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Most of the inhabitants of Russia have little idea of what walnut jam is. This delicacy can be prepared mainly by residents of the southern regions, since the nuts for jam must be picked still quite soft, best of all directly from the trees, in a green (unripe) state. However, in connection with the development of selection, many southern cultures are smoothly moving north. And, perhaps, soon even the inhabitants of the middle lane will have the opportunity to make this exotic jam, picking fruits from the trees on their site. Green walnut jam recipes do not indulge in a special variety. But, for those who have similar walnut trees on or near the site, it will be interesting to get acquainted with the features of the technology and recipes for making this very useful dessert.
Why is green walnut jam useful?
Walnut fruits contain a rich set of vitamins (PP, C, group B), trace elements, acids important for the functioning of the body, as well as phytoncides that help in the fight against certain types of bacteria.
The content of iodine in green fruits is especially high, therefore, jam is most often recommended for people with problems with the thyroid gland. But green walnut jam can provide tangible benefits for the following health problems:
- with instability of blood pressure (hypertension);
- with insomnia, migraines and headaches, especially in meteorological people;
- with depression and all kinds of fears;
- with liver diseases;
- to increase immunity, especially for colds: sore throat, flu and others;
- with gastritis;
- with atherosclerosis.
And this is only the data of official medicine. Traditional medicine recommends the use of nut jam for rheumatism, gout, the presence of gynecological and urological diseases.
In addition to, in fact, painful conditions, the beneficial properties of young walnut jam will have a beneficial effect on pregnant women, on people whose work is associated with intense mental activity, as well as those who are extremely weakened after a recent operation.
Harm of nut jam from green walnuts
Since nut jam contains a fairly large amount of sugar, it should be consumed with great care by obese people.
In addition, it is contraindicated for young children and those who suffer from gastrointestinal ulcers, diabetes mellitus and allergic manifestations.
Walnut Jam Flavor
The taste of walnut jam is so unique that not everyone can describe it reliably enough. In addition, due to the difference in manufacturing technology, it can vary quite a lot. The classic flavor of peeled nut jam is slightly reminiscent of sweet chocolate candy. The syrup itself is sweet, even sugary, and the fruits are very tender, slightly elastic and also sweet.
If citric acid is used in the recipe, then a refreshing acidity appears in the jam. And the addition of spicy aromatic substances adds new facets of taste to the jam.
How to make green walnut jam
The process of making nut jam itself can be conditionally divided into two uneven stages.
- First step - the actual preparation of the fruit for cooking takes the most time, from 5 to 15 days.
- Second phase, which includes the direct preparation of the jam, can be done in one day.
For those who have never been involved in the manufacture of such a dessert, the most questions arise at the first stage. And this is not surprising.
First of all, you need to understand in what months this jam can be cooked, because in the absence of experience, the right time can be missed. Fruits should be picked in the so-called milky ripeness, when the shell is still light green, soft and pliable to the touch. A sharpened wooden stick or toothpick should easily penetrate into it. And on the cut, the flesh of the nut should be fairly uniform, pale white in color.
Usually, the best times to make green nut jam are from late May to late June. In July it may be a little late, although a lot depends on the specific variety and region of growth (weather conditions in the current season).
The fruits are picked approximately the same size, without damage, that is, there should be no dark or, even more so, rotten spots on the peel.
Particular attention should be paid to the dishes in which the preparation of the nuts and the cooking process itself will be carried out. In no case should aluminum or copper containers be used for these purposes. Thick-bottomed stainless steel pots work best. Enamel dishes will work too, but light enamel can darken significantly from interaction with the fruits during the soaking process. You have to be ready for this. It is best to use wooden, glass or ceramic spoons to stir the jam.
The first step is soaking.
Green walnuts have a very bitter and unpleasant taste due to the high iodine content in the shell. Prolonged soaking frees the fruit from bitterness. Various substances are also used for the same purposes: lime, soda or citric acid.
There are two main varieties of nut jam:
- With a skin, which has a dense dark, almost black color.
- Without the peel, in this case the color of the jam turns light brown.
The peel can also be removed in different ways: in a thin layer, using a vegetable peeler, or in a thick layer, practically leaving only the pulp. When peeling nuts, it is recommended to use rubber or latex gloves. Since the pigment contained in the peel of the fruit can permanently stain the skin of the hands in an almost black color.
Most often, the preliminary soaking of nuts is carried out as follows:
- First, whole green fruits are soaked in cold water for 2 days, remembering to change the water two or even three times a day.
- Then they are washed and for at least 4 hours, and for a maximum of a day, they are immersed in a lime solution or in a soda composition, or in a citric acid solution.
| Mortar | Soda solution | Citric acid solution |
The composition of the mixture | 5 liters of water and 500 g of slaked lime | 3 liters of water and 150 g of baking soda | 3.5 liters of water and 2 teaspoons of citric acid |
Description of the procedure | Insist 4 hours, strain and pour the nuts | Mix the ingredients, pour in the nuts | Mix the ingredients, pour in the nuts |
- At the next stage, the nuts are washed under running water, pricked with a sharp object over the entire surface of the peel, or peeled altogether.
- Pour cold water again for at least one or several days, remembering to change the water regularly (2-3 times a day).
- The fruits are washed again under running water, and then boiled in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.
- Take it out in a colander and allow excess liquid to drain.
The second stage is making jam
This stage is more traditional.
- A fairly rich sugar syrup is prepared first.
- After boiling it thoroughly, place the prepared fruits in it and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Set aside for 1 hour and, again bringing the jam to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.
- Repeat this procedure with settling at least 5 times.
- After that, the jam is laid out in sterile jars and tightly twisted.
Green Nut Jam with Skin
You will need:
- about 100 pieces of green walnuts;
- 1.6 liters of water;
- 2 kg of sugar;
- 5 liters of water;
- 0.5 kg of slaked lime;
- a pinch of citric acid.
Manufacturing:
- Unripe nuts are harvested from the tree.
- Sort, wash and cut them into two halves.
- Placed in a deep bowl, fill with cold water for several days.
- The water is constantly changed at least 3-4 times a day.
- Then the fruit is poured with prepared lime solution for 24 hours.
- The solution is drained, and the nuts are thoroughly washed.
- Pour fresh cold water again and leave for a day.
- The water is drained, poured fresh, heated to a boil and boiled for 25 minutes.
- The procedure is repeated 2 times.
- Nuts are laid out on a towel and dried.
- A syrup is prepared from water and sugar, to which citric acid is added and nuts are placed.
- Boil for 5 minutes and turn off the heat until the mixture cools.
- The procedure is repeated 5 times.
- Jam from green walnuts with peels can be considered ready.
- It is laid out on sterile dishes, rolled up.
Bulgarian green nut jam
According to the Bulgarian recipe, nut jam is prepared with the obligatory use of citric acid for soaking.
You will need:
- about 1 kg of pre-soaked walnuts;
- 200 ml of water;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 10 g citric acid for syrup.
Manufacturing:
- First, the nuts are soaked in the traditional way for 5 days, constantly changing the water.
- Then peel off the peel and soak for another 5 days.
- At the next stage, a solution is prepared from 1.5 liters of liquid and 1 teaspoon of citric acid.
- Heat it until it boils, immerse the soaked nuts there for 5 minutes.
- Remove the fruits with a slotted spoon and put them in a container with cold water.
- Repeat this procedure 5 times, each time reheating the solution with citric acid until it boils.
- Then the traditional syrup is boiled from water and sugar, citric acid is added to it.
- The washed nuts are dipped there and cooked for about a quarter of an hour until tender.
Armenian walnut jam
According to the Armenian recipe, green walnut jam is prepared with the obligatory addition of spices: cinnamon or vanillin, sometimes cloves.
You will need:
- about 1.5 kg of peeled and soaked walnuts;
- 2-2.2 kg of granulated sugar;
- 500 ml of pure water;
- 2 cinnamon sticks;
- 1.5 g vanillin.
Manufacturing:
- The water with sugar is heated to a boil and the syrup is completely transparent.
- Put completely soaked peeled nuts in boiling syrup.
- It is advisable to place the spices with a gauze bag and also dip them into the syrup along with the fruits.
- Boil the syrup with nuts for a few minutes and let it cool for 6-8 hours.
- Repeat this procedure three times.
- Before placing the jam in the jars, take out the bag of spices.
- Then put in clean and dry jars, roll up.
How to make green walnut jam with lemon
Especially tasty and not as sugary as classic jam is a dessert made from green walnuts, prepared with the addition of lemons.
The cooking process itself is completely the same as described in the previous recipe. Only 2 lemons are added to the ingredients, which are used whole with the zest.
Lemon juice and grated zest are added at the very beginning of cooking, at the first stage of cooking.
Unripe walnut jam with cloves
Clove is a very interesting spice that goes well with the taste of green walnuts.
You can prepare the jam according to the standard recipe by adding a bag of 10-12 cloves during cooking for additional flavoring of the dessert.
But there is also a more original way of using cloves. For this, nuts, peeled before the next soaking, are stuffed with carnation buds, using 3-4 pieces for each fruit.
Then, according to the traditional scheme, they are soaked for several more days, boiled in water, and then in sugar syrup. Roll up for the winter. It turns out a very original delicacy, which will be appreciated by lovers of spicy desserts.
Young walnut jam
For those who are limited in time, but want to try to create a sweet miracle from green nuts, there is a recipe for making this jam relatively quickly.
You will need:
- 1 kg of young walnuts;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 250-300 ml of water;
- a pinch of cinnamon.
Manufacturing:
- The fruits are washed, pierced in several places with a fork and boiled for 20 to 30 minutes without preliminary soaking.
- Pour in cold water, keep it in it for at least half an hour.
- Repeat the procedure one more time.
- Syrup is prepared by completely dissolving sugar in water and adding cinnamon.
- Throw nuts in boiling syrup, boil for a quarter of an hour and leave to cool for 10 hours.
- Boil again for the same amount of time and set aside for 10 hours.
- After the third cooking, the jam is packaged in sterile containers and twisted.
Reviews of green walnut jam
Terms and conditions of storage
Hermetically rolled or sealed jars of green walnut jam can be perfectly preserved for several years in a cool place with a temperature not exceeding + 25 ° C. It is advisable that they do not fall on the sun's rays.
Conclusion
The recipes for green walnut jam described in this article do not exhaust all the possible culinary imaginations of the hostesses. Having tried to make this jam once, you can experiment endlessly with the addition of different spices (ginger, nutmeg) or berries and fruits. Thus, the usefulness of the finished product will only increase.
