cookslovak

The preserving season is here again. This year’s redcurrant jam is already in the jars, now the time has arrived to make use of the bountiful crop of blackcurrants. They are not as tart as redcurrants, so a teaspoon or two of honey on top of these black beauties makes for a delicious snack packed full with the vitamin C. Blackcurrants are also rich in antioxidants and anthocyanins, which help fight free radicals and thus reduce inflammation in the body.

But if you have too many of them ripening at the same time, you may want to make them into jams, jellies or syrups. Blackcurrant pies are another option, and they work well in all sorts of fruit cakes, too.

I have picked a bowlful of fresh berries in my friends’ garden, and decided to cook them into a simple jam that only uses two ingredients.

Easy Homemade Blackcurrant Jam

• 250 g (1½ cup) blackcurrants
• 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Pull the currants off the stalks and rinse them under running water. Place in a bowl, add the sugar and stir it well into the fruit. Cover with a lid and let stand overnight in a cool, dark place.

   

2. When the currants have absorbed the sugar and softened, submerge a stick blender in the mixture and buzz for a few minutes until you get a consistency of chunky sauce – the amount of the stated ingredients yields about 30 cl (10 oz) of the sauce-like mixture.

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

4. 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 still hot. Leave to cool down on the wooden board. The slight popping sound that you will hear as the jam is cooling indicates a good seal.
5. When the jars have cooled down completely, transfer them to a pantry and store in a cool, dark place. Once opened, store the jam in the fridge and use within two weeks. In my case, the amount of the ingredients produced a medium jar of jam (see the photo below).

And how you use your homemade blackcurrant jam is up to you. Stir it into yoghurt? Spread it on top of your toast or a slice of crunchy bread? Use it to fill your sponge cake or as a topping for cheesecake? The choices are many.