Making Loquat Jam

I stopped by my dad's house this week and to my surprise his organic loquat tree was FULL of beautifully ripe fruits.  While I've always enjoyed eating the loquats fresh, they mentioned they made delicious jellies and jams.  The girls and I immediately got busy picking ripe fruits.

After all was said and done we ended up with an even 9 lbs of fruit!

I decided I would try my hand at making Loquat Jam.  I've never made jam before and have never canned before so I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't do it right.  I followed the directions to a T (see recipe below).  I pitted, skinned, stirred, mixed, poured, sterilized, etc and then sat and waited nervously for my jam to set up.  After 5 hours it hadn't set and I was feeling down, trying to figure out what I had done wrong.  But it was time for bed and so I decided I'd deal with it in the morning.

This morning I hopped out of bed and ran in to check on my jam.  To my amazement it set!  Talk about excited!  I started making toast for my family and spread my jam on top.  They all loved it, although my husband's exact words were, "I'm surprised! This is good.  It tastes like real jam."  HA!  Uhhhh, thanks?  ;)

Loquat Jam Recipe

• 6 c. pitted fruit, halved with blossom ends removed (trimmed of bad spots, etc.)
• 6 c. sugar
• 1 pkg. pectin
• ¼ c. lemon juice
• 2 c. water

Put the loquats into a medium sized pot and add the water and lemon juice. Cook slowly over medium heat until fruit is soft. Mash with potato masher to create a more pulpy and less distinct mass, keeping some chunks intact. Bring to a boil, add pectin and return to a rapid boil. Add sugar all at once (this is very important!) Return to a boil, and return to a hard boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Pour into hot sterilized ½ pint jars, clean rims, and screw lids on. Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes. Makes 6 half pint jars of jam. Do not try to double recipe!