California Jam

Home is where your heart is … (Rcp# 19.2)

Ingredients for California Jam

• 500 g preserving sugar 2:1 (raw cane sugar 98 %, pectin 2%)
• 5 medium to large bananas
• 2 medium pears, ripe or almost ripe (have to be cuttable)
• 4 kiwi fruits (normal ones, if you have golden ones, you need 5), cuttable
• Pot with at least 3,5 liters of cooking space
• 6 – 7 jam jars (clean AND sterile, place jars on a wet cloth beforehand to prevent them from breaking from hot liquids)

Cooking Instructions for California Jam

1. Clean, peel and coarsely chop the fruits (remove seeds and core of pear first). Then blend them all together and put them in the jam cooker.
2. Add preserving sugar in small portions and stir gently until all sugar is resolved.
3. Cook the jam according to package directions (usually 3 – 4 minutes ‘bubbling’) then turn off and remove from heat.
4. Put the hot jam into the jars:
   Caution, very hot!! Protect yourself and especially your hands from burning throughout the whole process and when handling hot pot and jam!
   1. Place the empty jars on a wet cloth
   2. Pour the hot jam into the glasses (use a sterile funnel or a sterile scoop)
   3. Fill the jars to the brim, gently wipe the brim with a clean, damp cloth, and place the lid on the jars.
   4. Make sure that the lid is completely closed (use a damp cloth to turn it into the tightened position) and then immediately turn it over so that it stands on the lid.
   5. Leave like that for at least 10 minutes. Then rotate back and wipe the rest of the jars with a wet cloth to remove any excess jam.
5. Allow to cool completely and check that the lid is tight (just test carefully if the lid can be moved too easily, do not turn it all the way!) before storing in a cool and dark place (remember the safety precautions for all canned goods). Any jars with lids that are not completely closed must be refrigerated and used up immediately.

Frequently inspect stored jars for signs of decay and mold inside AND outside the jars. Carefully remove mold from the outside (wash the entire jar) and – if in doubt – open. Treat the opened jam jar as you would any jar that did not seal properly during the cooking process (see above).

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Side Notes:

• A big ‘Hello’ to my family and friends back in California. I miss you and I am with you in my thoughts.
• I originally wanted to make my mother’s classic ‘Gooseberry-Banana Jam’ when I came up with this recipe some time ago. Only I couldn’t get fresh gooseberries. So I reinvented the flavor of the missing ingredients. And gooseberries taste a little like a cross between pears and kiwis, I guess. Which is not really surprising, since kiwis seem to be a kind of gooseberry themselves – hairy all over, juicy green, and little brown seeds inside.
• This is a revised version of the original recipe from last summer. I simplified it a bit. And you’ll need it for the ‘Sunday Brunch’ recipe arrangement, which is coming up on March 15, 2024. Hello everyone in California! 🙂