipe the berries are boiled in syrup for only 15 minutes, they will retain most of the nutrients.

From the story about the benefits of jam...

Dry jam can be made from any berries, fruits, watermelon rinds and vegetables. Cut the fruit into cubes or slices, pour in syrup and cook for ten minutes. The ratio of fruit to syrup should be one to two(1 liter of water, 650 g of sugar, you can use honey instead of sugar, as Avicenna did).

Let it sit in the syrup for 8 hours, then separate the fruits from the syrup and sprinkle them with sugar.

The next step is drying. Arrange the fruit in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven, leaving the door ajar. Dry at a temperature no higher than 40 degrees for about ten hours.

The finished dry jam should be packed in a cardboard box, first lined with parchment paper.

What is the healthiest jam?

It is no secret that in order to preserve the vitamins and nutrients of the berries, jam is prepared from them “cold”. Such jam, as a rule, is best made from sour berries: red currants, gooseberries, blueberries, sea buckthorn, cranberries, lingonberries and viburnum. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a year and helps cope with the first signs of a cold. Instead of sugar in such sweets, it is better to use honey.

Recipe for “cold” viburnum jam

1. Peel the berries from stalks and clusters, sort, rinse in cold water, spread in a thin layer on a clean towel and dry.
2. Then grind with a masher or pass through a meat grinder, while adding honey. Place layer after layer of grated berries and honey into jars.

Viburnum contains approximately 1.5 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits! The combination of viburnum with honey can relieve a sore throat and any cold, cope with disturbances in the functioning of the stomach and intestines, and normalize blood pressure.

Of course, to quickly treat colds, it is better not to heat treat the berries. However, such a recipe allows you to prepare berries for the winter, and at the right time achieve the desired medicinal effect. Such recipes are especially relevant for the prevention of diseases in children and pregnant women who should not take medications.

“Five-minute jam” is the best way to prepare blueberries for the winter

There is another way to preserve nutrients in berries and fruits. This method is especially valuable because our Russian housewives came up with it to prepare blueberries for future use. “Five-minute jam” from blueberries can be used as an independent dish, and as a filling for pies, rolls, and an additive to cottage cheese.

Blueberries are record holders for the content of nutrients. The most valuable are vitamins A and B, which have a positive effect on vision and skin health, and help normalize brain activity. Due to the high concentration of iron and manganese in blueberry jam, consuming it improves overall well-being and increases the body's resistance to disease.

Recipe for healthy “five-minute jam” from blueberries

• 1 kg blueberries
• 250 ml water
• 1 - 1.5 kg sugar

1. Bring water to a boil in a bowl for making jam.
2. Add sugar to water until it completely dissolves.
3. When the sugar has dissolved, add blueberries to the syrup and, turning off the heat, leave for 4-5 hours.
4. After the specified time has passed, turn the heat back on, bring the jam to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Once the jam is ready, you can pour it into sterilized jars. Store in a cool place.

Cooking jam with seeds

We all remember from childhood a special device for removing pits from cherries. The task was tedious and, most importantly, useless. It turns out that jam with seeds is much healthier. When heated, the seeds release beneficial vitamins and antioxidants, which remain in the jam. In addition, it is the seeds that give the jam its unique natural taste and aroma. This jam can be made, for example, from apricots and plums.

We offer a recipe for healthy plum jam. This jam is cooked in several stages, between which it is infused. This method allows the maximum transfer of useful substances from the seeds into the syrup.

Recipe for healthy plum jam with seeds

1. Sort out the plums and pits, rinse them under running water and prick them a little with a fork. Fill it with cold water.
2. Then heat the plum with water over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Do not bring to a boil.
3. Drain the resulting water from the drains. Add sugar to the water and, stirring, bring to a boil. Cool the plums at this time.
4. Pour the prepared chilled plum with hot sugar syrup.
5. Then heat the jam over medium heat until almost boiling (until bubbles just begin to appear) and let sit for 10 hours. Repeat this manipulation 1-2 times.
6. The last stage is to boil the jam over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
7. Pour hot plum jam with pits into sterile jars and roll up. Leave to cool with the lids down.

Is jam and marmalade healthy?

In different countries, jam has different names. In France - confiture, in England - jam, in Russia - jam and marmalade.
Not a single breakfast in a traditional English family is complete without jam. By the way, jam was invented in Scotland at the beginning of the 18th century by Janit Keiller. The name jam comes from her name.

Jam is not only a delicious stand-alone dessert. Eating this sweet removes harmful substances from the body due to its high pectin content. These substances also heal minor wounds and help cleanse the intestines.

Of course, you need to know when to stop everything. Excessive consumption of jam can lead to weight gain and diabetes.

What is important to know when making jam?

A characteristic feature of jam is its jelly-like consistency. It is achieved by combining pectin, contained in berries and fruits, with acids and sugar. Therefore, first you need to choose the right fruit and berries from which you will make jam. The richest in pectin are currants, apples, apricots, quinces, gooseberries, plums, and oranges. You can combine several fruits and berries when making jam.

What kind of container to cook jam in?

Berries and fruits contain organic acids, which can cause increased corrosion of the surface of the cookware. Therefore, enameled pans and basins or stainless steel are usually used for making jam.

Since ancient times, jam was also cooked in copper and brass basins. However, it is worth remembering that this type of cookware is very easily oxidized by oxygen and becomes covered with a dark coating. Such basins cannot be used for making jam. Copper and brass utensils should be cleaned and polished to a shine.

Are there any contraindications or restrictions for consuming jam?

Of course, there are, but they are all related to the individual characteristics of the human body.

St. Basil the Great draws our attention: “Avoiding immoderation in pleasure, the goal of eating food should be not pleasure, but its necessity for life, for servility to pleasure means nothing more than making the stomach your god.”

A sense of proportion is a wonderful quality that will help us abstain from gluttony, thereby protecting us from diseases of the body.

1. Age.

Jam contains sugar, which means that children under 5 years of age and older people should limit their consumption of this product to a tablespoon per day. Strictly speaking, doctors do not recommend giving jam to children under three years of age. Starting from the age of three, the sugar norm for a child is 40 g per day - which is about a dessert spoon of jam. Children under three years of age, as a rule, can be given mashed berries and fruits instead of jam.

1. Allergy.

Berries, as such, are very strong allergens. Therefore, people prone to allergies should not use jam.

1. Diabetes and excess weight.

People suffering from these diseases are generally not recommended to use our usual jam with sugar syrup. Vegetables and fruits cooked with honey will be optimal for them.