Jam, jelly, syrup Simply homemade

If you want to preserve the fruits of summer, you can make jam, jelly or syrup with a little time. For this only ripe fruit of the season and gelling sugar is needed. The sugar binds the free water and thus limits the survival of germs. The heat and the dehydration also extend the shelf life.

Before the jam comes into the glasses, they must be well cleaned and rinsed with hot water. Do not dry off, because impurities can get into the glass via the cloth. Then the fruits are read, washed and cut into small pieces. Depending on your taste, you can mix local and exotic fruits and add herbs or spices. Interesting combinations are for example apricot ginger or strawberry basil jam. Blackberries can be refined with star anise and rhubarb with coke and lemon balm.

Fill the glass with the summer: simply prepare your own syrup or jam yourself. Image: PhotoSG - fotolia

Now fruits and jellies are weighed, mixed to recipe and cooked with stirring. The cooking time varies depending on the gum type. A sample shows if the jam is ready. To do this, put a teaspoon of the hot fruit mass on a cold plate. Forms a skin quickly, can be bottled. The jars are placed on a damp cloth so they do not jump. Fill the hot mass with a trowel and fill with a screw cap. The glass is turned upside down to spread the fruit in the glass. The jam is stable in a dark place at room temperature for about a year.
If you prefer jelly, cook the fruit with water in the pot and squeeze the juice through a cloth or fine sieve. It's even easier with a steam extractor. For elderflower jelly, take ten umbels and leave them in a bucket with lemon slices and water for 24 hours. The next day, pour the liquid through a fine sieve and bring to a boil with jelly sugar, lemon juice and a few teaspoons of white wine or apple juice and fill in preserving jars.

To make a fruit syrup, juices such as raspberries or blackberries are juiced. The juice is briefly boiled with sugar in the ratio 1: 1 and half the amount of water. A splash of syrup turns a glass of mineral or champagne into a fruity summer drink, but also refines light yoghurt desserts and ice cream. (Heike Kreutz, aid)