Page 48 - The Hunt - Summer 2022

FOOD & DRINK
There are a few basic methods for making these concoctions. All involve first putting the fruit, spices and liquids in jars to be superheated to kill any bacteria and process the fruit.
There are a few basic methods for making these concoctions. All involve first putting the fruit, spices and liquids in jars to be superheated to kill any bacteria and process the fruit. One involves using a pressure cooker. A second utilizes an unpressurized boiling-water bath.
A newer method uses an atmospheric steam similar to the water-bath method. All require a modest investment in canners, jars and lids, and there are plenty of books and online tutorials on canning to help you along. Simpler, if less elegant, means of preserving fruit without making jams, jellies and marmalades involve natural or oven drying or using a kit for dehydrated fruit. Another option is freezing.
Finally, a quick note on the amount of fruit needed. Five cups of diced rhubarb convert to about four pints of jam, 12 peaches equate to five or six pints of marmalade, and two quarts of blackberries yield approximately three pints of jelly. So a little goes a long way. You can get artistic with the labels on the finished jars, which make great gifts—ones that most likely won’t be regifted. TH
Jams. Crushed or chopped fruits that are usually cooked with sugar and thicken in the process. Technically, they must have 65% soluble solids.
Jellies. For those who want the fruit flavors without the jam texture—perhaps the same people who prefer juice to a smoothie. Jelly doesn’t have seeds or pulp and usually has added pectin to help hold its shape. Butters. Concentrated fruit that’s been blenderized. “Most jams can be 50% sugar, while butters are 90% fruit with a little honey and lemon added,” says Haskell. Butters have to cook for hours. When I was a farm kid, apple butter was often prepared outdoors, bubbling overnight on a wood fire in a huge
copper kettle, with someone constantly pushing a long-handled stirrer to keep it from burning.
Conserves. Like jams, but a blend of two or more fruits.
Marmalades. A jelly with citrus rinds to give a bit of a bite to your morning spreadable. Coarser versions are often referred to as “rough cut.”
Chutneys. A fruit preserve with an Indian-influenced blend of spices and vinegar. If marmalade gives a zip, chutneys provide a savory zap.
Compotes. Derived from whole pieces of fruit cooked with sugar and often spices like cloves, cinnamon and pepper.
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46 THE HUNT MAGAZINE summer 2022