Processing: Boiling Water Canner 10 minutesStorage: 12 months+
Yield: 6 cups per batch
An exotic jam that lovers of lychee (and other Asian fruits) will enjoy!
Ingredients:
2lbs (900g) longans (unpeeled weight)
1lb (450g) tart apples ie granny smiths
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons powdered pectin
2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
4 cups sugar
Simmer fruit until soft.
Peel longans, remove seeds and chop roughly. Wash apples, peel, core and dice. Place fruit into a large pot with the water. Simmer, uncovered, for approximately 15 minutes or until very soft. Puree.
Prepare jars.
Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill.
Make jam.
Whisk lemon juice and pectin into fruit puree. Bring to a boil, as high as possible, then add the sugar all at once. Bring to a rolling boil (mixture will foam and will not subside) and hold at the rolling boil for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off and rest for a minute then skim foam from the surface (if any).
Prepare lids.
Place lids into a bowl of boiled water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars.
Immediately ladle the hot jam into hot jars, leaving a 1/4 inch (0.5cm) headspace. Remove bubbles, check headspace is correct, then wipe rims with damp paper towel and seal.
Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (start timer once water returns to a full boil). When time is up, turn heat off and rest jars in water for 5 minutes before placing onto a towel-covered bench overnight to cool.
Next day: check for seals.
Check jars have sealed before labelling and storing in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 12 months. Jar lids should not flex up or down when pressed.
FLAVOUR IDEAS:
- Add a little ginger (finely grated fresh, or sugared ginger, finely minced);
- Add 2tbsp shredded coconut;
- Add 2-3tbsp lime juice (to taste, must still use lemon juice for acidity);
- Try longan, ginger and lime;
- Simmer fruit in orange juice (instead of water);
- Adults-only: add 1tsp rum into each jar before processing.
