How to make tasty and healthy carrot jam: the best recipes
To please loved ones with a delicious and inexpensive dessert, housewives prepare both familiar and sometimes very unusual dishes. For example, carrot jam. This healthy dessert is served with tea, sandwiches and sweet toast are made with it. Fruits, honey, and ginger are used as additional ingredients. Do you want to try an unusual delicacy? Then harvest your carrots and read how to make jam from them.
Is it possible to make jam from carrots?
Of course you can. Cooks prepare not only jam, but also marmalade and jams. The dish is rich in vitamins, which strengthens the immune system and protects against colds in the winter.
Why is it useful?
Eating carrot dessert has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, it improves metabolism and thyroid function.. Orange jam is classified as a dietary product; it is safely consumed by those who adhere to proper nutrition. Due to the high content of vitamin B, consuming jam helps prevent eye diseases and relieves tension and fatigue. A sweet dish stimulates the production of endorphins, improves mood, and eliminates drowsiness and apathy.
Important! Carrots remove waste and toxins from the body, cleanse blood vessels, and reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. It has a positive effect on the condition of the facial skin - it becomes fresher, puffiness and bags under the eyes disappear. The vegetable is rich in vitamins A, E, C, PP, as well as potassium, phosphorus, copper and zinc.
Selection and preparation of carrots
For cooking choose medium-sized, firm and elastic root vegetables. It is recommended to pay attention to late-ripening varieties - they retain their vitamin composition longer than others: Queen of Autumn, Sweet Winter, Red Giant. Vegetables should have a small core, then they will have the most vibrant taste. The skin of healthy and ripe carrots is deep orange, without dark spots or deep cracks.
Vegetables are examined for external defects and washed thoroughly with soapy warm water. If there is dried soil on the root crops, remove it with a cleaning sponge. Then the carrots are wiped with a clean towel and placed on a plate.
How to make carrot jam
The classic recipe for carrot jam can be repeated by any housewife. This simple and tasty dish will please everyone in the household.
What you need for preparation:
- 2 kg carrots;
- 1 liter of water;
- 2 kg sugar;
- 10 g citric acid.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Make the syrup: mix water with sugar and put on the stove for an hour. It is recommended to stir the mixture every 7-10 minutes. Otherwise, the sugar will stick to the dishes and the syrup will spoil.
- Rinse the vegetables under running cold water, peel and grate on a medium grater. Place in a saucepan and stir, cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
- Cool and put in a dark place, such as a kitchen cabinet, for 10 hours.
- Then put it on the stove and cook until a thick mass forms. Readiness is determined by a light orange hue and a pleasant sweet smell of jam.
- Add citric acid and pour into sterile jars. Roll up and cool. After a day, put it in the refrigerator or basement.
Other recipe variations
In addition to the classic recipe, housewives use others, adding different ingredients to the dish. For those with a sweet tooth, honey and apples; for a more tart taste, orange or lemon.
With apple
This beautiful and appetizing delicacy is loved by both adults and children. And if you put it in small jars and decorate it with original lids, you will get a real gift for any occasion.
List of ingredients for cooking:
- 500 g carrots;
- 600 g red apples;
- 500 g sugar;
- 0.5 lemon.
How to cook:
- Wash and peel apples and carrots. Core and peel the apples. For cooking, red varieties of apples are used - Fuji, Gala, McIntosh - or red garden ones.
- Pour apples and carrots into a saucepan, add sugar, stir. Leave for 4 hours to release juice.
- Finely chop the clean lemon and place in a blender. If you don’t have a blender, chop with a knife or grater. Mix lemon pulp with apples.
- Bring to a boil, then cook for another 50-60 minutes. Place into containers and roll up. Cool and put in the refrigerator.
After preparation, some of the jam is immediately poured into a bowl - a warm carrot delicacy will be a fragrant addition to autumn tea drinking. Jam is added to tea, spread on muffins or bread.
With oranges
Carrot jam with oranges is a godsend for lovers of tart taste with sourness. The dessert looks colorful and appetizing.
What you need for preparation:
- 1 kg carrots;
- 600 g oranges;
- 150 g ginger root;
- 10 g cinnamon;
- 1 kg sugar.
How to cook:
- Grind clean and peeled carrots in a blender. Peel the oranges, remove the white veins and grate them. To add a sweet and sour taste, add lemon zest.
- In a bowl, mix the fruit and vegetable pulp with sugar and cover with clean gauze to prevent dust and insects from getting into the jam. Place in a dark kitchen cabinet for a day.
- Cook over medium heat for an hour, stirring with a spatula every 15 minutes.
- Add cinnamon at the end of cooking. Divide the jam into jars.
With lemon
Carrot-lemon jam is a source of vitamins B and C. At each stage of preparation, the product is completely cooled, so it is recommended to set aside a whole free day for cooking.
List of ingredients:
- 1.8 kg carrots;
- 1.5 kg lemons;
- 3.5 kg sugar;
- 20 g vanilla sugar.
Cooking technology:
- Wash the ingredients, peel and grate carrots, grind the lemon in a blender.
- Mix the carrot-lemon mixture with granulated sugar and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 5 minutes before the end, add vanilla sugar and stir.
- Divide into liter jars and roll up. Cool and put in the refrigerator.
Lemons with thin peels are chosen for cooking. Such fruits make the jam juicier and sweeter. Lemons with a thick rind, on the contrary, add bitterness.
With calendula
The bright orange flowers of calendula have a strong aroma. A few spoons of jam with calendula flowers before bed will calm you down and relieve insomnia.
List of ingredients:
- 2 kg carrots;
- 20 calendula flowers;
- 4 lemons;
- 2 kg sugar;
- 1 liter of water.
Cooking technology:
- Peel and cut the carrots into slices, add water and cook for 5 minutes. Peel the lemon and chop finely.
- Place lemon zest and calendula flowers in a separate pan, add water, stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Mix with carrots and add sugar. Cook over low heat for an hour, stirring regularly. Add vanilla sugar to taste.
- Place in clean containers, cool and roll up. Keep refrigerated.
With geranium
Geranium is famous for its fragrant essential oils. Fragrant geranium, depending on the variety, has the aroma of mint, rose, orange or lime. For cooking, use whole or crushed geranium leaves.
What you need for preparation:
- 1 kg carrots;
- 6 geranium leaves;
- 500 ml water;
- 1 kg sugar.
How to cook:
- Wash and peel the carrots, grate on a coarse grater. Boil the vegetable 4 times, one cooking time is 10 minutes. This is required in order to get rid of the carrot smell. After each cooking, the root vegetable must cool.
- Mix water with sugar and cook until a thick syrup forms.
- Add cooked carrots and geranium leaves.
- Cook for 40 minutes, the mass should become translucent. Remove leaves and turn off heat. Place into jars and roll up. Keep refrigerated.
Read also:
Varieties of the most effective carrot diets and fasting days.
Analysis of mistakes when growing: why carrots are bitter and how to prevent it.
With ginger
Dishes with ginger help you lose weight and remove excess fluid from the body. This is a suitable dessert for those who follow a healthy or dietary diet.
What you need for preparation:
- 500 g carrots;
- 3 cm fresh ginger root;
- 300 ml water;
- 700 g sugar.
Step by step recipe:
- Pour water into the pan, add sugar and stir. Cook over low heat until a thick syrup forms.
- Wash the carrots, peel and cut into equal-sized cubes. Pour into syrup and stir. Cook for 50 minutes.
- Peel the ginger root and grate it on a fine grater. Add to the jam and cook for another half hour.
- Cool and put into jars.
With honey
Carrot-honey jam is an unusual filling for homemade buns or pies. The pastry turns out juicy and aromatic. It is recommended to use liquid flower honey.
What you need for preparation:
- 700 g carrots;
- 70 g honey;
- 50 g sugar;
- 1 orange.
Cooking method:
- Wash the carrots, peel and grate them, place them in a saucepan and add water. Let it simmer for half an hour.
- Drain the water and puree the carrots in a blender. Place in a saucepan.
- Wash and peel the orange, grate the zest. Place in carrot puree along with honey.
- Stir and cook for 20 minutes. Place into jars, cool and roll up. Keep refrigerated.
How to cook carrot jam
The jam has a liquid consistency and a homogeneous mass. It is added as a layer to homemade cakes or used as a filling for sweet pies.
What you need for preparation:
- 500 g carrots;
- 200 g sugar;
- 150 ml water;
- 10 ml lemon juice.
How to cook:
- Wash the carrots, peel and cut into thin slices.
- Pour water into a saucepan and place carrots. Simmer until the water boils away.
- Remove, cool, pass through a blender or grate on a fine grater.
- Mix with lemon juice and sugar. Divide into jars.
Carrot jam
Carrot jam has a thicker consistency. It is served chilled and spread on toast or cookies.
List of ingredients:
- 500 g carrots;
- 500 g sugar;
- 150 ml water;
- 1 pinch of citric acid.
How to cook:
- Wash the root vegetables, peel and cook until soft. Pass through a blender or meat grinder.
- Mix water with sugar, put on fire and cook for half an hour until a thick mass forms.
- Add carrots and citric acid to the syrup and cook for 20 minutes.
- Place the hot mass into jars and roll up.
Carrot jam through a meat grinder
Jam is prepared through a meat grinder in 2 hours. This is a convenient and easy way to process your harvest and replenish your supplies for the winter.
List of ingredients:
- 1.5 kg carrots;
- 1.5 kg lemons;
- 2.5 kg of sugar;
- 25 g vanillin.
How to cook:
- Wash the lemons and boil in water for 5 minutes. Wash the carrots, peel and cut into pieces. Pass through a meat grinder along with lemons.
- Mix the ingredients and add sugar. Place on the stove and cook for 40 minutes. At the end of cooking, add vanillin.
- Place the hot treat into jars and roll up.
Advice from experienced housewives
To ensure that winter preparations turn out tasty and do not spoil for a long time, housewives recommend following the following recommendations:
- Cook the dish in thick-walled enamel or copper basins and pans. There should be no chips or scratches on the dishes.
- Store jam in the refrigerator, cellar or basement. It is not recommended to leave jars near a battery or in the sun. In an open jar, the dessert is stored under a nylon lid in the refrigerator.
- Sterilize jars and scald lids with boiling water. This will increase the shelf life of the product.
- Cook the syrup over low heat so that the sugar does not stick to the walls.
- During cooking, skim off any foam that forms.
Reviews
Many housewives like carrot jam. Some value it for its vitamin content, others for its juicy and original taste.
Maria, Sochi: “What I like most is jam with calendula flowers. I cook it every year, using dried calendula and carrots from my garden. Just lick your fingers! The jam is especially tasty if eaten with green tea.”
Irina, Volgograd: “Last season I made carrot and lemon jam, added little sugar, and the taste was too sour. This year I added orange and honey instead of lemon, I recommend it to everyone.”
Anastasia, Rostov-on-Don: “My favorite treat is carrot jam. I watch my figure, but I can afford such jam. My children love it and eat it with tea instead of sweets.”.
Conclusion
To make jam, you need fresh and intact medium-sized carrots, sugar, cinnamon or vanillin to taste. Cook it over low heat in a thick-walled container, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula. To create an original taste, add lemon or orange zest, honey or ginger to the dish. Pour the jam into sterile jars and store in the refrigerator.