The new year, Pongal celebrations are over and it’s time of the year again to focus back on work, eating healthy and take up workouts a little seriously. Well, with Omicron cases spreading like wildfire, many of us learnt the art of seeking pleasure in simple things and have realized the importance of ‘homemade’ like never before.
Immunity is still a buzz word in 2022 too and there are a plenty of healthy, meaningful ways to achieve it. Soups, salads, steamed veggies, freshly rolled out rotis, intensely flavoured dals, aromatic ghee, cold pressed oils have made a comeback into your daily diet and it’s time to welcome fruits, especially those citrusy ones.
Citrus fruits, rich in Vitamin C are a blessing from Mother Nature’s bounty. Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, pomelo form major fruits from the citrusy family and are an abundant source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Folate, Magnesium and Manganese among other nutritional components. Well, not all fruits are available round-the-year but if you want to enjoy the goodness of these delicious natural products, it’s time to try to hand at making jams.
Trust us, cooking fresh fruits into those gooey, squishy, super delicious jams is a wonderful experience and with little care, you can stock them up in fridge for 6 months, without any preservatives.
Also Read: Vitamin A – Functions, Food Sources, Deficiencies and Toxicity
Things To Keep In Mind:
- Always choose fresh, plump and firm fruits
- Wash them thoroughly and pat dry completely
- Always store jams in a glass jar bottle. Sterilize and dry the bottle completely inside out
- Do not use wet spoons or ladles. It can spoil the jam. Make sure to use sterilized spoons
Checkout These Amazing Recipes:
Lemon Jam:
Ingredients:
1 kg big lemons
400 grams brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon powder
Method:
Gently scrape off the lemon rind and keep it aside
Cut lemons into small pieces, discard the seeds
In a saucepan, put rind and lemon pieces, add water. Bring it to a boil
Strain the water and repeat the process by adding fresh water. This is to remove bitter taste, if any
Add sugar, cinnamon powder, give it a good stir and cook it reaches right consistency and thickness of a jam
It will take about 30 minutes for the jam to get cooked completely. Let it cool down
Transfer it into a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator
Spread it over bread, rotis or eat it just like that!
Nutritional Content:
Lemons are easily available in the market and are a great source of vitamin C. Regular consumption of lemons aid in protecting heart health, fight anemia, reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic conditions. Make this jam a part of your daily diet for improving digestion. By adding brown sugar to this jam, you have cut down on calories and can be relished by diabetics too. Cinnamon powder not only adds good flavour but also prevents sudden spike in the levels of blood sugar.
Grapefruit and Honey Jam:
Ingredients:
300 grams grapefruits
150 grams organic honey
100 grams brown sugar
½ cup freshly cut apple
1 small piece of freshly cut ginger
Method:
Peel the grapefruits and take out the pulp. Make sure to do away with the white coating on the fruit as it makes the jam bitter
In a saucepan, add pulp, brown sugar, honey, apple pieces, ginger and let it melt.
Allow the fruit pieces to cook in sugar and honey, till they turn thick
If there is foam forming on the jam, remove it
Cook till it reaches thick consistency. Turn off the stove, let it completely before transferring it to the jar
Transfer it into a sterilized glass jar and refrigerate. Goes well with bread, rotis and or as a topping on desserts
Also Read: Benefits Of Different Flavours Of Honey
Nutritional Content:
Grapefruit contains whopping amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, potassium, thiamine and ample amounts of dietary fibre. Regular consumption of this fruit triggers digestion, promotes brain function, aids in managing blood sugars. Honey is a rich source of antioxidants, antifungal, antibacterial and combats various seasonal infections. Adding a small piece of ginger gives aromatic flavour and aids in digestion. Apple adds thick texture to the jam, without interfering with the taste and prevents various chronic conditions.
