In this episode-- Hi, Jess!
I want you to teach
me how to make jam.
-Be careful.
-Joy the jammer.
Keep going.
[bangs bowl]
No.
Shh.
I got it.
I got it.
Don't fire me though.
[theme music]
Just east of
downtown Los Angeles,
is a small cafe called Sqirl.
It's a really cute place with
a unique menu of sweet treats
and savory dishes.
But what they're
really famous for
is their jam-- made by
Sqirl's owner, Jessica.
Hi, Jess!
How's it going?
Oh, so good.
I'm here because I want you
to teach me how to make jam.
You've come to the right place.
I was thinking today
we could do a BlackBerry
Jam, perhaps lemon verbena.
I have it in my garden.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Wow.
This is gorgeous.
Look at this little
herbaceous walkaway.
Lemon verbena is
a small plant that
is used to add lemon flavor
to all kinds of dishes--
from fish and poultry, to teas.
And today, blackberry jam.
I can smell it from here.
It packs a pretty
good lemon punch.
Can we go to the kitchen?
Let's do it.
Yeah.
[music playing]
Cool.
We've blended up a
bowl of blackberries.
[bangs bowl]
No, shh.
I got it.
I got it.
-You got it.
Don't fire me yet.
The recipe is based on ratios.
You weigh the berries
when you start.
I'm going to add the sugar.
Then you can add 60% of
that weight in sugar.
Lemon?
Yep.
And 2% of that berry
weight in lemon juice.
We just put these in?
No.
Jess puts the leaves in
a turkey stuffing bag.
When the berries are
cooking on the stove,
it will act as a sort of tea
bag to steep the lemon flavor
into the jam.
So this is a copper jam pan.
OK.
And copper is an equal
conductor of heat.
So it never really
burns in here.
And now we're going to
tie our bag to the side.
This looks really
mellow so far.
Well, you might
want to take this on.
Joy the jammer.
It has a ring.
-It does.
You could do it.
[laughs]
[music playing]
Before we cook, I'll put on
these really sexy gloves.
Because I can hold
these pots when
they're at like, 200 degrees.
They look like
gardening gloves.
They are, actually.
As the jam cooks,
the rising air
creates foam on the surface.
It's important to remove the
foam, so that in the end,
the jam is clear and not cloudy.
-Do you want to try?
-Yeah, you want me to do it?
Do you want to try?
Because it's a copper
pot, it will heat evenly,
which means less stirring.
If you're using a steel pot, you
need to keep that jam moving.
We'll just stir until we see
bubbles will start to like,
be smaller and smaller.
Mhm.
At that point, we'll
start doing a gel test.
The gel test will let you
know if your jam is ready.
You take a small spoonful
and put it on a chilled plate
for five minutes.
Then--
So we take our index finger,
and we push it forward.
OK.
And if it stays separated like
the Red Sea, then it's done.
Parted like the Red Sea.
Success.
[music playing]
Now it's time for the jam jars.
Be careful.
I keep them at 225
degrees in the oven.
And that's how I sterilize them.
Now, here's a pro tip.
If someone puts
things in front of you
that just came out
of a 225-degree oven,
no matter how much
you want to, you
probably shouldn't touch them.
Gosh, it's hot.
Why'd you do that?
Just checking.
So you want to
fill it till there's
a 1/4 inch of head space.
All that's left is to fill the
jam jars, clean up the rims,
and turn them upside down?
Why do you turn
them upside down?
To create pressure, and start
to seal the jar even more.
The best thing is
just to leave it.
Just 24 hours, let it sit.
The wait is worth it.
Thank you so much for
teaching me how to make jam.
High five.
[music playing]
