By Do you have to top and tail blackcurrants to make jam?
Kudos to those that top and tail their blackcurrants, your commitment to the task is beyond my level of dedication. For me, it is just as good to leave the odd little green stalk on and totally ignore the little dried flower end.
Can I use frozen blackcurrants for jam?
Frozen blackcurrants are perfect for jam. Just put them in the pan with the water the same as fresh blackcurrants. Blackcurrants freeze really well. You simply place them on a fray in a single layer.
Do blackcurrants contain much pectin?
Blackcurrants have enough pectin (the thing that makes jam set) in them that you should be fine with normal sugar. The usual sugar to fruit ratio for jam is 50/50, but this makes for a very sweet finished product – to let the flavour of the fruit come through more, we’ve taken the sugar down a bit.
Why is lemon juice used in jam?
When you prep a big batch of jam, you begin by cutting the fruit and heating it with some sugar. The lemon juice lowers the pH of the jam mixture, which also neutralizes those negative charges on the strands of pectin, so they can now assemble into a network that will “set” your jam.
How do I prepare blackcurrants?
To prepare: To remove the berries from the stalks, hold each stalk at the top with the berries at the bottom and run a fork down each one. The berries should come away easily, without being damaged. To cook: To stew blackcurrants add a little water and 50g sugar per 450g of fruit, simmer gently until just tender.
What is the best way to pick blackcurrants?
The easiest way to harvest modern varieties, such as the ‘Ben Sarek’, ‘Ben Hope’, ‘Ben Lomond’ and ‘Ben Connan’, is to cut whole fruit trusses (known as strigs) once the currants turn black. Older varieties ripen less uniformly, with currants at the top of the truss ready first.
Why is my blackcurrant jam not setting?
Generally speaking, if your jam doesn’t firm up, you were short in pectin, sugar or acidity or didn’t get a hard boil. No matter how much you stir, you won’t get effective heat penetration in larger batches, so some pectin gets overcooked, while other pectin is not activated.
Should I add lemon juice to jam?
To set, jam needs the right balance of acid and pectin. If you’re using low-acid fruits, such as rhubarb, apricots, peaches and strawberries, you need to add lemon juice. A handy trick to help it set is to cook jam with a muslin puch full of pectin-rich lemon rind and seeds.
How to make Blackcurrant Jam with lemon juice?
Method. 1 Pick all the stalks from the blackcurrants, place the fruit in a saucepan, cover with 250ml/9fl oz water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, 2 Add the sugar and lemon juice, bring to the boil then cook until the mixture reaches 105C/220F on a sugar thermometer. 3
What’s the best way to cook black currants?
Place the black currants in a medium stock pot along with the water. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes until the berries are softened. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Simmer until the temperature registers 220 degrees F.
What should the sugar ratio be for Blackcurrant Jam?
Blackcurrants have enough pectin (the thing that makes jam set) in them that you should be fine with normal sugar. The usual sugar to fruit ratio for jam is 50/50, but this makes for a very sweet finished product – to let the flavour of the fruit come through more, we’ve taken the sugar down a bit.
What’s the best way to store black currant jam?
If you’re going to use the jam within a few months, pour the jam into sterilized jars and once cool store in the fridge. For long-term storage you can use the water bath canning method: Ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars, wipe the rims of the jars and screw on the lids.