"jam" news and stories

Nothing tastes sweeter than homemade jam. Luckily, you don't need to be a canning pro to whip up a batch for the fridge.

No, IKEA did not invent the lingonberry. Though, since the furniture giant's cafeteria special of Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam is the only time many Americans have encountered the lingonberry, it would be easy to think so.

Lingonberry, AKA cowberry, foxberry, whorlberry and partridgeberry, is the fruit of a shrub that grows across northern Europe and the colder regions of North America. They're a bit smaller than cranberries, and shinier, their color the full, vampy red of 1940s movie star lipstick. They're ubiquitous in Scandinavian countries like Sweden, hence the IKEA connection.

Since lingonberries are quite sour, they're almost always cooked down with sugar. Their deep, tart taste goes well with heavy meats - I've enjoyed lingonberry preserves on wienerschnitzel with dilled potatoes and a squeeze of lemon, and seared elk medallions with lingonberry reduction. A dollop of lingonberry jam mixed into your oatmeal or yogurt makes for the kind of elegantly spare breakfast that would seem at home on a simple blond wood table in a whitewashed Nordic kitchen. My Swedish college roommate used to keep a bottle of lingonberry syrup on her bookshelf, to mix with seltzer or hot tea. Lingonberries also make excellent pie or tart filling; heated lingonberry jam is good over rich, plain sweet cream ice cream.

• Leslie Cole admits to a multi-year ambition to can summer produce for winter. This year she's giving up the canning plan for more accessible freezing.
  
• Once of the nice things about canning is that it gives you the opportunity to make things that aren't readily accessible at the store. Try Seckel or Forelle Pears Poached With Madeira and Bay Leaves, Italian Cherry Mostarda and Spicy Green Tomato Jam.
• Chefs and home cooks are swooning over agave nectar. it also makes an excellent sweetener for jam. Here's the recipe for the Agave Berry Jam.
  
• When it comes to canning, make sure that you use the proper safety methods. If you don't, the results could be deadly.
• As you prep your berries for freezing, think about sweetening some so that they're ready to go for pies and sauces.
• Preserve those leafy greens and fresh herbs by turning them into pastes and pestos.

And I guess I should clarify by what I mean by "fat-free foods." I'm not talking about foods that are naturally fat-free, such as celery or water (those are the first two examples that come to mind). I mean foods that usually have a fat version but also have a fat-free version. On to the list (and yes, I'm well aware that fat-free doesn't necessarily mean healthy and can often be higher in sugar).

1. Fat-Free Milk: If you had asked me ten years ago that today I'd be drinking fat-free milk instead of whole milk, I would have thought you were crazy. But I love it, and in fact, can't even drink whole milk anymore. Tastes too thick and heavy for me.

Jam and honey are the new orange - orange marmalade, that is. The slightly sweet preserve is rapidly falling out of fashion in England. It first gained popularity in England in the 17th century, when citrus fruits became common and the preservation technique used for cooking quinces was applied to them. Since that time the spread has only grown in popularity and, for at least the past several decades, could be considered to be a breakfast staple in many homes. In the last year, however, 440,000 households in Britain stopped buying marmalade. Statistics indicate that the reason for the decline may be younger consumers, as most in the under 45 age group consider it to not be sweet enough. 81% of marmalade is eaten by those over 45.

With the decline of marmalade comes the rise of jam and honey, which grow more popular every year, despite reports last year that indicated that jam, too, was falling from favor. Honey is up almost 5%, while jam is up 1.5%.

Retailers and manufacturers alike are now trying to find ways to draw more children to marmalade

Source