Many residents of the northern regions, where walnuts are sold on the market several times more expensive than meat, do not even know in what form they grow on the tree. And even less think of cooking jam from them.
But in the Caucasus or in the countries of Central Asia a walnut tree can be found in almost every yard. And not one. Apparently, therefore, the housewives not only use ripe nuts to prepare many culinary dishes, ranging from satsivi and ending with baklava, but they also make jam from them.
Of course, nuts in hard shell and with a tasty core inside are not suitable for jam. In order to cook this extraordinary jam, one should not miss the moment and remove the nuts from the tree in time, because unripe fruits are used for this dessert. They are so green that at this stage of maturation they can be pierced through with a needle.
But at this time they are very tightly attached to their fruit stalks and they need to be climbed on a tree. But not this stage is the most difficult. Cooking jam takes more than one day. And you need to be with him all the time. Therefore, not every housewife dares to start cooking this jam.
However, walnut jam is worth it to cook it at least once, because it is not only tasty, but also very healthy.
Despite the long soaking of walnuts, many useful substances are still preserved in the jam. This is an excellent multivitamin remedy. By the amount of vitamin C, walnut is eight times more than black currant. Besides ascorbic acid, nuts contain vitamins E, B1, B2. In green nuts, and therefore in jam, a lot of vitamin P, which has a positive effect on the strength of capillaries and blood vessels.
Thanks to tannins, walnuts are good for indigestion. Walnut jam is recommended for increased physical and mental work, chronic fatigue, reduced immunity.
Walnut jam: cooking details
- Only medium-sized unripe fruits are used for jam.
- Before cooking, they are cleared of green peel. But since her juice is very dirty hands and almost nothing is washed, you need to work in new rubber gloves, because even one small hole will negate all the precautions.
- Before cooking, the nuts are soaked for several days. So that they do not turn soured during this period, the water must be changed not only daily, but several times a day.
- One of the soaking stages is keeping the nuts in the lime mortar. Many, having learned about this method, begin to doubt the correctness of actions. But, according to those who have been cooking such preserves for many years, none of those who tasted it was hurt, because everything is verified to the smallest detail.
- Meanwhile, you can do without extreme soaking in water with lime. Guided by some recipes, they successfully use ordinary baking soda. Or instead of long soaking, they blanch in boiling water with the addition of tartaric acid, which can be replaced by citric acid. The bitterness of the nuts comes from boiling them in soft water.
- Walnuts for jam use entirely. Some ask whether it is possible to cut the nuts into slices in order to quickly get rid of the bitterness that is removed by soaking. Experts say that in this case, the jam will turn into an unsightly dark mass. By the way, in finished form, the jam turns out dark in color: from dark yellow and brown to purple and almost black.
Walnut preserves: the first recipe
Ingredients:
- walnuts - 100 pcs .;
- sugar - 2 kg;
- hydrated lime - 500 g;
- alum - 1 tbsp. l .;
- ground cinnamon - 2 tsp;
- carnation - 10 pcs .;
- cardamom - 10 pcs .;
- water - 8 st .;
- vanillin - to taste.
Method of preparation
- Clean green nuts from immature nuts (remember to wear gloves). Put in pan.
- Add alum, cover with cold water and leave for 3 days. Change water at least four times a day.
- After three days, drain the darkened water, rinse the nuts well. Using a fork, chop the fruit in several places.
- Prepare lime mortar by mixing lime with five liters of cold water. Strain through a sieve. Fill this with water nuts. Stir. Leave for 3 days.
- Remove the nuts from the solution and wash thoroughly under cold running water.
- Fill the nuts with water again and hold for 4 days, also changing the darkened liquid three times a day.
- Put the soaked nuts in a colander, put it in a saucepan with boiling water and blanch 5 minutes two times. Pour out the water.
- Pour water according to the norm into the cooking pot, add sugar. Put on a moderate fire. Once the sugar has dissolved, put the nuts and bag of spices. Boil until cooked, that is, to the syrup density you need. Cooked nuts should have almost black gloss.
- Take the bag of spices.
- Prepare sterile jars with lids. So that they do not burst during filling, heat them in the oven.
- With the help of a little cook, fill the jars with nuts. Then pour boiling syrup.
- Roll Hermetically. Turn upside down. In this position, cool.
Walnut preserves: the second recipe
Ingredients:
- walnuts - 80 pcs .;
- sugar - 1, 2-1, 3 kg;
- water - 4 l;
- citric acid - 2 tsp;
- cinnamon - to taste;
- cloves - 10 pcs.
Method of preparation
- Take green soft walnuts. Put in a basin, fill with cold water and soak for two days. Be sure to change the water several times a day.
- Remove the nuts from the water. Pin in several places with a fork. Again fill with cold water and leave for 1, 5 weeks. Do not forget to change the water twice a day.
- Wear rubber gloves and peel each fruit off with a knife with a thin blade.
- Immerse the nuts in a basin with acidified water, dissolving 2 tsp in 3, 5 l of water. citric acid. Soak in this solution for a day.
- Put the bowl with the contents on the fire and cook for 20 minutes. Cool and let stand for 24 hours.
- Rinse the nuts thoroughly.
- Cook the syrup from two glasses of water and sugar. Put the nuts in it, add spices, remove from the stove and leave for a day.
- Put it back on fire and boil for half an hour.
- When hot, place in sterile jars and cork hermetically with clean covers. Cool it down.
Walnut preserves: third recipe
Ingredients:
- walnuts - 1 kg;
- sugar - 600 g;
- water - 1 tbsp.
Method of preparation
- Take green nuts. Using a knife with a thin blade, cut off the skin to white inner contents.
- Soak in cold water for three days. Be sure to change the water 5 times a day.
- Rinse the nuts with cold water.
- Pour sugar into a saucepan, pour water. Cook the syrup. Dip the prepared nuts in it and cook for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling.
- Remove from heat, cool completely.
- Put it back on the stove and cook for another 5 minutes. Cool it down.
- If the jam is already thick enough, you can stop cooking. Otherwise, repeat this procedure 1-2 times more.
- Spread into sterile jars and roll up with sterile caps. Turn upside down and cool.
Walnut preserves: the fourth recipe
Ingredients:
- walnuts - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1-1, 5 kg;
- water - 1 tbsp .;
- tartar;
- sulfur for fumigation.
Method of preparation
- Unripe walnut fruits are dried in the sun for 3 days.
- Peel the nuts.
- Soak for a few minutes in water to which you add tartar (take 3 g of stone per 1 l of water). This needs to be done to preserve color.
- Remove the nuts from the water, let the liquids drain. Dim gray.
- Pour water into a saucepan, put tartar at the rate of 3 g per 1 liter of water.
- Put the nuts in a colander, dip in a boiling solution, blanch for 5-10 minutes. Chill.
- Prepare syrup from water (as normal) and sugar. Put nuts in boiling syrup. Hold for 8 hours.
- Put on the fire and boil for 45-60 minutes.
- Spread over the cans, tightly close with sterile caps.
Mistress to note
No matter how tasty the jam is, they should not get carried away. Walnuts are rich in carbohydrates, and sugar makes them even more high-calorie. This jam is not recommended for people who are overweight.
