Ingredients

6 sweet, organic oranges, cleaned
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
a 6 cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
400 g rice malt syrup
250 g muscovado sugar

Makes 4 small jars.

Directions

Prepare the oranges by peeling them and discarding the white bitter skin. Save the peel. Chop the orange pulp -removing any seeds-, chop the peel and place the prepared oranges in a heavy steel saucepan. Add the vanilla powder, the ginger and toss. Stir in the rice malt syrup and muscovado sugar and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Change heat to low and simmer for around 40 minutes, or until the jam is rather thick. Stir constantly to keep the jam from sticking to the saucepan. When the jam has reached setting point, remove from the heat and fill the sterilized jars. Use a damp cloth to wipe the jar rims, let cool and seal with sterilized lids. Store the jam in the refrigerator or in another cool place.

Ingredients

2 kg extra ripe purple plums (I used the Italian variety), cleaned
1 cup (250 ml) filtered water
the juice of 1 lemon
100 g muscovado sugar
300 g rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
2-3 cm long fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

Makes about 4 jars, 300 g each.

Directions

Divide each plum in half, taking the stones out. Transfer the fruit in a large heavy-based saucepan. Pour the water and the lemon juice, add the sugar, rice malt syrup, vanilla and ginger and toss. Let the fruit stand there for a couple of hours, then start cooking over medium heat, stirring now and then. When the plums start to soften, change heat to low and simmer for around 40 minutes, or until the jam has thickened. Stir constantly to keep the jam from sticking to the saucepan. When the jam has reached setting point, pour it into individual, clean sterilized jars. Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting (and sterilized) lid. Store in a very cool and dark place (you can keep it in the fridge).

Ingredients

350 g ripe strawberries, cleaned and coarsely puréed
150 g rice malt syrup
juice of half a lemon
half a teaspoon powdered cardamom
a few pinches of powdered vanilla
half a teaspoon agar agar powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon filtered water

Makes about 1 jar.

Directions

Put the strawberries in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the malt syrup, lemon, cardamom and vanilla and toss until combined. Cook the fruit over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, then turn the heat down to low and keep cooking for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the agar gar, stir well and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the fruit has thickened, stirring constantly to keep from sticking to the pan. Turn the heat off, pour the strawberry mixture into individual jars. Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 10 days, 2 weeks.

Ingredients

1200 g peeled, cored and coarsely chopped, ripe pears
400 g rice malt syrup
juice of 1 lemon
half a teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Makes about 2 jars, 350 g each.

Directions

Put the pears in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the malt syrup, lemon and cinnamon and toss until combined. Let the fruit marinate for 30-40 minutes then start to cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the pears start to liquify, change the heat to low, add the thyme and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the jam has thickened, stirring constantly to keep from sticking to the pan. When the jam has reached setting point, pour it into individual jars. Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a very cool, dry, dark spot (I usaually store it in the fridge, this way it keeps for up to 1 year).

Ingredients

16 fresh, ripe figs
100 ml natural mineral or filtered water
400 g rice malt syrup
6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
2 handfuls of almonds, peeled
2 teaspoons dried minced rosemary
zest of 2 lemons (organic), cut into ribbons using a potato peeler

Makes about 2 jars, 300 g each.

Directions

Wash the figs, trim them and divide each one into four wedges (lengthwise) and put them in a large heavy-based saucepan. Pour the water, the rice malt syrup,  then add the sugar, almonds, rosemary and the lemon zest. Toss until combined and start cooking over medium heat, stirring now and then. When the figs start to soften, change heat to low and simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the jam has thickened. Stir to keep the jam from sticking to the saucepan. When the jam has reached setting point, pour it into individual jars (being very careful as it’s burning hot). Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a very cool and dark place (it keeps for around one year in the fridge).

Ingredients

2 kg extra ripe purple plums (I used the Italian variety)
1 cup filtered water
the juice of 2 lemons
100 g muscovado sugar
300 g rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
5 to 6 cloves (finely ground)

Makes about 4 jars, 300 g  each.

Directions

Clean the plums, divide each of them into halves, take the stones out and put the fruit in a large heavy-based saucepan. Pour the water and the lemon juice, add the sugar, the rice malt syrup, the lemon zest and the cloves (which you will have previously ground into powder) and mix. Let the fruit stand there for a couple of hours, then start cooking over medium heat, stirring now and then. When the plums start to soften, change heat to low and simmer for around 40 minutes, or until the jam has thickened. Stir constantly to keep the jam from sticking to the saucepan. When the jam has reached setting point, pour it into individual, sterilized jars (be very careful as it’s burning hot). Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting, sterilized lid. Store in a very cool and dark place (I usaually keep it in the fridge).

Tips, thoughts, ideas

In making any kind of jam, the quantity of sugar (or malt) used can vary a lot. The riper the fruit you use, the higher its sugar content. For this jam, I selected very ripe (and organic) plums, and could therefore cut the sugar and malt quantity. This jam is lightly spicy and tangy, but still delicious on a slice of bread for breakfast.