Blackcurrant Jam

 

Drawing by Matthew Connolly

 

Granny's Jam

Drawing by Matthew Connolly

When my mammy was small, she would pick blackcurrant from the bushes in granny’s garden. Then they had the jam during the winter.

This is my granny’s blackcurrant jam recipe

Ingredients:

1½kg blackcurrants

120ml of water

Juice of 1 lemon

2½kg caster sugar

Method

1. Top and tail the blackcurrants. This means remove the stems as they make the jam bitter.
2. Put the blackcurrants, water and lemon juice in a large pot and simmer over a low heat for 2 hours until fruit is soft.
3. Add sugar and bring mixture to the boil and boil it for 5 mins.
4. After this, test the jam to see if it is ready to set. Do this by placing a drop of jam onto a cold plate. If you push it with your finger and it wrinkles it is ready.
5. Put the jam in sterilised jars. Cover immediately and leave in a cool dark place for 24 hrs.
6. Label the jars with the date the jam was made and the flavour of it.

Original Writing