Friday 16 July 2021

Blackcurrant Jam

Some time last year, in September I think, we were very kindly gifted what I had been told was a blackcurrant bush. In reality, what we received looked more like a bundle of dead or almost dead sticks with their bare roots neatly contained in a small bag. I had never grown blackcurrants before, so it was rather reluctantly that I agreed for this twiggy stump to be planted at the back of the garden, up against the dry stone wall. Then we would wait to see whether or not they would grow. 

For a while they just sort of blended into the background and I didn't really take much notice of them during the winter months, much like the rest of the garden. But as spring arrived, so did some new growth and, as more and more green shoots appeared it became apparent the bush had managed to establish itself. Then later on, as some flowers appeared, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even in it's first season it was going to yield some fruit and, not long after, those green berries began to ripen. I did wonder if we might lose some of our blackcurrants to the many birds that have visited the garden this year but, fortunately, they appeared to have left them well alone, much preferring the generous buffet available to them at the bird feeder instead.

As the bush is still quite small, I was only able to gather just enough fruit to produce two jars of jam, but it was definitely worth my minimal time and effort, as it tastes delicious!

This is the recipe I used and it can easily be adjusted it to the quantity of fruit you may have.

400g Blackcurrants

270g Granulated sugar

The juice of ½ a lemon.

Rinse the blackcurrants and place them in a large pan with 75ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for around five minutes stirring all the time. At this point I like to squish mine a little using a potato masher, but take care as it is incredibly hot. Add the lemon juice and sugar and bring to a rolling boil for around ten minutes, or until the setting point is reached. Allow to rest for a few minutes then pour into sterilised jars.

It's so quick and easy to make. I would say most of the work is in preparing the blackcurrants. I even had time to bake some fresh bread to enjoy it with. And I can also confirm that, despite my initial reservations, this little blackcurrant bush has more than earned it's position in the garden. 

J. X


42 comments:

  1. I have loads of blackcurrants, hubby is hoping for jam.

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    1. It's many years since I last made blackcurrant jam. it is delicious. X

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  2. That looks delicious. It's good that you got some fruit in the first year and I'm sure your blackcurrant bush will produce lots more in the years to come.

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    1. I've had a quick read and it seems I will need to prune it back quite a lot to encourage new growth. Apparently the fruits grow better on younger branches. X

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  3. Not a single currant on ours this year, not sure if the birds got to them before we did, little so and so's!
    I haven't eaten jam in at least five years but yours looks delicious! x

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    1. Oh, that's disappointing.
      I try to be careful with how much jam I eat, but I simply can't resist when it is homemade :)

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  4. Blackcurrant jam is delicious, isn't it? It reminds me of my grandmother, she made lots of it. Glad the plant is well established and produced fruit in its first year. Your bread looks really good, too.

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    1. Thank you, Christina. Years ago, you would have seen blackcurrant bushes in most gardens around here but I haven't come across one in a long while. X

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  5. I can almost taste that jam on some crusty bread. I bet it's gorgeous.

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    1. It is delicious, Cherie, and the bread toasts nice and crunchy. I'm going to have some just as soon as I've finished my coffee :)

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  6. How wonderful that the blackcurrant bush establish itself well enough to produce fruit in the first year! Your jam looks very delicious!

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    1. Thank you, Bless. I didn't expect it to produce any fruit in it's first year, so it came as a welcome surprise. X

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  7. Your blackcurrant bush did well and your jam looks delicious. I love blackcurrant jam.

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    1. I wouldn't usually choose to eat blackcurrant jam, but it is delicious. X

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  8. Oh, that jam looks so, so delicious. A great first year crop, I reckon. xx

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    1. Thank you, Joy. Yes, I was extremely pleased. X

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  9. I love blackcurrant jam and the freshly baked bread to go with it reminds me of Mum making both when we were younger. Good idea to feed the birds so they stay away from the fruit :) Have a lovely weekend. xx

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    1. That's a lovely memory. I would usually make raspberry jam at this time of year but I never got round to picking any :)

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  10. Yumcious though it looks and would be well worth the effort (being my favourite jam when I eat it) I have never made any sort of jam. A jar usually lasts me until the next harvest.

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    1. I wish I had your restraint :) I love to eat homemade jam on freshly buttered toast. X

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  11. It's nice to know that the blackcurrant bush is earning its keep. Although I don't eat jam I think I could be persuaded to try some of yours, it looks delicious with the home made bread :)

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    1. Thank you, Eunice. It is delicious. I have to be careful not to eat too much :)

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  12. That looks delicious Jules! Picking berries is on my weekend list. The birds seem to like them over ripe and a bit squishy, so I'd better get on with it! There is something really lovely about those enamel, blue ridged bowls. Home baked bread is beyond me :0 Shop bought croissants for me :) Have a fab weekend. Lulu x

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    1. That is good to know, thank you. I was just surprised that the birds appeared to disregard them completely.
      Croissants sound good but perhaps you could try using my no-knead bread recipe. Minimal effort and you really can't go wrong. X

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  13. One of my alltime favourites is blackcurrant jam...absolutely delish! x

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  14. Nom nom. i adore the flavour of blackcurrants. We have a bush in our garden but haven't picked many yet, i have frozen what we have picked. Great for fruit sauces on porridge especially and wonderful on ice cream.

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    1. That's a great idea. I will try that next year. X

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  15. Hooray for the little Black Currant bush!!!

    My, that looks delicious!

    You said you actually have tourists, in your area. Kind of amazing, since all your photos are of serene country side and mountains. But of course, many people love to climb such. -smile-

    Glad you know the quiet spots. Like we know the back streets, to avoid the traffic congestion, on our main streets.

    🌸✨🌸✨🌸

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    1. The blackcurrant bush did well, and hopefully it might produce even more fruit for us next year.
      Millions of tourists visit the English Lake District each year. Fortunately, the crowded spots can easily be avoided. X

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  16. Wow! It looks fabulous, Jules! I think berries are so amazing. I am growing blackberries up at the cabin, and they taste divine. I just pluck them off the vine as they ripen in the sunshine. They grow wild here, so they don't need much fuss or care, just water.

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    1. Blackberries grow abundantly around here and I will be gathering some towards the end of the summer. I use them to make spiced blackberry vodka and, together with some elderberries, they make a delicious compote.
      It is wonderful to have these fruits so readily available. X

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  17. I love Blackcurrant jam and blackcurrant pies too. Delicious! :)

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    1. The jam is delicious, and it is almost all gone!

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  18. The jam looks absolutely delicious, and what a glorious colour!

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    1. It certainly makes a delicious alternative to my favoured raspberry jam. X

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  19. They will get more and more productive, I had lots in my previous garden and I always had a huge yield, I had red currants too which looked so pretty, I really miss them in this garden but there's no room to plant them. The birds never seemed to bother mine either. Enjoy your jam, I used to freeze mine too and sprinkle them on cereal. Enjoy your Sunday. xx

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    1. That's good to know, thank you Linda.
      Have a lovely weekend. Xx

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  20. It looks so good :)

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you, Jan. I hope we get even more blackcurrants next year. X

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  21. Fab! When my daughter got married she wanted to give small jars of local jam to her attendants but couldn't find any to buy. A week before the wedding, my friend's friend invited me to come and pick as much fruit as I wanted from her fruit cage and I came home with enough blackcurrants for 16 small jars. I'd never made blackcurrant jam before and I was so pleased with myself - as was my daughter. x

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    1. What a wonderful idea, and what a generous friend. Xx

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