Description
With plenty of natural pectin, black currants make beautiful jam with little more than water, sugar and some canning tools. Black currants are very tart. Even with equal parts sugar and fruit, the resulting jam will be tangy, making it a perfect match for sweet ice cream or scones.
Scale
Ingredients
- 4 cups black currants
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pan, place the black currants and water over high heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the currants are soft and have burst open. Place a fine mesh sieve over a non-reactive, heat-proof bowl (glass or stainless steel are perfect for this) and press the fruit through the sieve using the back of a ladle. Discard the stems and seeds.
- Return the currant pulp to the jam pot, add the sugar slowly and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to bring fruit to a full boil, reduce the heat, and continue to cook the fruit at a gentle boil. Stir occasionally, skimming off any foam, until the jam is set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Click here for details on how to tell when jam is set.
- Ladle into warm, sterlized jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims clean. Place lids on the jars and secure bands until finger-tip tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let jars sit for another 5 minutes. Using canning tongs, remove the jars and place of a heatproof surface where they won’t be disturbed for 24 hours. Check to ensure the lids have properly sealed. Refrigerate any jars that didn’t seal (this has never happened to me, yet) and use within 3 weeks. Properly sealed jars will keep for a good year.