Sweet gift from the heart - a homemade jam

A DIY gift - an original idea for a gift from the heart

Even though the shop shelves are bent under the weight of various products that would be perfect as a gift for a loved one, we offer you to make your own gift. Why? When creating a gift for a loved one, we only think about this person, we take into account their tastes, preferences and needs. It is hard to find a more dedicated gift given from the heart than the one made by hand. A DIY gift requires time, work, commitment, sometimes a lot of patience, which makes it a unique and priceless trifle. Undoubtedly, a do-it-yourself gift, which requires a lot of heart and commitment, is original and one-of-a-kind, and is of much greater value than those bought in the store.

Sweet gift

Our proposed idea for a sweet DIY gift is a homemade jam. To prepare it you will need a range of accessories and beautiful jars, so that homemade preserves will not only charm with their taste but also with their appearance. Labelled, wrapped in a coloured paper and decorated with a chic ribbon, they will surely bring incredible joy to the recipient. Tasty jam combined with a heart-felt dedication is a great gift idea for Valentine's Day, Mom's Day, Grandma's Day, Boyfriend's Day and all sorts of other occasions.

Essential accessories for preparing a homemade jam

Making a homemade gift jam will not be possible if you do not buy jars and accessories for preserves. Here's a list of things you need.

1. Jars for preserves - home preserves will look beautiful if you put them in decorative wecks. We can choose between Weck jars and Kilner ones.
2. Jar labels - a lovely gift will take on a unique and personal character, if we write down our wishes on it. To do that, it's worthwhile to equip ourselves with decorative, self-adhesive labels, on which, in addition to a few warm words addressed to the birthday boy, we can also include a description of the product inside the jar and the date of its production.
3. Pitters - are irreplaceable when preparing cherry or apple jam. With its help we will remove the seeds quickly and conveniently from a variety of fruits.
4. Jar funnel - thanks to a specially designed funnel equipped with a wide opening, pouring jams from the pot into jars will never be a problem again.
5. Jam pot - the wide diameter of the pot allows rapid evaporation of the water and obtaining the desired consistency of the jam. It also prevents the sticking and burning of home preserves.
6. Jar Gripper - an irreplaceable gadget when pasteurizing jars, allowing you to safely remove hot jars from the pot.

4 tested recipes for a homemade jam

1) Apricot jam with Amaretto

Aromatic Apricot-based jam with almond liqueur Amaretto is a perfect idea for a sweet gift for a girl, mom, sister, grandmother or an unusual DIY gift for a boyfriend on Valentine's Day or Boy's Day.

The ingredients:

• 1 kg apricots
• 0.5 glasses of water
• 1 glass of sugar
• juice squeezed from half a lemon
• 1/3 glass of Amaretto almond liqueur

Preparation:

• Wash the apricots, remove the seeds and cut them into quarters.
• Toss the fruit into the pan suitable for making jam, pour water and lemon juice over it. Sprinkle with sugar, place on the stove and bring it to boil.
• Cook without the lid for a few hours on a small burner until the apricots start to disintegrate and enough water evaporates to thicken the jam. At the very end of the cooking, add Amaretto and mix.
• Pour the jam into the scalded jars and pasteurize.

2. Rhubarb and ginger jam

Lightly sour rhubarb jam with ginger and lemon peel is an original idea for a handmade gift.

The ingredients:

• 1 kg rhubarb
• 300 g of sugar
• 1 spoonful of grated ginger
• 1 lemon peel

Preparation:

• Wash the rhubarb, cut it into small pieces and add sugar. Leave it for a few hours until it lets off the juice.
• Add ginger and lemon peel to the rhubarb.
• Place the pot with the rhubarb on the stove and cook with a low burner power for about 1 hour.
• Put the hot jam in the scalded jars, close and pasteurize.

3. Chocolate-cherry, i.e. cherry jam

A delicious cherry jam with rum and cocoa will be a perfect addition to a variety of desserts.

The ingredients:

• 1 kg of cherries
• 350 g of sugar
• 35 g of cocoa
• 1 tbsp of rum

Preparation:

• Stone the cherries, put them in a pot with a thick bottom and pour sugar in. Bring it to boil. Boil the cherries on a low burner power until the water evaporates and the jam reaches the right consistency. Stir the contents of the pot from time to time.
• Mix the cocoa with rum in ¼ of the glass of water. Mix thoroughly and add it to the jam. Cook for about 15 minutes. Put the hot jam into dry, scalded jars and pasteurize them.

4. Lemon jam with kiwi pulp

Surprise your loved ones with your ingenuity and give them a tasty present, an exotic lemon jam with mixed kiwi fruit.

Ingredients:

• 600 g of lemons
• 4.5 glasses of water
• 800 g kiwis
• 5.5 glasses of sugar

Preparation:

• Wash and scald the lemons. Cut into quarters, remove the seeds and larger membranes. Cut into thin slices, put into a glass bowl, pour water and set aside overnight.
• The next day, pour water and lemon into the pot and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Peel the kiwi and mix it with the blender. Add the kiwi and sugar to the lemons and boil it.
• Reduce the burner power and cook for about 3 hours, stirring from time to time.
• Pour it into the previously scalded jars, close and pasteurize it.

The summer season is a perfect moment to prepare a stock of a homemade jam, which you will be able to give to your loved ones all year round. However, before starting the work, remember to stock up on ornamental jars, labels and more accessories for preserves. The joy and satisfaction of the birthday boy from receiving an original, handmade gift - guaranteed!