I can't get enough of this stuff. I've got through three jars since I made the first batch in early September so, while the berries are still good, I'm making it my business to perfect the recipe and stock pile supplies to get me through the porridge season (two tsps of it at the bottom of a bowl is just heaven).
If I'm being picky though, I'd say that the first batch was too solid, the second batch was too soft, and both batches were too seedy (from the blackberries and elderberries). For this version, I've mixed up the ingredients a bit, sieved everything to within an inch of its life and watched carefully for that precise moment about 12 minutes in to a rolling boil when the mixture goes from being hot, sweet berry goo to a velvety smooth, soft-set jam. It's something about the colour and viscosity of the mix... Hard to explain but my fellow jammers will know what I mean.
Anyway, Batch 3 involved 1.5kg sugar and:
I started by stewing the crabapples and pushing the pulp through a sieve with a big ladle until I got this mush:
Next, I simmered the black and elder berries together and pushed them through the sieve like with the crabs, then I squeezed the sieved seeds through a pair of tights (clean) to get out as much juice as possible. It totalled 1.3 litres, which I then reduced on a low heat by about a quarter. I simmered the hips, haws and sloes too and once they were totally soft, I blitzed them with a food processor and sieved them as well - I got 600g of mush (including water weight).
If I'm being picky though, I'd say that the first batch was too solid, the second batch was too soft, and both batches were too seedy (from the blackberries and elderberries). For this version, I've mixed up the ingredients a bit, sieved everything to within an inch of its life and watched carefully for that precise moment about 12 minutes in to a rolling boil when the mixture goes from being hot, sweet berry goo to a velvety smooth, soft-set jam. It's something about the colour and viscosity of the mix... Hard to explain but my fellow jammers will know what I mean.
Anyway, Batch 3 involved 1.5kg sugar and:
600g of sloes, haws and rosehips, frozen to soften up the skins
1.3kg crabapples, washed and chopped
1kg Blackberries
1kg elderberries
I started by stewing the crabapples and pushing the pulp through a sieve with a big ladle until I got this mush:
Next, I simmered the black and elder berries together and pushed them through the sieve like with the crabs, then I squeezed the sieved seeds through a pair of tights (clean) to get out as much juice as possible. It totalled 1.3 litres, which I then reduced on a low heat by about a quarter. I simmered the hips, haws and sloes too and once they were totally soft, I blitzed them with a food processor and sieved them as well - I got 600g of mush (including water weight).
All the gooey fruity mush was added together to make this beautiful, velvety purple puree. It tasted strong and intense, if a little tart...
...hence the need for 1.5kg of sugar. Now it tastes divine! Pictures of the finished product to come very soon.
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