How To Prepare Home Made Squashes and Jams.

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Fruit juice and paste can be preserved by adding a high percentage of sugar concentration and with a small quantity of preservatives. A high concentration of sugar slows the generation of micro organisms, and the boiling process pasteurizes the fruit - extending its shelf life .The final juicy product is called Squash and the thick paste is called Jam.

Health professionals have always stressed about the advantages of having fresh fruits and vegetables at least 5 to 6 times a day to make- up for ones nutrient requirement.

Although eating fruits and vegetables in their natural state does provide us with a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals, juicing benefits us equally. It is true that while juicing some amount of fiber is lost due to the straining process. However, the digestive enzymes and the nutrients are retained in the juice, which are easily absorbed by our body.

Here I am describing the right way of making squashes and Jams with fresh fruits which anyone can do in his leisure time. Excellent squash can be made using Orange and Grapes.

Crushes – should not have less than 25 % fruit juice and 55% sugar

Squashes – should not have less than 25% fruit juice and 45% sugar

In addition to juice and sugar these drinks can have essences edible food colors and preservatives . This can be added up to 0.8 gram/Kilogram of the product.

GRAPE CRUSH

1. Select sound juicy black grapes
2. Remove the stalks and wash the fruit well , preferably in running cold water.
3. Take the fruit in a vessel and crush them well with the help of a masher and boil them for 5 to 10 minutes’.(Boiling helps in extracting more juice and the original Co lour of the solution moves into the juice ).
4. After boiling strain juice with the help of a strainer or a sieve or a mosquito net cloth
5. If the strained juice is 1 kg take the following ingredients.

RECIPE

Strained juice – 1 kg (1 liter)

Sugar – 2 kg

Water – 1 kg (1 liter)

Citric acid – 20 grams. (4 level teaspoon full)

Grape essence- 20 grams. (4 level of teaspoon full)

Sodium benzoate-3 grams.

1. Take sugar, water , and citric acid , and heat to dissolve sugar and citric acid and filter the sugar syrup .
2. Mix the fruit juice and the syrup allow it to cool.
3. When the mixture becomes cold add the essence. Take sodium benozoate (preservative) and dissolve it in a little warm water and then add to the crush.
4. Mix the crush well and bottle them in a cleaned sterilized bottle leaving at least ½ heads pace. Cork and store in a cool and dry. place.

Dilution for serving- 1 cup juice to 3 cups of water.

The addition of citric acid helps in clarifying the sugar syrup . Balancing the taste of the drink..

Preventing the crystallizations of sugar by inverting it into certain extent and

Making the solution of preservating more effective in arid medium.

Orange Squash

Oranges are rich sources of Vitamin C. It provides significant amount of antioxidants

• Select ripe juicy sathugudi or Kamala orange.
• Wash thoroughly in cold water.
• Cut the fruits into half and extract the juice with the help of orange juice extractor.

( In case of Kamala oranges the peels can be removed and segments Passed through juice extractor. Even the mixie can be used.)

• After extraction strain the juice and measure,

RECIPE

· Orange juice – 1liter

· Sugar – 11/2 kg

· Water- 1 liter

· Citric acid – 20 grams (4 level teaspoon)

· Orange essence – 4 tea-spoon

· Orange Red color – 1/2 tea spoon.

· Potassium metabisulphate – 3/4 tea- spoon.

Method of making squash

Take sugar water and citric acid in a vessel .Heat to dissolve the sugar and citric acid .Filter and cool the sugar syrup.

To the cold syrup add orange juice and mix well. Add orange essence and Orange color. Finally add Potassium metabisulphate which is previously dissolved in a little water to the squash. Mix thoroughly and pour in a well sterilized bottle leaving 2” head space.

Ingredients

Fruit pulp – 1kg

Sugar – 1kg

Citric acid – 1tea spoon

Method Of Preparation

Mix the pulp and sugar and cook till the end point reached

Just 5to10 minutes before the end point is reached add citric acid. If the fruit is sweet add little more acid . If it is sour add less citric acid

Don't add citric acid at the beginning.

The method of testing the Jam constituency.

Keep a saucer of water near by, Let a few drops of Jam fall into the water .If the Jam jells you can be sure it is ready.

Things to be remember while making Jam and Squash

• Use non stick pan for making Jam.
• The fruit should be sound and just ripe better to be under ripe rather than overripe.
• Add Proper quantity of sugar and acid.
• Lime juice can be added with fruits which have acid.