Ginger and Pumpkin Jam

Are you a fan of ginger? I wasn’t so much a few years ago. I loved it in my marinades for curries, alongside garlic and chilli, but on its own as a flavouring? Well, I converted and I guess, I’m thinking, so could you perhaps.

At this time of the year, it’s all about pumpkins nowadays! But does this humble ‘Squash’ have much flavour? To be honest, I don’t think so! But then again, as I say to the children, always give it a go – there’s no harm in that!

Like most things, a Jam needs perfecting. Last years ‘Spiced Pumpkin’ Jam went down well. But then I got to thinking that ginger is the way forward. It’s flavour is specific – it has aromas that are both intense and at the same time delicate. There is a little flavouring to the Pumpkin, of course, but the addition of the dried ginger transcends it into an all together delight.

In the recipes that follow, I am going to use metric, but our American cousins can carry on using measurements by the cup. So there are no conflicting arguments about weight. I am now going to do a small experiment…

Okay, I just zero’d my electronic scales (cancelled out mug weight) and the average sized mug weighed, whilst filled with water (the height of a cup of tea), 250g. So that’s the agreed weight ratio for ‘a cup’. Now, you might remember that one kilogram is made up from one thousand milligrams and that one litre of fluid is made up of one thousand millilitres! I think that we can comfortably say that 250g will hence equate to 250ml of liquid.

Did you know that Josiah Wedgwood was a prolific experimenter! How else do you think he perfected his porcelain, both in composition and design! Like him, we will experiment when the need takes, or if I have a ‘Top Tip’ that I have found out due to earlier experimentation, I will gladly share.

Finally, on the topic of composition and experimenting, I need to tell you that pumpkin has far too much water in it. The question is – how do you remove some of the liquid to leave a texture that is more conducive to making a Jam? It always comes back to the ‘Kitchen Science’. You can either boil the hell out of it for a couple of hours, leaving a pulp behind that is less flavoursome than you would have liked, or you can boil, drain and mash. Then you need to cool down and freeze the pulp in a polythene sandwich or freezer bag. The night before you get Jammin’ defrost overnight. I always do this using a saucepan I use for steaming and I place the frozen pulp in the slotted steamer part, but if you don’t have a steamer, a colander sat on a broad frying an will do. The next day you will find that much of the ice has thawed from the pulp and has been released through the plastic freezer bag! It seems that polythenes aren’t watertight after freezing. Voila, you are left with pumpkin pulp that is not watery and quite pithy. Perfect for Jammin’ with.

Ingredients: For 10 x 318ml jam Jars

Tip: get your Jam jars and lids in the dishwasher at this point to sterilise them.

1.5kg Pumpkin Pulp

500g Apple Pulp

2 Lemons (or juice from a bottle)

2kg Granulated Sugar

25g dry Ginger (1 small jar)

Please note that there is always some evaporation! Four kilograms should fill 12 jars, but go for 10. Also, why am I starting this entry with 10 Jars? Of course, you can scale down, but this is Halloween, so get practicing for Christmas please – give the extra jars away. It doesn’t hurt to give without looking to receive at anytime of year…

Method:

Place your pumpkin pulp in a large pan along with the apple pulp and the lemon juice.

Bring to the boil stirring occasionally.

Add the sugar and dry ginger. Mix until the sugar has dissolved.

Slowly bring back to the boil. you will notice the mixture looking more translucent.

If the phone rings, turn off the heat! I’ll explain this shortly!

Cook on a ‘rolling boil’ for around 20 minutes, until the contents hold together well whilst dripping from a wooden spoon.

Skim your Jam at this point. You should notice the mixture looking more silky and shiny. This is because your Jam should have stared to gel.

The final sterilisation can be done in a large pan or steamer. Carefully place as many filled jars in as the pan allows. Cover with water, being sure to submerge your jars beneath at least 2cm water. Alternatively place in a steamer and cover with the pan lid. Steam or boil for a minimum of 20 minutes.

The pan will burn if the heat is too high and the pulp has sunk to the bottom of the pan. You must stir every few minutes and not overheat your Jam. A rolling boil is not a light simmer. Equally it is not an erupting fountain of heat! To leave the room at this point could completely ruin your Jam – please note! If the phone rings, turn off the heat!

I will confess, I have burnt one or two jams in the past from nor paying 100% attention. You must pay attention as this aspiration to make your homemade Jam for everyone to enjoy, is a welcome aspiration, time well spent, to make the divine! Your friends and family will love you all the more for the gift of a homemade Jam…

if you are actually going to try this – go on! You might just consider buying a metal jam funnel and a ladle. It makes bottling your Jam so much easier.

…more on family life here in ‘The Shires’ later – thank you for reading.