How to Make Fantastic Blackcurrant Jam

I had a Delia moment today - I made jam. Not only did I make jam, but I used fruit which I grew in my own garden. OK, so the fruit growing part didn't require much effort on my part, the blackcurrant bush deserves most of the credit there.

Whilst harvesting the weeds which had grown overnight from shoots into a jungle, I glanced over to the sunny corner where the blackcurrant bush resides. Since I was down at ground level I was able to see that almost all the fruit had turned from green to black and was ready for picking. Good thing I actually had the time to deal with this culinary emergency today.

So I set about picking the fruit, showing little regard for the other plants which share the same corner - none of them were edible and could be turned into jam anyway. Then I had to spend a fair amount of time picking each berry (do I call it a berry or a currant? - not sure) off the stems and taking off the little bit of flower head which is left on the other end of the currants. This done, I took my haul back to the kitchen to see how much I had harvested. I only have a fairly small bush (oo-er), so I weighed out about a pound and a half of blackcurrants.

Time for the serious bit - the jam making. As I imagine is the case with most women in the kitchen, we like to rely on family recipes handed down from mother to daughter, generation after generation. So I sent my mum an email - "how do I make jam?" and this is my family recipe for blackcurrant jam ...

1 pound fruit
3/4 pint water
1 1/2 pound preserving sugar

• wash fruit, remove stems, put into pan with water and simmer gently until fruit is soft, stirring often to prevent burning
• stir in sugar over low hear until dissolved
• boil hard to setting point
• pour into hot jars and cover

Now to find secret family recipe for perfect scones.

Image by storebukkebruse