Mixed Fruit Jam & Spring Flowers

Sorry that my posts here have been few and far between... Work has been busy and with the gorgeous weather we've been having, we've been trying to have some outside fun that we missed out on during the cold winter months.... be it going out for walks, taking my daughter out cycling or the kids to the park, doing some small scale gardening or just being out on the deck blowing bubbles and popping them to our heart's content. Being Spring time, our neighborhood has been adorned with pretty pink, purple & white flowers.. here's a sample for your viewing pleasure.



Coming to the recipe, I got some perfect looking strawberries on sale a few weeks back and we ate 2 boxes just as is and the remaining 2 boxes was made into this heavenly jam. My husband is not a fan of the preserves and jellies that one gets here and is forever loyal to the Kissan Mixed Fruit Jam... so I tried to replicate that which is a bit different from the previous chunky mixed berry jam I made. It turned out great and for 2 weeks after, it was paired with everything possible or just eaten plain until it was all gone. I can't wait to make this again. My handy dandy candy thermometer was super helpful and it enabled me to stop at the correct stage - 220degF.

MIXED FRUIT JAM


Ingredients:
Strawberries - 2 lbs, washed and the top greens removed
Bananas - 2 ripe ones, peeled and cut into chunks
Apple - 1 large, washed, peeled & cored. Cut into big chunks
Sugar - 3 to 3.5 cups (depends on how sweet your fruit is)

Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Update 30/Apr/2013 - Replace lemon juice with juice of 1 big orange/2 small oranges - ensures that there is sufficient pectin for the jam.

Method:1) Blend the fruits together (in batches) until smooth. You get a brilliant coloured puree, thanks to the strawberries, which when measured came to 6 cups for me.


2) In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the fruit puree and sugar and keep it on medium heat, stirring occassionally until it starts to boil and thicken.


3) After about 30 mins or so, you can check with a candy thermometer and also stir more frequently to avoid burning. Add lemon juice and continue to stir - We want to get a temperature of 220degF.


4) Once the temperature is reached, switch off the stove and allow to cool. I didn't use a sterilized container so I refrigerated the jam. If it feels too thick to spread right out of the fridge, just keep a small portion out at room temperature for about 15 mins or so or microwave for 10 seconds to get a spreadable consistency.

Comments

  1. Wowwwwwwwwwww... mouth watering clicks.. looks simply awesome dear!!
    Indian Cuisine

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  2. Amazing looking - perfect color and consistency! Lovely post dear!

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  3. I love kissan jam too.. we never liked the chunky ones u get here.. definitely bookmarked it.. Love the color.. and so easy to make..

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  4. Lovely color and looks delicious.

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  5. Wow, that looks absolutely delicious and beautiful in color. I would love that spread and I guess I am making it pretty sure :)

    Hey, I was wondering if you saw about "MAITRI - A Friendship Chain" event. If not, please do take a look and try to participate, it will be fun :)

    http://mharorajasthanrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/03/maitri-friendship-chain.html

    Send me an email @ priya.mitharwal@gmail.com

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  6. Great looking glossy jam tempts me a lot...yumm!

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  7. Love the color of that delicious jam. Spring is the best time in the DC area don't you think?

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  8. Oooh! I love the texture and the colour. This is exactly hoe I love the jam...slightly soft not like caked jelly.

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  9. It looks like kissan jam!so healthy to make it at home!!!good job!!

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  10. Drooling over here. Superb colur and wonderful thing is it is homemede.
    Hope ur enjoying the spring

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  11. Spring blossom is gorgeous. The jam got the perfect glossy look!

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  12. Spring blossoms look beautiful! And the jam has turned out just perfect...

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  13. Spring flowers looked really beautiful....Love the color of your jam...looks awesome..first time to your space...love to follow you

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  14. The jam looks yummy :) i decided to di this and have bought all the ingredients.. but i do not have a candy thermometer.. is that ok?

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  15. Hi Anon,
    You can make this without a candy thermometer, I just used to know the exact consistency to get the jam not. If you don't have that you just have to stop the process when the jam thickens. Please note that it will thicken more when it cools a bit so please keep that in mind when you pull it off the stove. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.

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  16. Hi!

    Just wanted to say thanks for posting this! My son loves Kissan Mixed Fruit Jam & will not compromise on ANY replacement! Just made a batch with Apples/Grapes/Strawberries - Its freaking awesome! Thank you so much! - the taste is almost better than Kissan -if you can believe it... & biggest plus - no XYZ preservatives!
    Just a question - I didn't sterilize the jars - how long do they keep in the fridge/freezer? Also the consistency of the jam was more like fruit spread - did I do something wrong there? I thought the more apples we use the more pectin - isn't pectin the thickening agent?

    Thanks
    Pryanka

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  17. Priyanka, glad to hear that your son loved this jam and you are so right about making it at home - no need to worry about preservatives. I didn't sterilize the jars either and they stayed about 2-3 weeks refrigerated with no issues. The jam didn't last longer than that - but if you use a dry spoon, it should be fine i think if kept longer.
    As for the consistency - it varies on when you pull it out of the stove. I used a candy thermometer and it usually thickens upon cooling so consistency was fine. If you want it thicker - allow it to boil for a few more mins. The pectin in apples is in the seeds... so you can make a bag with the apple seeds and add while cooking and then remove when done - I haven't tried this myself though. The strawberries I used had some white parts and that also contains pectin. However, this homemade jam does not have a very thick jelly like consistency and is softer and smoother than storebought ones.

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