cookslovak

My summer this year started at my deceased niece’s home near the beautiful spa town of Bojnice. We were helping with the baby boy and his little sister, which turned out to be quite relaxing despite the fragmented sleep at night.

The family’s garden was filled with berries, currants, apples and tomatoes that had just begun ripening. I could go and pick a handful of raspberries, gooseberries, redcurrants or blackcurrants whenever I felt like an energy boost.

On our last day there, I picked a large bowl of redcurrants, a small one of blackcurrants and another one of sea-buckthorn berries. Back at home I set aside a bowful of fresh produce to eat raw, made a simple cake, and the rest went either in the freezer or into processing jam and juice.

Today I will walk you through a simple method of making a redcurrant jam, though you will need to reserve two days for the whole process, as the currants need to sit in sugar overnight.

In case you have a different amount of berries, use the 2:1 fruit to sugar ratio.

Simple Redcurrant Jam with Fresh Garden Berries

• 1000 g redcurrants
• 500 g granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Pull the currants off the stalks and rinse them under running water. Place in a large enough bowl, add the sugar and stir well into the currants. Cover with a lid or clingfilm and let stand overnight or up to 24 hours in a cool, dark place.
2. When the currants have absorbed the sugar and softened, immerse a hand blender in the mixture and smooth it. Don’t worry about the pips, they will add a nice texture to the jam.

   

3. Place a wide, deep pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Transfer 2 – 3 ladles of the fruit mixture to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquids are reduced by about a half. The colour of the cooked mixture will deepen as it thickens. The jam is of the right consistency when the spoon leaves a path in the hot mixture.

   

4. Carefully, ladle the cooked jam into a clean, dry jar and cook another batch in the same manner. When the jar is filled up to the brim, screw on the lid while the jam is stil hot and leave to cool down. You will hear a slight popping sound as the jars cool – that is the sign of a good seal.

   

5. When the jars have cooled completely, transfer them to the pantry or a cool, dark place. Once opened, store the jar in the fridge.

   

I like to spread my homemade jam on a slice of bread, to add it to my yoghurt, or to use it in baking. When I open a jar in the cold, dark winter months, the bright colour of this year’s redcurrant jam will bring back memories of the summer spent with my near and dear ones.

I’m going to take a couple of jars to them on my next visit – it’s a valuable gift, by the way – so I believe it will brighten their days, too.