Sweet Advices

• Fruits
• Jellying sugar
• According to taste: spices, chocolates, liqueurs or herbs such as cinnamon, vanilla, lavender, mint, etc.
• Jars with caps
• A funnel, a saucepan, a wooden spoon, a ladle
• A small plate
• A towel
• Optionally, gauze or flotte to remove fruit seeds and peels

• Fresh fruits have the best flavor, but you can also use frozen fruits.
• If you can pick fruits with your own hand, never do it right after rain, because then their taste isn't particularly strong.
• Don’t give up on fruits because the fermentation process has already begun.
• Fruits have a different pectin content depending on how juicy the fruit is and how much acid it has. This determines its degree of gelation (see infographics).
• Fruits should be washed well but never squeeze too long in water, otherwise they will lose their taste.
• Some fruits oxidize quickly (they become brown), so it is important to treat them directly after they are cut.

The amount of fruit depends on the type of jellying sugar:

• jellying sugar 1:1 - 1 kg of fruit is treated with 1 kg of sugar
• jellying sugar 2:1 - 1 kg of fruit is treated with 500 g of sugar
• jellying sugar 3:1 - 1.5 kg of fruit is treated with 500 g of sugar

To keep the jam properly, you need to prepare jars and caps in the right way. There are several options:

• Wash the jars, put them wet on the oven grid with the hole down, then leave them for 10 minutes at 100 °C.
• Warm them up for 10 minutes on a steam bath

Important: The jars should be warm when bottling, otherwise they can break when the hot jam drops!

• Boil the caps with vinegar for 10 minutes, then remove them on a clean towel to dry.

Now everything is ready and it's your turn:

• Mix the sliced and/or pureed fruits and sugar.
• It is recommended for very sweet fruits to add lemon or lime juice or citrus peel.
• Leave the mixture for a short time for the fruit to absorb the sugar.
• Boil the fruits with the sugar for 4 minutes stirring continuously to avoid burning.
• Don't leave them for longer than necessary, otherwise the pectin will be destroyed and the jam will not solidify.
• When foam forms you can remove it with a spoon. The foam is because of the protein in the fruit.

• To check if the jam is ready, use a small spoon to drop on a cold surface and leave to cool for a short time. Then tilt the surface to see if the jam will flow down.
• If the jam isn't jelled yet, put it on the hob again (for maximum 10 minutes!) and do a second test.

• The most important thing when you put the jam into the jar is to keep the edge clean. Use a funnel and then clean the jar with household paper.

Important: The jam must be bottled hot. The optimal temperature for vacuum is 40 °C.

• Jam jars are best stored in the dark, in the dry and at room temperature.
• The jam may be frozen for 60 months.

In order to save the fruit quality, it is especially important to freeze quickly. Therefore:

• Wash the fruits carefully without pressing them.
• Leave them to dry.
• It is best to freeze in smaller portions so that the fruits aren't one on top of each other.
• Don't leave air - deaerate well.
• In order to preserve the taste, defrost gradually - first put in the refrigerator, then at room temperature.
• Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.) can be kept in the freezer for about 8 months.