The subtleties of making walnut jam
Walnut jam is a fairly popular product in places where the tree itself grows. It is appreciated by many gourmets and is widely popular due to its characteristic taste and useful properties. To enjoy the dessert, it is not necessary to purchase such jam in the store, it can be made at home if you have all the ingredients necessary for this on hand.
Green walnut jam: recipe
Be sure to wear gloves while chopping green nuts. Due to the high concentration of iodine in their composition, the skin of the fingers will turn dark very quickly.
Throughout the soaking period, the water should be changed regularly - at least three times a day. Then the water must be drained, and the nuts must be poured with a lime solution. For its preparation, use cold water and slaked lime. Leave the nuts in the resulting solution for at least four hours. Then strain them so that the bitter taste of the raw materials can be eliminated. At the final stage, rinse the nuts thoroughly under running water.
Jam made from walnuts has another nuance - after all the manipulations done, the nuts need to be pierced with a fork in several places, and then put back into cold water, but for two days. Then the syrup itself is prepared, in which the nuts will be cooked. For its preparation, ordinary sugar and water are used, you can add cinnamon or cloves if desired.
Let's consider the ratio of proportions in more detail:
- 40 pcs. unripe nuts;
- 3 glasses of sugar;
- 1.75 liters of water for soaking and one glass for making syrup;
- 1 tsp citric acid - added, if desired, to water for harvesting nuts;
- cloves, cinnamon - taste.
When the syrup is ready, boil the nuts in it for about ten minutes and leave in this state for about a day. This way they can get saturated with sugar and taste good. Further, the cooking process must be continued. Half an hour is enough for this, but a more accurate sign that the nuts are already ready will be their black sheen. Do not forget to throw a bag of ground spices into the water while cooking. This will give the jam a nicer flavor. Then it should be poured into the jars while still hot.
If you want green walnut jam to acquire an unusual taste, you can deviate a little from the classic recipe. So, some say that jam gets a pleasant aftertaste if added to it along with the usual spices orange zest or vanillin.
As for cooking utensils, it is highly discouraged to use copper or aluminum products for this purpose. These materials, when exposed to heat, begin to deteriorate, which will lead to the fact that metal particles get into the jam.The best option is to use enamelled containers, as well as stainless steel. Before proceeding directly to cooking, all dishes and lids should be washed. For this, water is used with the addition of baking soda. Then scald the containers with boiling water and dry thoroughly.
The benefits and harms of walnut jam
Everyone knows that walnuts have a number of useful properties. But many people wonder if there is still a benefit in jam made from walnuts. Even after long boiling, still unripe nuts retain all the medicinal qualities. That is why it is recommended to prepare such jam not only for culinary reasons. It contains many valuable substances, but the most important of them is iodine.
In general, the benefits of such jam are relevant and, if necessary, increase immunity. It is often used if there are problems with the thyroid gland. Also, walnuts, even boiled, are useful for the vessels of the brain. The product can be used by women carrying a fetus. This is a healthy treat for children as well as people with unstable blood pressure. For intense mental work, jam made from aromatic green nuts will also help.
But there is also a downside to the benefits - you should not get too carried away with these products, especially people who are overweight, since walnuts are high in calories.