Capture the colours and flavours of autumn with this easy recipe for persimmon jam with notes of citrus and spice. This homemade jam is a great way to preserve a glut of persimmons and is perfect served on toast, pancakes or waffles, or as a topping to ice cream. This persimmon jam is suitable for long storage.
Place a couple of small plates in the freezer ready to check whether the jam has reached setting point.
Prepare about 4 jars with lids.
To sterilise the jars
First, check the jars and lids are in a good condition. Discard any lids which show any signs of damage or corrosion.
Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water and dry with clean kitchen paper. Alternatively, the jars and lids can be cleaned in a dishwasher on a hot wash.
Place the jars (with lids removed) and lids on a baking tray in the oven at a low setting for around 10 to 15 minutes.
Your jars will now be sterilised and ready to fill with your homemade jam.
To prepare the jam
Chop the persimmons into small chunks, leaving the skin on, and place in a large saucepan.
Add the sugar, orange zest, ginger, water and lemon juice and mix.
Heat gently without a lid, stirring regularly, until the fruit has sorted and the sugar has dissolved.
Turn up the heat and boil rapidly without a lid for about 15 minutes.
While the jam is cooking, place the glass jars and lids, with the lids removed, on a metal baking sheet in the oven at a low temperature. Heat the jars and lids for about 10 minutes to sterilise them.
Using a teaspoon, place a small amount of the jam on one of the chilled plates from the freezer. If the jam sticks to the plate and does not slide off when the plate is tilted the jam has reached setting point and is ready. If the jam is not ready, continue to boil rapidly for another 5 minutes or so and then test again.
When the jam has reached setting point, remove from the heat for a few minutes to cool slightly.
Transfer the jam into the sterilised jars while the jam and the jars are still warm. Fill the jars to just below the top, making sure there are no air bubbles and then add the lids.
Notes
Tips
While this recipe will make roughly three medium sized jars of jam the exact quantity will very depending on how long the jam needs to boil to reach setting point. Also, as your jars are likely to vary in size it is a good idea to prepare an extra jar in case it is needed.
Check your empty jars are in good condition. Also check the lids, particularly the undersides to make sure they are free from corrosion.
There is no need to buy new jars for homemade jam. Previously used jars can be re-used so long as they are in good condition and have been cleaned and sterilised.
After filling each jar, check there are no air bubbles in the jam as this may affect how long the jam may keep. Pierce any air bubbles with a clean knife.
If you plan to add labels to the jars it is better to wait until the jam has cooled so that the heat does not affect the glue.
If you are making persimmon jam to spread on toast or bread it is a good idea to chop the fruit into small pieces to make it easier to spread.