BLACK FOREST JAM (MOTHER’S DAY JAM)

A special recipe for Mother’s Day gifts – sweet, fruity and perfect for sharing all year long! Enjoy Black Forest Jam with French toast, scones, sponge cake, pancakes, pikelets, waffles, swirled into yoghurt and granola, or straight from the jar.

Ingredients for  BLACK FOREST JAM
	Yield: 5-6 cups	Yield: 11-12 cups
Fruit* (Fresh or Thawed)	1kg (2.2 pounds)	2kg (4.4 pounds)
Powdered Pectin	3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) i.e. 50g Jamsetta)	6 tablespoons (3 oz) i.e. 100g Jamsetta)
Lemon Juice (Fresh or Bottled)	2 tablespoons	4 tablespoons
Sugar, White	4 cups	8 cups
*We used equal weight of blackcurrants, blueberries, redcurrants, strawberries and sweet cherries (pitted), with total weight as per above.

METHOD:

1.  Clean jars (or bottles) and equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.

2.  If using fresh fruit: rinse gently with water and drain carefully. Discard damaged fruit (they can affect the jam flavour, reduce the storage period and increase the risk of spoilage). 

If using frozen fruit: place frozen fruit into a bowl and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Any juice in the bowl will be added to the recipe as part of the fruit weight.

Cherries: remove stones from fresh cherries (or check frozen/thawed cherries have stones removed. We recommend weighing cherries, check stones are removed then pop into bowl/pot.

3.  Measure fruit into a large pan and add any juice from thawing (if applicable). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook (uncovered), stirring every few minutes for around 10-15 minutes (or until fruit is very soft).  Remove from heat. Mash for a rustic jam (or puree for a smooth jam consistency).

Optional: Strain part (or all) of the mixture through a fine sieve to discard seeds, if desired.

4.  Prepare jars (if they require pre-heating, i.e. twist top jars) in a pot lined with a cloth. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill. 

5.  Place lids into a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.  

6.  Add the lemon juice to the jam pot and whisk well. Sprinkle the powdered pectin on top of the jam. Whisk well. Bring jam to a boil, as high as possible, and then add the sugar all at once. Whisk well. Place jam pot back onto heat. Whisk occasionally while the sugar dissolves, to prevent the jam sticking to the pot base. Then bring jam to a rolling boil (cannot stir down, mixture may foam). Boil as hard as possible for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off, skim any foam from the surface and check for gel stage (jam consistency).

7.  Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e. tea towel. Pour the hot Black Forest Jam into the hot jars to 0.5cm (1/4 inch) from the rim.

TIP: use a jug and jar funnel to fill jars.

8.  Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any jam residue.

9.  Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.

10.  Return jars of jam into the pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a full boil.

11.  Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e. wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.

12.  The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating clearly.

13.  Store jars of Black Forest Jam in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e. pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal failure, do not consume).

14.  Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 6-8 weeks.

   

Processing Time for  BLACK FOREST JAM  in a Boiling Water Canner
	Jar Size	Altitude  ≤ 1,000 feet	Altitude 1,001 - 3,000 feet	Altitude 3,001 - 6,000 feet	Altitude ≥ 6,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	5 minutes	10 minutes	10 minutes	15 minutes

NOTES:

o  Seeds can be removed if you prefer, but we leave ours in;

o  Low-sugar, no-pectin jam: mix 1kg fruit in a non- metal bowl with 300g raw sugar (or sugar of your choice) and 1 finely sliced lemon (seeds and zest can be tied into some muslin for boiling in the jam, add the juice to the fruit). Mix, cover and rest overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, boil mixture until set, discarding seed bag before bottling (follow processing method above);

o  Low-sugar, pectin jam: use no/low-sugar pectin instead to cut the sugar in our recipe back to 1/2 cup (or to taste) then follow processing method above. Remember reducing the sugar does affect the jam consistency and yield (and also reduces the storage to 4-6 months) so trial with a small batch of jam first;

o  No-sugar jam: use low/no-sugar pectin instead of regular pectin and don’t add sugar;

o  Honey or maple syrup can be used instead of sugar – remember to boil to gel stage!

Author: Megan Radaich

Image Credit: Megan Radaich

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org