Lemon Jam

Lemons have long ceased to be an exotic delicacy, despite its foreign origin. Due to the pronounced sour taste, they are not eaten as an independent fruit, but as a seasoning, an ingredient in salads, pastries, desserts, marinades, drinks, snacks and even some first courses, lemon is simply irreplaceable.

The taste of the fruit is almost always equally sour, sometimes there are bitter lemons, but this is due either to improper storage conditions, or to the fact that it was plucked before it ripened. But even if the purchased fruits disappointed with bitterness, they can be used, for example, to make jam. An amazing dessert with sourness, bitterness and an exciting tart aroma can be prepared directly with the peel of the fruit, if you do not want to deal with peeling the fruit. You can add spices, nuts, honey, alcohol or other fruits to the composition – why not give your imagination room for creativity if the taste of the jam does not suffer at the same time.

Lemon Jam Recipes

Before you start cooking, you need to choose the right fruits – it is better if they are ripe, bright yellow and with a thin skin. It is necessary to pay attention to the color of the skin – it is worth giving preference to fruits with a uniform color, without dark spots, dots. Smooth skin without dents, wrinkles and weathered withered areas, a pronounced lemon smell indicate that lemons are suitable for future jam or preserves. If the purchased fruits turned out to be unripe, this deficiency can be corrected, because lemons ripen quite quickly at room temperature.

A simple version of jam with peel is made with just 4 lemons and 1 kg of sugar. It is important to be sure to try the future dessert during cooking. If it seems too sour, an extra serving of sugar will correct the situation. Lemons are washed, cut and pitted, then passed through a meat grinder and sugar is added. The mixture is left in an enamel bowl at room temperature for at least 10-12 hours to completely dissolve the sugar. After that, the dishes are put on a small fire and gradually brought to a boil. As soon as the jam boils, it is removed from the stove and poured into sterile jars. The container closed with tight lids is left until the jam has cooled, and then sent to the refrigerator – this way it will be better preserved and will thicken a little over time.

For lovers of spicy taste with bitterness – a recipe for lemon jam with ginger:

• 1 kg of lemons;
• 1,5 kg of sugar;
• Xnumx ginger;
• 10 g vanilla sugar;
• cinnamon to taste.

Fruits are peeled and pitted, cut into cubes. Ginger root washed, peeled from the skin and finely cut. In a saucepan combine ginger, lemons, add cinnamon, plain and vanilla sugar, after which the mixture is left for an hour. When the lemon starts making juice, put the pot with the future jam on the fire and bring to a boil. Boil it for 5 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and cool. The procedure is repeated two more times, as a result, the jam thickens and acquires a pronounced brown color. It can be rolled up in cans or used immediately after it cools down.

Lemon jam with mint and zest – for it you will need:

• 1 kg of lemons;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• Xnumx mint;
• 0,7 L of water.

Fruits and mint are washed under running water, finely chopped mint, rub zest from lemons on a fine grater (no more than a teaspoon), cut the lemons themselves, remove the seeds from them. Mint, zest and lemons are poured into a pan, poured with water and boiled for 10 minutes. The mixture is then cooled and left until the next morning.

The future jam is filtered, removing the cake from it, pour sugar into the remaining mixture and boil 2 for an hour over low heat. When the jam has cooled, it will thicken a little more and acquire a beautiful golden color.

Useful and therapeutic properties, caloric content, chemical composition of the product

It is well known that lemons are a treasury of vitamin C, therefore, in the treatment of colds, the palm is in these fruits, drinks from them, as well as jam. In folk medicine, it is used to lower body temperature, reduce sore throat and inflammation. To strengthen the immune system and fight beriberi, lemon jam is suitable due to the extensive composition of useful substances. In addition, lemon and dishes prepared from it are a well-known means of cleansing the body of toxins and toxins, lowering cholesterol levels. Also, doctors recommend using jam for the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Various additives like turmeric, ginger, mint and cinnamon also stimulate the immune system, increase efficiency and help fight chronic fatigue. In addition, the use of jam from lemons helps to reduce swelling.

100 g of jam contains 240 kcal, 0 g of protein, 0 g of fat, 60 g of carbohydrates. The content of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) per 100 g of product is given in the tables.

Vitamin deficiencies and seasonal mood swings simply capitulate to such a vitamin “bomb”, so a few jars should definitely be prepared for the winter.

Use of the product in cooking

Many desserts will benefit from the addition of lemon jam. Baking will become more fragrant and get a pleasant sourness if you use lemons jam as the filling. Pies and tarts, pastries, biscuits can be complemented by this wonderful useful treat. Drinks, which include lemon, can be prepared with the addition of jam. With tea, ice cream or souffle jam will sparkle with new notes of taste.

If the prepared jam does not have a very sweet taste, it can be used to cook fish – a few drops of jam in the fish marinade will add spice to the dish.

Lemon jam will perfectly cope with the role of an independent dessert, and with minor roles like the filling or ingredient of sauce and dressing.

Possible harm and contraindications

Since lemons are a specific product that contains a significant amount of acid, the fruits themselves and their dishes have certain characteristics, and they must be taken into account, including lemon jam in your diet. The presence of sugar in jam makes it a forbidden product for diabetics and obese people. Young mothers who are breastfeeding should refuse to absorb sweets. Lemon jam can exacerbate chronic diseases like pancreatitis, gastritis or ulcers.

Significant quantities of sweets will be deposited on the waist with a few extra centimeters, so it is better to forget about people on a diet.

Lemon jam is an effective and tasty way to support the immune system and cope with beriberi at any time of the year. Lemon is rightfully considered a leader in the fight and prevention of colds, viral and inflammatory processes, and jam from it has the same healing properties. At the same time, the undoubted advantage of jam over fruits is the absence of a sour taste, from which “teeth reduce”.

Use in moderation is excellent to help cope with the blues, deterioration of working ability and attention, helps to prevent heart disease.

In any pantry there is a place for several jars of a healthy lemon dessert – it is easy to prepare and, if bottled in sterile jars, can be stored for up to 2 months in a cool, dry place, such as a refrigerator. If you store the product for a longer time, it greatly loses both useful properties and taste.