Black Currant Jelly Jam for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make black currant jelly jam for winter? First, prep your jars — everything else comes together fast. Wash the jars with baking soda, then rinse them well under running water. Set them wet in a cold oven, necks down, with the lids alongside. Turn the oven to 300°F (150°C); once it's up to temperature, sterilize pint (0.5 l) jars for 10 minutes and quart (1 l) jars for 15 minutes. See the link below the recipe for other methods.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pull the currants off their stems, remove any leaves, and discard any spoiled berries. Rinse them under cool running water — easiest in a colander — then let the water drain off, leaving them in the colander for a bit.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the berries in a large bowl, add the sugar, and stir. If the berries are tart or wild, you can add more sugar (mine were sweet enough).

4. Step 4:

   

   Blitz the currants with an immersion blender — it really speeds up the job. If you don't have one, first grind the berries in a food grinder, then stir in the sugar. Pour the mixture into a suitable cooking pot — enameled or stainless steel. A copper basin is ideal, but that's a rare thing to have. Don't use aluminum, since the metal can react with the fruit.

5. Step 5:

   

   Set the jam on the stove. Warm the mixture gently at first, and once the sugar has fully dissolved, raise the heat to medium and bring it to a boil. Be sure to skim the foam off the surface and stir for even heating. It takes about 3–5 minutes to cook — no longer. The jam keeps beautifully all winter while staying both tasty and good for you.

6. Step 6:

   

   The foam will be thick and dark. Sometimes it's barely visible, but be sure to skim it off.

7. Step 7:

   

   Ladle the hot jam into warm, dry, sterilized jars. Seal them with sterile lids, turn them upside down, and let them cool. Store the jam in a cool place. If you're not putting it up for winter, let it cool uncovered (it gels very quickly), then cover with any sterile lid and keep it in the refrigerator.