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.