Sakura Jam - General Description
Sakura is also called finely sawn cherry (lat. Prunus serrulata). This plant is one of the most famous symbols of Japan, which is present on coins, emblems, in the symbols of educational institutions, and is also the embodiment of beauty and youth for the Japanese. The sakura blossom period is a national holiday in Japan, it is announced in the media in a few weeks and is always looked forward to.
Flowers of bright pink color appear in spring, and then fruits are formed in the form of drupe 8-10 mm in diameter, very reminiscent of the cherry familiar to Russians. Berries for eating are not very suitable, since there is little pulp in them, and the bone is large in size.
For Russia, sakura belongs to the category of exotic plants, it is also grown mainly for decorative purposes. But if you were lucky enough to grow sakura and collect a crop of berries, then it can be used for making jam.
Sakura jam - tableware
To prepare sakura jam, enameled or aluminum utensils of a suitable volume are used, which can be determined from the calculation of 1.5-2.0 liters per 1 kg of fruit. There is a known practice of using copper utensils, however, in this case, you need to carefully monitor that there are no oxides (spots of a greenish tint) on it, since they can get into jam and make it unsuitable for eating. Ready jam is usually stored in glass jars. It is convenient to use containers with a volume of 0.5-0.8 liters, however, due to the few yields of sakura, cans can be taken even smaller. They should be steam sterilized using a double boiler, boiling kettle or other means. Some housewives prefer a dry method of sterilization - in the oven or microwave. Lids for cans are also sterilized, usually putting them in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. You can use metal covers, glass or plastic.
Sakura jam - fruit preparation
For sakura jam, only ripe berries can be used. It should be borne in mind that acidic fruits will require more sugar than sweet ones. Sakura needs to be sorted out by removing overripe berries, as they can ruin the jam. Then the stalks are removed and the berries are thoroughly washed under running water. Separating sakura seeds is extremely difficult, so it is better to make jam with seeds. Before laying berries in a container for cooking, each need to be pierced with a fork in several places.
Sakura jam (1 option)
To make cherry jam, you need 1 kg of granulated sugar per 1 kg of berries. If they are very acidic, then the amount of sugar can be brought up to 1.2-1.3 kg. Washed and peeled berries must be folded into a container in which the jam will be cooked. In another bowl, prepare sugar syrup, taking 700-800 g of granulated sugar and 200 ml of water. Pour sakura with boiling syrup, cover the dishes with a towel and leave in a cool place for 8-10 hours. Then put the dishes on a slow fire, bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, you need to remove the container from the fire, cover with a towel again and again cool for 8-10 hours. The process of boiling and subsequent slow cooling should be repeated three times. After the last boiling, the berries should absorb the syrup, their surface should become smooth and mouth-watering. Jam without cooling, pour into hot jars, cover with lids and put in a cool, dry place to store.
Sakura jam (option 2)
There is a faster way to make sakura jam. For this you need 1 kg of berries, 1.3 kg of granulated sugar and 300 ml of water. Pour the berries with boiling water for 1 minute, then throw them in a colander so that they do not cook. In a separate bowl, prepare sugar syrup from 300 ml of water and 2/3 of the prepared sugar. Pour the berries in boiling syrup, leave for 2-3 hours. Next, put the container with berries and syrup on medium heat, add the remaining sugar and cook for 10-12 minutes. After that, remove the pan from the heat, leave in a cool place for 5-6 hours. After this time, put the jam on the fire again, boil for 10 minutes. After that, remove the berries with a slotted spoon and transfer them to jars. Boil the remaining syrup for another 5-7 minutes, then pour it over the banks as well. Close them with a lid, put in a cool place for storage.
Sakura and raspberry jam
To make this unusual jam you will need 1 kg of sakura, 1 kg of raspberry, 2 kg of granulated sugar and 0.5 liters of water. The sakura washed and peeled from the stalks is placed in a container and pour boiling syrup, prepared separately. Gently stirring, jam should be brought to a boil and removed from heat. Then wait 30-40 minutes and repeat the procedure. All you need to bring to a boil 4-5 times, add raspberries for the last time, boil the jam for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat. Then pour into prepared containers, close with lids and put into storage.
Sakura jam - useful tips from experienced chefs
Tip 1. Sometimes the time indicated in the recipe is not enough to bring the jam to readiness. In order to determine whether it is cooked, you need to look at the appearance of the berries. If they become transparent and do not float on the surface of the syrup, but are evenly distributed, then the jam is ready.
Tip 2. Another way is to take a syrup with a spoon and check its stickiness. Syrup should be drained with difficulty, in this case the jam can be considered ready.
Tip 3. Use hot cans to pack sakura jam. They must be turned over after the jam is laid.
