Homemade Kiwi Fruit Jam & Lemon Butter

I have been very productive today!! A couple of friends came over and while her hubby kept my hubby entertained (they played a ps2 dancing game, and they both wiggle their bottoms when they dance!!), Em and I were being productive in the kitchen. Don't worry! We still managed to fit a few dances in (and, yes, I am sure we wiggled our bottoms too...). We made kiwi fruit jam and lemon butter. Both recipes are very easy and the ingredients are very affordable too, which is always good.

Here's a pic of the kiwi fruit jam:


We did 2 batches, the first lot (back 2 jars) was a lot darker than the second one (too much food colouring - Em!), and also didn't fill up the two jars, which I had checked to see if they held the amount the recipe said it would make. Oh well. At least I now know to underestimate by about a cup. We only made one batch of the lemon butter. It tasted delicious. Unfortunately though, there are some little solid lumps of egg through it because it wasn't "stirred constantly". We were dancing instead! Here is the lemon butter (notice the little egg lumps...and Em's lovely handwriting...):

Here are the recipes, both from the Australian Women's Weekly Fruit & Vegetable Cookbook:

Kiwi Fruit Jam

12 Kiwi fruit, peeled
1/2 tspn citrus pectin (we just used 1/2 tspn jam-setting stuff)
2 Tbspns water
2 Tbspns lemon juice
2 cups sugar
green food colouring

Cut kiwi into eigths, discard seeds and core. Blend or process pectin, water, lemon juice, and 1 Tbspn of the sugar until smooth. Add kiwi fruit, process until they are roughly chopped (not smooth.
Combine kiwi mixture and remaining sugar in a saucepan (it should not be more than 5cm deep). Stir constantly over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, boil rapidly, uncovered, without stirring, for about 10 minutes or until a teaspoon of mixture will jell when tested on a cold saucer.
Tint with food colouring if weirdish green-brown colour is not desired, mix well, wait until bubbles subside and pour into hot sterilised jars. Seal when cold (though we sealed strait away...)
Makes 2 1/2 cups (apparently)

Note: I sterilise the jars by heating them for at least 10min in a 100' (celsius) oven.

Lemon Butter

4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tspns grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
125g butter, chopped

Combine all ingredients in top half of a double saucepan or in a heatproof bowl. Stir constantly over simmering water until mixture thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour into hot sterilised jars, seal when cold.
Makes about 3 cups (though this lot only made 1 and a 1/2, but it only ever coated the back of the wooden spoon 'mediumly'. Still absolutely delicious!)
Store in the refrigerator, and use it in four weeks (trust me, it will go! Yummy!)

They are so easy to make! I really recommend them. The lemon butter has a great taste, and the kiwi fruit jam is great for something a bit out of the ordinary. It is sweet, but has a bit of a tang as well. And it's way cheaper and way way healthier than getting the store stuff! (And you get a soft, fluffy feeling of satisfaction...)