With the increasing number of unpronounceable ingredients being added to today’s prepared food, it becomes difficult to truly control what is being eaten. This includes a variety of preservatives, lab made enhancers, and chemicals intended to make cheap foods more appealing. For those who prefer to avoid as many unknown ingredients as possible, it can become expensive. That’s where homemade jams come in. The recipe below will explain how to make a delicious and nutritious tropical jam without the high price tag. With complimentary flavors from pineapple, mango, and coconut, this dragon fruit jam will bring a little piece of paradise in every bite.

Yields: 84oz
Prep time: approximately 30 minutes
Cook time: approximately 15 minutes
Total time: approximately 45 minutes

Ingredients:
7 cups of mixed fruit. Any fresh or frozen fruit will work, but I recommend Costco’s tropical dragonfruit blend; the frozen blend includes dragonfruit, pineapple, mango, and coconut.
5 cups of granulated sugar
1 Parowax Household Wax bar
2-3 jars, holding a combined total of 84oz. I chose to reuse old glass jars, but jars can be purchased new at grocery stores and larger commercial stores like Walmart.
1 box of fruit pectin. I use Sure Jell, but 1.75oz of any brand should work.

Instructions:
Place the open jars and lids being used in a pot, covering them entirely with water. Bring them to a boil, and allow them to remain there for 20 minutes. This sterilizes the jars. When this is done, ensure they are dry.

Place the fruit in a large pot (frozen fruit does not need to be thawed first). Turn the heat to medium, allowing the fruit to cook down for approximately five minutes. Stir regularly.

When the fruit is done cooking, or the five minutes have passed, be sure to crush any large chunks remaining. This can be done by hand with a ricer, but a food processor is best.

In a smaller stovetop-safe pan, place the single bar of Parowax over low heat. The wax will keep the jam sealed and fresh at room temperature until you’re ready to eat it. Allow the wax to melt as you continue the steps below.

Once all of the large fruit chunks have been crushed, mix in the sugar. Keeping the stove on medium-high, allow the fruit mix to come to a boil. Stir regularly.

Once it has reached its boiling point, add the box of fruit pectin. Stir constantly for one minute, then remove from heat. Once you have verified that it mixed entirely together, begin ladling (or spooning) the jam into the sterilized jars.

Fill the sterile jam jars almost all the way to the top, then gather some of the melted wax with another spoon or ladle. The wax should not mix with the jam, instead forming a clear layer over it (think water and oil). Spoon the melted wax over the jam, filling the jars right up to the brim. As the wax solidifies, it will take on the traditional opaque qualities of hardened wax.

Once the wax solidifies, this is a good moment to wipe down the lip of the container, allowing the lid to be added later without anything to interfere or potentially stick. If you notice that the wax has not completely sealed the jar at this point, add more wax.

The jam can be stored in the same way as any unopened container of jam or jelly. I recommend a cool, dry shelf. Refrigerate the jam once it has been opened.

Do you have a recipe that is perfect for college students? Send it in to The Runner at [email protected].