SPICED PERSIMMON AND ORANGE JAM

SPICED PERSIMMON AND ORANGE JAM image

Yield 4 Pints

Number Of Ingredients 5

3 oranges
approx 1.8 kg (4 lb) ripe persimmon
1.6 kg (3.5 lb) sugar
powdered or liquid citrus pectin (in Italy use 2 pouches of Fruttapec 1:1)
1 teaspoon China 5-spices

Steps:

Time and amounts are guesses as they were not included in the original recipe. Pectin products vary from place to place. Buy your favorite pectin and use it according to package instructions. You can also make the jam without pectin, by boiling it slowly until thick. In this case but make sure to add the spices and orange juice at the end to preserve their flavor. Halve and juice the oranges. Reserve the juice. Put peels in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain. Return peels to pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, cook 3 minutes, and drain. Repeat once more if you have thick skinned oranges. Strain and leave them in a colander until cool enough to handle, 20 minutes. Using a soup spoon, scrape out the membranes and discard. Cut the peels into thin strips. Clean, peel and chop persimmons. Make sure to peel them completely because the peel becomes like hard leather once cooked. Add the orange juice, spices and chopped peel to the cleaned and chopped persimmons. Add pectin and sugar following package instructions. Boil and transfer into sterilized jars. Seal.