If there’s one thing I love to make at home, it is fruit in jars! Fruit in jars can be made in different ways from jams, to jellies, to marmalades, to preserves and much more.
They are delicious and have multiple uses – be it topping it over a pancake or a waffle, having it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or spreading it over some hot toast or maybe even enjoying some plain!
I have here, some of my favourite and most-loved fruit in jars recipes for you to try out and I’m sure you’ll love them just as much as I do!
4 Easy Fruit in Jars recipes to try at home:
1. Ginger Preserve
Ingredients:
150 grams tender ginger root (skinned)
2 cups cold water
½ cup sugar
Method:
You will need to use skinned ginger for this recipe (you can peel the skin using a knife or a spoon by just scraping over it). Next, chop into pieces of about 1 inch each.
Then, into a saucepan, add in the cold water and ginger root and bring it to a boil and make sure to keep it covered. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer (covered) for around 30 to 35 minutes. You will notice that the water content has reduced to almost half. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a bit. Then strain the ginger and keep the collected water aside for later use.
Next, into a saucepan, add in the sugar, along with 2 cups of the ginger liquid (you can add water to make it 2 full cups if the liquid is not sufficient).
Let it come to a boil, on high heat, while covered; stir from time to time, until the sugar dissolves fully. Then, add in the ginger root, reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered for around 40 to 45 minutes before turning off the heat. Let it cool completely for storage.
To store: Let the ginger preserve cool completely before pouring into glass jars for storage.
2. Mixed Citrus Marmalade
Ingredients:
1 medium sized grapefruit
1 lime
2 large oranges
A pinch of baking soda
1 star anise
½ an inch piece of ginger (crushed)
2.5 cups granulated sugar
7 grams gelatin.
Method:
Into a large cooking dish, add in 1.5 cups of water, along with the baking soda and thinly sliced up peels (only the peels) of the grapefruit and 1 orange. Let it simmer on medium heat for around 20 minutes, until soft and tender.
Then, peel the other orange and along with the remaining fruit (of the grapefruit and the other orange), add it into the tenderized peel mixture, along with the lemon juice, star anise and ginger and let it cook on high heat for around 15 minutes, covered. Then, add in the sugar and let it melt. Keep stirring from time to time.
Then, when the mixture begins to foam, add in the gelatin (which must be pre-dissolved in ¼ cup of water). Give it a stir and remove, gently, any form from the surface using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Then, remove the star anise and ginger from the mix and once it cools, pour the citrus marmalade into a glass jar for storage.
3. Blueberry Jam
Ingredients:
300 grams blueberries (firm, not squishy type)
200 grams sugar
½ tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Method:
In a colander under running water, wash the blueberries to get rid of any dirt and impurities.
Then, into a saucepan, add in the blueberries, along with the sugar and on high heat stir continuously until the sugar fully dissolves. Then, add in the lemon juice and lower the heat. Let it simmer for around 10 to 15 minutes on low heat.
Note: If you like the blueberries whole, you can leave it that way. In case you wish to have it as mashed jam, you can use a masher to mash the blueberries and leave a few whole as well, if you wish to.
Once done, turn off the heat and let it cool completely. You may notice a thin crusty layer of sugar at the top. Give it one quick boil again, let it cool completely before transferring into a glass jar for storage.
4. Strawberry Jelly
Ingredients:
300 grams strawberries
200 grams sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Wash the strawberries under running water and remove the green stems. Next, chop them into small bits and set aside.
Then, add into a saucepan; add in the sugar, strawberries and lemon juice and heat over high heat. Keep stirring. Once the sugar fully dissolves, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 45 to 50 minutes. Let the mixture begin to thicken and begin to leave the sides. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely before pouring it into a glass jar for storage.
Note: You can test whether your strawberry jelly is ready or not by adding a pea-sized drop into a plate. If you see the drop as it is when completely cool, then the jelly is ready. If there is some water that separates from the jelly, then it needs to be boiled a little longer