How to cook apple jam: 4 recipes

Apples are one of the most delicious and common fruits on the Russian table. It makes jam, jam, compote, apples are frozen, dried, and even pickled. But the main delicacy is, of course, jam. Apple jam is rich, sweet, tasty and appetizing. In winter, it gives a tart taste and summer aroma. Jam can be used as a separate dessert, can be used as a filling for pies and rolls, pancakes, pancakes and casseroles are served with jam. To roll up at least a few jars of apple jam for the winter is the duty of any good housewife. But what is the use of apple brew? Are vitamins preserved after heat treatment? Let's try to figure everything out in order.

The benefits of apple jam

Apples are an incredibly tasty and healthy fruit that nourishes the body with a palette of vitamins and minerals. In order for the fruit to retain all the beneficial properties, it must be boiled correctly. Keep the apple mass on fire for no longer than five minutes, so that the microbes die, and prolonged exposure to high temperatures does not affect the product's benefit. In this case, apple jam will be no less useful than fresh fruits. How does an apple affect the human body?

1. Apples improve respiratory function. It has been proven that in people with asthma, attacks occurred much less frequently if they regularly drank apple juice.
2. The apple perfectly strengthens the bones, making them less loose and brittle. This is especially true for women after pregnancy and during menopause.
3. This fruit normalizes stool, improves digestion. Interestingly, an apple can help with both constipation and diarrhea. A large number of plant fibers help push solid feces during constipation. But with diarrhea, these fibers absorb excess moisture and toxins that provoked loose stools.
4. Scientists conducted an experiment. Apples were regularly given to one group of rats, but the second was less fortunate - there was no such fruit in their diet. Studies have even amazed scientists - regular consumption of apples by almost a third reduces the risk of developing certain types of oncology. More specifically, the risk of developing cancer of the breast, colon and liver.
5. Apples improve memory, increase efficiency, and activate brain activity. Regular consumption of apples reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
6. Green apples help lower cholesterol in the body, normalize the cardiovascular system, and reduce the risk of ischemia.
7. Apples are good for diabetes — they lower blood sugar. To make jam safe for diabetics, instead of sugar, you need to add fructose or sorbitol to it.
8. This fruit perfectly cleanses the liver, has a positive effect on dental health. In addition, apples are quite low in calories, so they are part of many weight loss diets.

To preserve the benefits of this fruit, jam from it must be prepared correctly!

The classic recipe for apple jam "Five minutes"

This is a traditional recipe for apple jam, which will not only delight you with a deep taste, but also preserve all the benefits of fruit treats.

1. For jam, not only strong and whole apples are suitable, but also wormy, and even hit fruits. The main thing is to cut off all damaged areas.
2. Rinse apples and wipe with a dry cloth. Whether to leave a peel is a matter of taste for every housewife. Most recipes involve peeling the fruit, but sometimes soft apples are not peeled so that they do not fall apart during the cooking process.
3. Apples, sliced ​​or grated (as you like), are placed in an enamel bowl and covered with sugar. If the apples are sweet, enough 800 grams of sugar for every kilogram of apples. If sweet and sour, then the proportions should be equal. If the apple variety is sour - then there should be more sugar, about 1.1-1.2 kg per kilogram of fruit.
4. Sprinkle apples with sugar and leave for a while. A minimum of 4-5 hours should pass, ideally, apples should let juice in until morning. The next morning, put the dishes on the fire and bring the mass to a boil. Apples should boil for no more than five minutes, otherwise they will lose their beneficial properties. After 5 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat and let the jam cool and insist. So you need to repeat 2-3 times.
5. In the process, do not forget to prepare jars. Jam is often closed in small jars so that it is convenient to eat quickly in the winter. Jars should be washed thoroughly. Sterilize cans in the oven, in boiling water or in steam. Lids must be boiled in a small saucepan for at least five minutes.
6. Last time, bring the apple jam to a boil and pour into banks, roll up the lids. Turn the jars over and leave them to cool completely.

This is a classic recipe for making natural and healthy apple jam.

Sliced ​​apple jam

If some people prefer soft and boiled jam, then others like more decorated fruit slices in syrup. To prepare such a treat is not difficult, you just need to know some of the subtleties.

Cut the peeled apple into slices of at least 3 cm. Then dilute a teaspoon of baking soda in five liters of water. Soak the apple slices in this solution so that the slices remain strong and elastic until the end of cooking. Hold the apples in a soda solution for 5 minutes, and then drop the apples in a colander. Such a trick will allow you not only to keep apple slices whole, but also will not change the color of future jam. After cooking, the apple will not darken, but will remain transparent amber.

Next, cook the apples, as in the previous recipe. Pour fruit with sugar, leave for several hours. Then bring the apple jam to a boil, let cool. Heat the jam 2-3 times. In the end, you can finish off a handful of mountain ash, currants, dark grapes. This will give the syrup a delicate pink tint, while the apples that have become caramel remain light. The unusual color of the jam will look beautiful and appetizing. At the end, let the jam cook for 15 minutes, so that all the ingredients seize, and then roll the dessert into jars, as usual.

Honey jam

This recipe was very popular several decades ago, when there were shortages of sugar. In those days, sugar was successfully replaced by honey. From this apple jam became incredibly fragrant and rich.

The most popular recipe is applesauce with honey. For him, the apples were peeled and placed in a clay pot. Then the fruit had to be baked and rubbed through a sieve. Two glasses of this puree should be mixed with 300 grams of natural flower honey. The mass must be cooked over low heat. Do not let the honey and apples boil - the treat will become useless. Ideally, the mixture should languish in a Russian stove, but an ordinary oven will do. When the mass is thickened, it can be tasted or canned. The received golden treat will certainly please your loved ones.

Honey jam with cranberries, apples and nuts is very popular. One kilogram of cranberries need to be sorted out and pour a glass of water. Simmer until the berries are soft. Then the mass must be rubbed through a sieve, mix the syrup with honey, peeled walnuts and apple slices. Simmer for about an hour. All the components of this jam complement each other and the result is an incredibly tasty and rich delicacy.

Apple jam with lemon

Lemon will give the traditional taste of apple jam a subtle citrus flavor and a touch of sourness. A kilogram of apples will need a large lemon. We wash the apples, peel the core and peel, cut into slices. Rinse the lemon and grate it, removing all the bones. Pour lemon pulp with a glass of water and simmer for about an hour. Then add a kilogram of sugar to the mass and wait until it is completely dissolved. Then add the apple slices to the syrup. You do not need to cook jam immediately, leave the container for several hours, regularly stirring its contents. This is done so that the apple absorbs the fragrant citrus flavor and aroma. After a few hours, jam can be boiled and rolled up in jars.

How to cook apple jam

Below are tips that reflect all the intricacies of making apple jam.

1. Instead of sugar, any jam can be added to honey. In this case, honey can be added a little less, because it is usually sweeter than sugar.
2. It is very important to observe the proportions of sugar, because it is a preservative. If you add less sugar, the jam will not stand idle for a long time - it will deteriorate and ferment. If you add more, you won’t feel the apple flavor. To make jam more dietetic, you need to add less sugar to it, but you need to store it in the freezer, in a plastic bottle and thaw only once. Believe me, in winter such jam will delight you with summer aroma, taste and naturalness.
3. Sometimes after opening the jar, mold may appear on the surface. Take your time to throw away the workpieces. The top layer can be carefully removed, and the remaining jam boiled. It will not be stored for a long time, but for pies and rolls it will do.
4. Candied jam? No problem! Heat it in a container of hot water until the mass becomes homogeneous.
5. How to check if jam is ready? Apple jam is well cooked if all the slices are at the bottom and not floating on the surface.
6. The jam should be mixed very carefully so as not to damage the precious slices and not turn the treat into porridge.
7. In Russia, it was believed that apples should be picked for jam only after Apple Savior. At this time, apples were carried to the church and lit. From such fruits not only tasty, but also healing jam was obtained.
8. Jam apples should not be collected in the rain or after rain. At such a time, the fruit absorbs a lot of moisture and the jam will turn out watery.
9. When preserving, you need to pour jam to the edges of the jar. The more air in the tank, the more likely it is that microbes or bacteria will get inside.

These simple tips will help you make apples not just jam, but a real dessert treat, which is not a shame to put before even the most important guests.

Store jars of apple jam in a dark, cool and dry place. Do not forget to sign the conservation to know the date of the spins. Apple jam can be stored for several years, provided that it contains no less sugar than apples. Although you should not exaggerate, the jam prepared according to our recipes will not survive until the next season - it is so tasty, rich and aromatic. Make apple jam to enjoy the taste of summer on cold winter evenings.

Video: apple jam