Do not boil for longer than you have to once the sugar has been added. Unless stated otherwise, the boiling should be as rapid as possible to prevent the fruit skins hardening in reaction to the sugar and to keep a good, bright colour and fresh flavour.
Do not stir too much or leave the spoon in the pan once the sugar has been added and brought to the boil – it may make it more difficult to achieve a set. Take care not to boil past the point of setting – it’s worth remembering to remove the pan from the heat as you test for a set, otherwise it may well just bubble past the setting point whilst your back is turned.
Lots of different types of sugars are available. Here are the advantages, or otherwise, of each:
PRESERVING SUGAR
A white sugar that has larger crystals than granulated sugar and creates less ‘scum’ (for want of a better word). It therefore requires less skimming and ensures a brighter, clearer jam or jelly, although it would be wasted on chutneys.
JAM SUGAR
A white sugar that has added pectin and is very useful for making preserves from fruit with a low pectin content. Strawberries, rhubarb and raspberries can be very temperamental, as can plums and apricots, and dried fruit certainly needs extra help. Jam sugar is not necessary when making preserves other than jams or jellies.
WHITE OR GOLDEN GRANULATED SUGAR
White granulated sugar is most commonly used in preserving as it has no colour or distinctive taste. It is cheaper than preserving and jam sugar, but does not dissolve so easily and often forms a scum, which will impair the appearance of jams and jellies, although not the taste. If this happens skim the scum off before potting. Golden granulated sugar gives a slightly mellower flavour and, when used in light-coloured preserves, a richer colour. However, golden granulated sugar is more expensive than white, and I can see no real advantage in using it.
WHITE CASTER SUGAR
This is more expensive than granulated sugar, but is necessary in some exotic recipes and for making curds. If you do not have caster sugar, then whizz some granulated sugar around in a blender for a second or two.
LIGHT BROWN SUGAR, SOFT BROWN SUGAR AND DEMERARA SUGAR
These are made from sugar cane and are less refined than white sugar. All of these sugars can be used in preserves, but as they do not usually form a set when used alone, they should be used in conjunction with white sugar. Whilst many people believe that using brown sugar in their preserves has a beneficial effect, I find that it impairs a satisfactory set, therefore it is better used in those preserves in which a firm set is not essential. When using high-pectin fruit such as apples, gooseberries and damsons, a reasonable set may be achieved by substituting half or a quarter of the white sugar for brown, but low-pectin fruit such as apricots, peaches and strawberries will not achieve a firm set without the use of additional pectin, and it is as well to remember that brown sugars will alter both the colour and the taste of the preserve, so it is best to use them with strong, dark fruit, for example damsons and plums.
Light brown, soft brown and Demerara sugars can give additional colour and taste to fruit cheeses, chutneys (where they can be used very satisfactorily in conjunction with brown malt vinegar), relishes and sauces. Once again, as in all preserves, do make sure that the sugar is dissolved before bringing to the boil.
SOFT DARK BROWN SUGAR, MUSCOVADO, MOLASSES AND BARBADOS SUGAR
Very dark, rich sugars that will flavour and colour quite strongly. Unless a recipe specifically advocates the use of any of these sugars, they should only be used in chutneys and sauces.
ICING SUGAR
Unsuitable for use in preserving.
All of the following can be substituted, in part, for sugar:
GOLDEN SYRUP
A refined by-product of white sugar, which gives a lovely taste to preserves and a golden colour to pickles. It also fractionally changes the consistency. Golden syrup is best used by substituting a quarter of the sugar for syrup, preferably in preserves made from high-pectin fruit such as apples or gooseberries, where it adds a golden colour. The same proportions can be used when making syrups for spiced and alcoholic fruit. Always warm the tin before measuring and pouring – it makes life so much easier.
BLACK TREACLE
Thick, dark brown supremely sticky stuff. Used only sparingly to give a strong flavour and dark colour. Very few jams use treacle in the ingredients, but it is occasionally useful in chutneys, etc.
CORN AND MAPLE SYRUP
These are most popular as accompaniments to waffles, pancakes and fritters, but can also be used in preserves. Substitute a quarter to half of the white sugar for syrup and remember that both dark corn syrup and maple syrup colour quite distinctively and that maple syrup has a strong taste.
HONEY
Absolutely delicious in preserves. It is much sweeter than sugar and has a unique ‘wild quality’ that it imparts to any preserve in which it is used. Mixed blossom honey is the most economical choice, but there are some wonderfully flavoured pure blossom honeys: clover, eucalyptus, rosemary, orange blossom, heather and lime. Do be careful to blend blossom honey carefully with the fruit in the preserves because their tastes are quite distinctive. I would not recommend using chestnut blossom honey in preserves as it is very overwhelming. I like to use the more delicately flavoured honey for use in fruit curds, where it can transform the flavour. Honey added to jam makes it a subtly different preserve, but it will not set if used alone, therefore substitute a quarter to half of the sugar for honey depending on the fruit or flowers used and the consistency of the set preferred.
MOLASSES
Very thick and black and not suitable for use in home preserving.
SALT
Salt is particularly important in the making of chutneys and pickles for many reasons. Strong brine acts as a preservative and prevents the process of discolouration if used with care. Salt sprinkled on such vegetables as cucumbers rids them of excess moisture and helps to soften hard skin. Salt also removes bitter juices from fruit and vegetables such as aubergines and prevents juices from leaching into the vinegar. Salt gives a unique pungency to lemons and limes, which is totally unlike their natural flavour; it also combines with herbs and spices to give magical effects from the most basic ingredients.
Some recipes require a lot of salt and some very little, and I would suggest that you stick to the quantities given. Remember, that when reducing pulps, purées and pastes, the salt flavour will become more concentrated.
Never neglect the addition of salt in your recipes, unless you are on a salt-free diet, in which case it is worth investigating salt substitutes. Salt brings out the flavour in food that might otherwise be dull and lifeless. This strange property is why fortunes have been made, and the prosperity of nations founded, upon salt – you do not realise how vital it is until you are deprived of it, and then a terrible craving sets in! Apart from which, it was at one time the only method of preserving foodstuffs – from fish and meat to fruit and vegetables.
Salt should be kept in non-porous stoneware jars or wooden boxes and a few grains of rice added to ensure that