One pound of blackcurrants is not a lot, objectively speaking, but it's three times as much as I harvested last year, so you'll forgive me if I seem excessively proud of my little basket.
It was just enough to make a very small batch of jam. Six 4-oz jars, and barely a drop more.
This jam recipe was recreated from memory, based on something I am sure I read last year and could not find again to save my life. It makes a chunky sort of preserve, properly jam, not a strained jelly. I am not one of those people who dislike bits of fruit in their preserves. For me the bits are the whole point.
Here's how it's done:
1 pound blackcurrants
1 pound sugar
2 cups water
1 cup blackcurrant leaves, cut in chiffonade
1 lemon (juice, zest, and pips)
Batterie de cuisine: non-reactive pot, spoons, ladle, stainless steel mesh tea ball
or cheesecloth, candy thermometer, canning funnel
, tongs, canning jars and lids, large stockpot for processing.Pick over the fruit and remove any large stems and bits of dead leaves. Zest the lemon (I use a swivel peeler), juice it, and reserve the pips.
In a large non-reactive pot, put the sugar, water, blackcurrant leaves, lemon zest, and lemon pips. I usually put the pips in a tea ball, but you could also tie them up in a bit of cheesecloth -- whatever will make it easy to scoop them back out. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it reaches the 'jelly' stage on your candy thermometer, 220 F/104 C.
With a slotted spoon, remove the zest, leaves, and pips from the syrup. Reduce the heat to medium, tip in the blackcurrants, stir, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. After the fruit has cooked, stir again, mashing any berries that haven't popped with the back of your spoon or a potato masher. Stir in the juice of the lemon.
Pack into hot jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10-15 minutes. Remove jars from the hot water and allow to cool before checking the seals and storing.
Robert Ernest Vernède
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