As always my greatest challenge with making jams and jellies is getting the damn things to set. You see I refuse, I just REFUSE to use jamsetter. I see it as an additive, and if my English Grandmother could do without it, then so can I.
Strawberry guava jelly is notoriously difficult to get to set. Being a life long adherent of Doing Things The Hard Way, for my first batch I ignored all the people on the internet and made the jelly in the usual jelly making way with just the guavas.
It did kind-of set, and it is delicious, but you sort of have to fold your toast in half and eat it in one mouthful if you don't want it down your front.
Batch 2 set like a dream because I added apples (so its strictly guava and apple jelly). Adding apples sets almost anything because of the high amount of pectin they have.
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| Strawberry guavas about to be transformed |
Strawberry guavas
Apples - half the amount of guavas you have (eg 1kg guavas then 500g apples)
Lemon zest
Sugar - 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar per cup of juice you end up with (eg, 4 cups juice needs 3 - 4 cups sugar)
Method:
- Wash guavas, chop apples
- Put in pan, cover with water
- Boil until fruit is mush, squishing with spoon
- Strain juice through two layers of muslin, or a teatowel or whatever, just make sure it doesn't let any bits through
- Give left over fruit mush to chooks
- Add sugar
- Boil until it reaches 105 degrees celsius - this could take a while, and don't stir too much
- Let cool slightly
- Pour into warm sterilised jam jars and seal
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| Ready for afternoon snacks on toast, and gifts for friends |
Total cost: $1.97 for the sugar, $1.50 for the apples
:)
:)
