Pine Cone Jam
Description
A simple preservation recipe. The jam is made only from young cones between 2 and 4 cm in size, no larger. Depending on the region, they are gathered from mid-May to early June. After that the cones become woody and it will no longer be possible to make the jam. Cones should not be eaten whole; they are cut or broken open and the sweet, tasty core is eaten. The syrup is an excellent cold remedy and is used for sore throat and cough: children take 1 tsp per day, adults 1 tbsp per day.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
1. Prepare the pine cones, water, and sugar, and rubber gloves—otherwise it will be hard to wash the resin off your hands. Rinse the cones thoroughly to remove debris and needles. Sort through them; only healthy fruit is used for the jam. Roughly speaking, for 1 kg of young pine cones you need 2.5 liters of water—the main thing is that the water covers the cones plus 1 cm.
- 2
Step 2
2. Place the cones in a pot. Pour in enough water to cover the cones, plus 1 cm on top. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.
- 3
Step 3
3. Leave the cones in the decoction for 12 hours.
- 4
Step 4
4. Drain all the decoction; set the cones aside for now. For each cup of decoction, measure 1 cup of sugar.
- 5
Step 5
5. Combine the cooking liquid and sugar. Place the pot over heat and bring to a boil. Cook the syrup for 1.5 hours; at first it will be dark amber, then it will turn a reddish color.
- 6
Step 6
6. About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, when the syrup is almost ready, return the cones to the pot and finish cooking the jam.
- 7
Step 7
7. Pack into jars and seal. Store in a cool place. You do not need to use all the boiled cones; a half-liter jar usually takes 8–10 pieces.