[GrannieAnnie]

I've just bottled my blackcurrant and apple jam, made from this recipe from the Blackcurrant Foundation!

Yep, really!  I didn't even know blackcurrants had a foundation! lol  Also, as it did taste rather sweet, I put my last few drops of lemon juice in it.  I'm notorious for not getting a set, so I thought that would help, but as its apples as well as blackcurrants, it set like concrete!!! lol, but will be lovely on a bit of vanilla ice cream!!!

Apple & Blackcurrant jam

Serves:

Makes approx 4 x 450g (1lb) jars

Prep 20 minutes
Cook 25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

 

    * 500g blackcurrants, fresh or frozen thawed
    * 500g bramley cooking apples
    * 2 tbsp Jo Hilditch cassis (I haven't got any cassis!)
    * 1 x 1kg pack preserving sugar

 

You will also need: 4 x 450g (1lb) jam jars with lids and 4 waxed discs

Directions:

Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks and place the fruit in a large preserving pan (or a very large saucepan). Add the blackcurrants and cassis along with 2 tablespoons of water and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the apple and blackcurrants have reduced to a soft pulp – add a little more water if the fruit sticks to the base of the pan.

Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until it is completely dissolved. Raise the heat and bring to the boil. Cook the jam at a rapid boil, stirring occasionally to prevent the jam burning on the bottom of the pan. The jam should take 5-7 minutes to reach setting point – to test when it is ready spoon a small amount of jam on to a cold saucer. Leave for one minute and then, using the tip of your finger, push the jam and if it wrinkles then setting point has been reached. If it isn't quite ready, continue to boil the jam and test 2 minutes later.

Towards the end of the cooking time, sterilise the jars. Preheat the oven to 120C, fan 110, gas ½. Wash and dry the jars, place them on a baking tray and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

Pour the jam into the hot jars, add a waxed disc to each one and seal with a lid. When the jam is cold, it is ready to eat!

 

[Val H]

I just love the "Joe Hilditch" cassis bit! It's fairly normal to use cooking apples with (especially late) blackberries because of their lack in pectin but with blackcurrants I can't see why on earth you would need them as they're so full of pectin! Unless, of course, you prefer the taste of the mixture of the two. You can always use a saw .

[Val H]

ps we do have some cassis but, unfortunately (or fortunately), not by Joe Hilditch!

[GrannieAnnie]

I only did that one Val because I have 12lbs of blackcurrants in the freezer and a small tree full of apples!! And I do have a junior hacksaw!!!   

[joyfull]

thanks for that recipe, I will use that for some of those blackcurrants that you gave me. I do have a cut off saw at work but hopefully I wont need to use that 

[GrannieAnnie]

But if you use the saw Joy, you could cut off a nice thin slice of jam to put on your bread!!!  

Mmmm would be a nice accompaniment to go with my blackcurrant and apple wine!!!