Feijoa Vodka Jam

I had an abundance of feijoa from my orchard and as I have never tasted feijoa jam before, thought it was about time I made some to try. Feijoa jam is not a jam commonly available in the shops. I found the taste quite smooth and milder in comparison to the strawberry jam which has a stronger and tarter taste. I quite like this jam.


Makes 4 jars

Ingredients
1.2 kg feijoa pulp (fruit minus the skin)
juice and zest from 1 lemon
¼ cup water
850 gm sugar
2 Tbsp vodka (optional)

Method
1. Scoop out the fruits from the feijoa. Either cut it into smaller pieces or use a potato masher to gently mash the fruit.

2. Put into a pot the fruit, water, zest and lemon juice.
3. Boil on medium heat until the fruits are soft (about 15 minutes). Stir occassionally.
4. Add sugar and stir until dissolve.
5. Bring to a rapid boil and continue to boil for about 20 minutes or until the mix reach setting point, giving it the occassional stir (stirring seems to make the jam splatter everywhere) .
6. Add vodka and use a lighter to burn off the alcohol or just stir to mix.

7. Skim the surface to remove any scum.
8. The jam will look a bit watery but it sets beautifully when cold.
9. Pour into sterilised jars, seal, label and store in a cool place.



Sterilising jars
To sterilise the preserving jars wash them in soapy water and leave to soak in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and put the glass jars into an oven at 120°C for 15 minutes or until the jars are required. Do not at any stage dry the jars with a tea towel.
To some, my way of sterilising the jars might seem a bit 'slipshot' but so far I have not had any jams or preserves go bad on me.


Setting Point Test
Place saucer in freezer to chill. To test for the setting point of jam, place a teaspoonful of jam on the chilled saucer. A skin will form on the surface and the jam will wrinkle when pushed with your finger when setting point is reached.
Alternatively test with a thermometer. Setting point is reached when the temperature reaches 105C.

Note :
1. I used 3kg of feijoa fruit which yielded 1.2kg feijoa fruit pulp.
2. If you prefer your jam sweeter, add more sugar.