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| Pear tree. Foto: Heike Pater |
Back in the days before freezers were invented and before a trip to the supermarket was the solution for all food-related issues all year around, people had to find ways to preserve their summer harvest so that it would be good during the cold winter months.
Preservation is a big part of food culture. Some types of fruit and vegetables stay eatable for a longer period of time while others need to be treated more special. The ripening process of fruit and vegetables is regulated by chemical substances called enzymes, which are made of protein. To destroy these enzymes and therefore stop the ripening process, fruit and vegetables need either heat or cold/frost. Another important aspect is making sure that the fruit/vegetables are not exposed to air. (Ryslett K., 2023)
It all began with drying, salting and fragmentation until in times of war there was a need for developments in food preservation. Canning, curing and and pickling were discovered and added to the list of possible ways to preserve food. This way, people have access to all kinds of food all year around. (Brown A.,2019)
I started this journey of making currant jam and canned pears by walking around the neighborhood and looking for houses with fruits in their gardens. When I passed a pear tree with lots of fruits on it, I took all my courage, rang the doorbell and asked if I could pick some of the pears. The woman was super friendly, she told me to take as many pears as I need and so I did. The story repeats itself with currants, a little less dramatic this time, as I knew Norwegians are nice (and most of them do not even pick their own berries). What do we learn? Do not hesitate to ask, the worst thing that can happen is someone saying no.
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| Pear tree and currant bush. Foto: Heike Pater |
After my personal picking adventure, I went into the school kitchen and started the process of making my chosen products.
The first thing that needed to be done was to sterilize the glasses. But why? Making sure things are sterile is super important when you're preserving food. It helps get rid of any bacteria, yeast, or fungi that might compromise the integrity of the food enclosed within the jar. Jars that remain unclean or inadequately sanitized hold the potential to contaminate the contents, leading to rapid spoilage. Sterilizing is quick and easy. Omitting the sterilization process should never be considered, as it holds the key to upholding the quality and longevity of preserved foods. If you use dirty jars or ones that you haven't cleaned properly, the food inside can get contaminated and go bad really fast. (Lemm, 2019)
I began by cleaning the jars and lids in comfortably warm soapy water. Afterward, I thoroughly rinsed each item with hot water, ensuring their cleanliness and killing of bacteria. Placing the jars and bottles inside a preheated oven at 200 degrees, they dried completely. The lids were separately immersed in a boiling water-filled pan. Once the jars were ready to be used, I carefully removed them from the oven using a kitchen towel, as they were too hot to take out by hand. I used tweezers to lift the sterilized lids from the boiling water.
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| Glass jars in the oven. Foto: Heike Pater |
MAKING CURRANT JAM
The first product I chose to make is currant jam. I love all kinds of berries and as I did not just want to go to the supermarket and buy them, I chose to pick some that are very easy to access, a lot of people grow currants in their gardens here in Norway.
I washed my berries, placed them in a pot, added in half a pack of gelling agent and stirred until the berries were dissolved. When I looked into the pot, I felt that it was not thick enough and added a bit more of the gelling agent. This turned out to be a mistake and it got, as far as I can judge, a little too think. But it was still good to work with.
A little tip: don’t add more gelling agent before you have added the sugar.
After adding the sugar I tasted the jam and it was very good. I like my jam sweet and I felt like it was a good amount of sweetness – not too sweet but sweet enough. Here you can decide for yourself how much sugar you want to add. If you don’t like it sweet don’t hesitate to reduce the amount of sugar you put in. You can always taste and adjust. Then my jam was ready to be filled in the jars that were waiting in the oven. I used a funnel to avoid spilling and then I closed the jars with lids. That’s all, easy and efficient!
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| Currants and gelling agent. Foto: Heike Pater Adding sugar to the mixture. Foto: Heike Pater Filling jam into jars. Foto: Somin Park Currant jam. Foto:Heike Pater |
· Glass jars (whatever size you choose)
· 500g of berries
· Half a pack of gelling agent with preservative (22g)
· 125g sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wash your berries and remove all the parts that you don’t want in your jam. Place them in a pot.
2. Add the gelling agent and start to cook at full heat for about 2 minutes. Stop cooking when the berries are dissolved and the texture is a little thick.
3. Take the pot off the stove and add the sugar while still stirring.
4. This is the time to taste your jam and - if needed - add more sugar.
5. Take the first glass jar out of the oven, place it next to the stove and use a funnel to fill the jam into the jars. Make sure to fill the jars completely.
6. Using a tweezer, take the lids out of the boiling water and close them with all the power you have.
7. Take the glasses to a safe place and let the jam cool off.
MAKING CANNED PEARS
The second product I chose to make is canned pears. When I saw the pear tree, I knew that I was going to do this. Before I had not been sure what my second product would be.
I only made one glass to see how good they turn out but if I like it, which I am sure I will, I am going to do it again with more pears.
The first thing I did was prepare some lemon water. For this, all that needs to be done is filling a bowl with water and adding some lemon juice. I took three pears, peeled them and took out the core. I cut them into slices and directly placed them in the lemon water. This prevents the fruit from turning brown. The next thing I did was add water to a pot, add sugar and start boiling it. I should have waited until the sugar was fully dissolved and added less sugar, but it worked out in the end. When I tasted the pears they were a bit too sweet for my taste but it was not too bad. I turned the temperature down and added the pears to the pot. I made sure that it did not bubble and kept it at medium heat. After about 10-15 minutes I took the fruit out and slowly filled it into a jar. Make sure to fill the jar with pears to the top, then add the sugar water – also to the top. I closed the jar and let it cool.
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| Pears in hot sugar water. Foto: Heike Pater Filling pears into jar. Fofo: Heike Pater Adding sugar water into jar. Foto: Heike Pater Canned pears. Foto: Heike Pater |
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
➤ Glass jars (whatever size you choose)
➤ Pot and Bowl
➤ Pears (300g)
➤ Water (500ml for sugar water, no instructions for lemon water)
➤ Lemon juice (about 10 drops)
➤ Sugar (300g)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Fill a bowl with water and add lemon juice.
2. Peel your first pear, take out the core and cut it into slices. Directly put it into the lemon water. Repeat this process with the other pears.
3. Heat up water and sugar in a pot and wait until the sugar dissolves. You might want to add less sugar - depending on how sweet you like it. Turn down the temperature to medium heat and add in your pears. Here it is important to make sure that it does not bubble.
4. After about 10-15min take out the fruit and fill it into the jar(s). Make sure to fill it up to the top.
5. Then fill up the jar with sugar water – also to the top.
6. Put on the lid and take the jar(s) somewhere safe and let them cool.
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| Currant jam and canned pears. Foto: Heike Pater |
Brown, A. (2019). Understanding food: Principles and preparation (6th ed.)
Ryslett, K. (2023, August 18) Juicing, Pickling and Canning (internal course document)
Lemm, E. (2019, October 29). 3 Trusted ways to sterilize jars for jams and preserves. The Spruce Eats. https://www.thespruceeats.com/sterilize-jars-for-jams-and-preserves-435340
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