Make jam

Jam is fruit, sugar and lemon cooked down until it thickens. A small batch is plenty, takes an evening, and is the easiest way to keep a bit of fall for a few weeks. You do not need special equipment, only a wide pot, some clean jars and a cold plate.

What you need

This makes about three small jars.

• 2 pounds fruit, such as plums, pears, apples or cranberries (chopped, with cores, stones and stems removed)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus a little more if the fruit is very tart
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• A pinch of salt
• Optional: a cinnamon stick, a vanilla pod or a little grated ginger

Put a saucer in the freezer before you start. You will use it to test the jam.

Make it

1. Combine the chopped fruit, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a wide, heavy pot. Stir, and leave it for 15 to 30 minutes, until the sugar starts to draw out juice. This helps the sugar dissolve.
2. Set the pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Bring it to a steady boil, stirring often so it does not catch. Mash the fruit with a spoon or potato masher as it softens. Cooking takes about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the fruit and the width of the pot.
4. Skim off any foam if you like, though it is harmless.
5. When it looks thick and glossy and the bubbles slow, test it. Take the pot off the heat, spoon a little onto the cold saucer, and wait a minute. Push it with your finger. If it wrinkles, it is ready. If it runs back together, cook for a few more minutes and test again.
6. Remove the cinnamon stick, if you used one. Let the jam cool for about 5 minutes, then ladle it into clean jars.

Jam is very hot and sticky, and sugar burns badly. Stir carefully, keep your face back from the pot, and do not leave it unattended.

Clean jars

Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse them well. For jam going into the fridge, that is enough, though many people also run them through the dishwasher or warm them in a low oven so they do not crack when the hot jam goes in. Let the jam cool, then keep it in the fridge.

Keeping it safely

This is a fridge jam. Once it is cool, cover it and keep it in the fridge, where it lasts for a few weeks. Eat it within that time, and use a clean spoon each time. It also freezes well in a freezer-safe container, with a little space at the top.

If you want jam that sits on a shelf, that is a different process. It needs a tested canning recipe, proper sterilising and a boiling-water bath, and you should follow it exactly rather than improvising. Do not seal a jar of your own recipe and leave it in the cupboard.

Which fruit

Plums, cranberries and tart apples have a lot of natural pectin, so they set easily. Pears and sweet apples set more softly, which is fine for spreading. Berries are easy too, but they are not really a fall fruit. For fall, an apple and cranberry mix is a good start, or plum with a cinnamon stick.

If something goes wrong

• It will not set. It needs longer, or more lemon. Boil it again and test on the cold plate, or accept a looser jam.
• It is too stiff. It cooked too long. Stir in a spoonful of hot water and warm it through.
• It burned on the bottom. The heat was too high or the pot too narrow. Pour the good jam into a clean pot and leave the burnt bit behind.
• It is too sweet. Add more lemon next time, and use a little less sugar.
• Mould on the top. Throw the whole jar away. Do not scrape it off.

Make it a fall evening

Pick up fruit from a farm stand on the way home, or use the ones left from apple picking. Put on some music, stand at the stove, and spoon the first warm taste onto toast. A jar also makes a good gift, and goes well with a handwritten thank-you note.