Work from Home in the Philippines

Jams are made from crushed fruits or vegetable and their juice. They differ from jellies in the way are made. Jellies are made from juice only while jams contain both the juice and the crushed pulp of fruits and vegetable. Concentration is carried to at least 65% for all jams. Some require 68 per cent solid to achieve desired qualities. This explains why jellies are clearer than jams. Jams are made by boiling fruit or vegetable pulp until the concentration is medium thick. As the mixture of pulp, juice and sugar is boiled, the water evaporates. The concentration of juice and sugar, which also penetrates pulp, becomes thick.

How to Make Jams

1. Selecting the fruit. Choose fruit that are mature, fresh and firm. Trim the fruits to remove hard diseased portions. Wash them in clean running water. Cut uniformly into desired pieces so that cooking is even.
2. Preparing, boiling and extracting pectin from the fruit. Simmer the fruit with enough water to extract pectin. Add desired sugar and boil until the fruits are soft.
3. Testing the acidity. Add acid if fruit is not sour enough commercial acids like citric or tartaric acid can be bought from stories. It should be as sour as the standard solution of one teaspoonful of lemon or kalamansi juice mixed with ½ cup of water.
4. Testing the pectin content. Use the same test as in jelly making. If the pectin is very low, you may add fruit juice rich in pectin like papaya.
5. Testing the required amount of sugar. The usual proportion is one-half to three-fourths cup of sugar per one cup of pulp. If the fruit is moderately rich in pectin, add smaller amount of sugar. Add the fruit sugar when the skin of the fruit is completely softened, otherwise, the fruit become hard if sugar is added early.
6. Cooking the jam. After sugar has added, boil rapidly until the jam starts to set in. the secret in jam making is this cook slowly before adding the sugar and rapidly afterwards.
7. Testing the setting point. This is the point when sugar concentration reaches 60 per cent. This is also the setting point in jelly-making. If boiling is not complete, that is, when fruits are not cooked, fermentation may destroy the jam. The jam becomes watery after a few weeks. If it is overcooked, the sugar crystallizes and sugar lumps are formed.
8. Finishing the jam. As soon as the jam reaches the setting point, remove the scum by scooping it with a clean wooden spoon. Quickly pour the jam into sterilized jars and bottles. Fill up to the top to allow shrinkage. If the fruits are cooked in whole pieces, allow the jam to cool first in the kettle until a thin skin or coating begins to form on top. This is to prevent the fruit from rising to the top part of the bottle. Then stir the jam gently and pour into the jars. Cover with a layer of paraffin or gently press a piece of waxed tissue on the surface of the sun jam in each bottle. Seal tightly. Wipe each jar with clean cloth. Store the jars in the dark, cool, dry place. (Remember, molds grow in a storage place that is too hot and too damp). Good jams are bright-colored, thick and smooth when spread. They retain the natural flavor and aroma of the fruit.

Vinegar is made from sugar and starchy material by alcoholic and acetic acid fermentation. The common raw materials for vinegar fruit and vegetables which can be utilized are pineapples, bananas, oranges, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Procedures in Vinegar Making

1. Fermentation .Two fermentation processes are involved in the manufacture of vinegar. They are alcoholic fermentation and acetic fermentation.

1. In alcoholic fermentation, the sugar present in the raw material is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the action of yeast. This occurs in two stages: the preliminary or violent fermentation is very rapid, usually from three to six days. It then is during this stage that most of the sugar is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Foreign organisms cannot live and grow in the fermentation liquid at this stage.

2. The secondary fermentation is slower, usually from two to three weeks, It is during this stage that contamination with some bacteria is possible. If the secondary fermentation becomes sluggish, aerate the fermentation liquid to invigorate the yeast. In acetic fermentation, alcohol is converted into acetic by the action of the vinegar bacteria.

There are two methods of acidification: the slow process and the quick or the generation process.

1. The slow process is also called the Orleans process. It is used in the converted of wine into vinegar. Fresh, unpasteurized vinegar is added to the fermentation liquid and the mixture is barrels about three-fourths full. Bore a few inches above the surface of the liquid. The liquid will be converted into vinegar after about three months .

2. The quick or the generator process is also called the German process. It makes use of the principle that rate of acidification is proportionate to the amount of oxygen in contact with the reacting components. In this method, a cylindrical and upright tank or generation is used, to be filled with material (corn cob, rattan, bamboo shavings) which will enable the vinegar to percolate and the vinegar bacteria to develop.

The generator or tank is about 10 to 14 feet in height, 48 to 60 inches in diameter and has three compartments into which the fermented liquid flows. The middle or center compartment is the receiving chamber for the acetified liquid.

2. Aging. To get rid of the harsh flavor, odor and color which usually characterize newly-made vinegar, especially that which is prepared by the quick process, place vinegar in tank or barrels. Let them stay for six months to one year. After this time, the vinegar develops an agreeable flavor and color.

3. Filtering or fining. Vinegar is filtered to attain an attractive and brilliantly clear appearance. Casein, gelatin, isinglass and high grade betonies clay are the common fining material used for this purpose.

Another method is by making use of a filter press which consists of plates and frames of corrosion-resistant aluminum bronze. Before passing the vinegar through the filter press, add a small amount of filter aid like Dicalite of Hyflo Super-cel.

4. Pasteurization and Bottling. Vinegar bacteria may grow even after filtration, resulting in the cloudy appearance of the vinegar. Your may prevent this by heating the filtered vinegar 60 degree Celsius Centigrade for a few minutes. pour into bottles in a water bath canner until the contents of the bottles reach 60 degree Celsius Centigrade.