gluten-free · soy-free · nut-free

The absolute perfect thing to make now that apple season is in full swing! Jams are an incredible preservation method so they’ve been used to preserve fruit for many many years. Making seasonal jam means you can conserve sweet mangos, peaches, and blueberries at their peak and enjoy them months later!

Today we’re making a beautifully simple apple jam flavored with fresh ginger and a hint of lemon. It’s full of holiday flavors and tastes so good spread on to toast, in your breakfast oatmeal, and on pancakes.

Scroll down for the recipe and video ↓

  

 

It’s amazing how you can make something super sweet and delicious with no added sugar or weird ingredients. Apple also has a lot of pectin in it naturally, so there’s no need for a thickener in this jam. It’s just super simple ingredients and a super simple process.

You can also change up the flavorings to your liking. If you don’t like ginger or lemon, you can add more cinnamon or you can even experiment with different spices like nutmeg, star anise, allspice, etc.

 

How to Make Homemade Jam

If you’ve never made jam before, no worries. It’s so much easier than you think! And we promise homemade jam tastes sooo much better than jam you can find in the store. Plus, it doesn’t contain tons and tons of sugar. This recipe only contains a little bit of agave syrup, which you could also substitute with maple syrup. Once you taste homemade, you’re not going to want to go back!

The best thing is that it’s a super simple process. All you’ve got to do is put everything in a pot and let it simmer for about 50 minutes. You can put it on the stove while you do something else—it’s a real set-it-and-forget-it process.

Here are some key tips when it comes to jam-making:

Step 1: Sterilize your jar

To ensure your jam lasts as long as it can, it’s important to store it in a sterilized glass jar. How do you sterilize your jar, you ask? It’s easy.

Just place a large pot of water on the stove to boil. The pot should be big enough so that your jar can be completely submerged in the water. Once it’s boiling, place your jar and its lid in the water (obviously make sure you’re using a heat-safe lid) and boil for 3 minutes. On a clean surface, lay down a clean towel for your jar to dry on. You’re going to want to use large tongs to take the jar out of the pot but sterilize them first by placing the ends in the boiling water for a few seconds. Use them to lift the jar and lid out of the water and place them on the towel to air dry.

Step 2: Low & slow

Don’t try to rush it with a high flame. You don’t want the fruit to disintegrate. You want to cook it all the way through but you want it to keep its shape.

Step 3: Vacuum seal for longer preservation

Once all the jam is in the jar, seal it well and place it upside down to cool to create a vacuum seal. The jam has to be hot when you put it in because the steam helps create the vacuum when you pack it in there. It’s not absolutely necessary to vacuum-seal your jam, but it helps preserve it for longer and it’s a great thing to do if you’re planning on making a lot of jam or even making jam to give away as a gift. The fruit is preserved better and will last longer, even if you don’t open the jar for months.

Watch the recipe video here:

Apple Jam with Ginger and Lemon

Makes about 1 1/2 cup (330g)

1″-piece fresh ginger, minced

1 cup | 100g small-diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 whole apple)

1 3/4 cups | 170g small diced Fuji apple, or other sweet apple (about 1.5-2 apples)

1/4 cup | 66ml agave syrup or maple syrup

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lime

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook on low flame for 50 minutes, or until mixture thickens.

2. Remove from heat and transfer to a glass jar. Seal jar and set it upside down to cool (this will create a vacuum seal). Store in the fridge for up to 3 months without opening or up to 1.5 months if opened.

  

Did you make this recipe? tag us on Instagram @eatogether.co so that we can see it!

 

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