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Raspberry Jam
1 pound of raspberries 3/4 pound of crushed loaf sugar When the fruit has been carefully picked, put it with the sugar in layers on a dish, or in a deep bowl, according to the quantity of fruit that is to be preserved. Let it remain for four hours, and then turn it into a preserving pan, and bring it to a boiling point quickly, stirring almost continuously to prevent from burning. Remove the scum as it rises or the jam will not be clear. Let it boil gently for three-quarters of an hour, after it boils evenly all over. Turn it into jars, and when cold cover in the ordinary way, and store it in a dry place.
A plain two-ingredient preserve whose only real problem is the boiling time, which belongs to an era of unreliable stove heat and no thermometer.
- Boil far shorter than 45 minutesRaspberries carry moderate pectin and good acid; a full rolling boil will usually bring them to setting point in roughly 5 to 10 minutes. Three-quarters of an hour is likely to give a dark, over-thick jam with much of the fresh fruit flavour cooked out.
- Judge the set by temperatureSetting point is 220F (105C) at sea level, or subtract about 1F per 500 feet of elevation. A cold-saucer test works too: a spoonful on a chilled plate should wrinkle when pushed with a fingertip.
- Loaf sugarLoaf sugar was refined sugar sold in a hard cone, crushed as needed. Ordinary granulated sugar is the direct equivalent, weight for weight.
- The sugar ratio3/4 lb sugar to 1 lb fruit is a modest proportion by preserving standards and gives a softer, more fruit-forward, less durable jam. Equal weights sets more firmly and keeps longer.
- Why the four-hour restLayering fruit with sugar draws out juice so the pan comes to a boil without added water and without scorching before the fruit collapses. It is worth keeping.
- Preserving panA wide, heavy, non-reactive pan — stainless or enamelled cast iron. Width matters more than depth, since evaporation is what concentrates the jam. Unlined copper or aluminium will react with the fruit acid.
- SkimmingA knob of butter stirred in at the end disperses most of the foam, or skim as directed. It is cosmetic only.
- "Cover in the ordinary way"At this period that generally meant a paper or waxed-paper cover, sometimes sealed with melted paraffin. Current practice is hot jars, two-piece lids, and a 10-minute boiling-water bath; anything unprocessed should be treated as refrigerator jam.
- YieldOne pound of fruit with this much sugar gives roughly a pint, or two half-pint jars.
The method here, macerating fruit with sugar before any heat is applied, is the older English preserving tradition, and it survives in modern practice for exactly the reason the recipe implies: the fruit gives up its juice on its own, so nothing burns to the pan and the berries keep some shape.