Rachel's Jingle Jam
I was asked to host some Victorian preserving workshops in a walled garden with an orchard near my house and discovered that apple jam was as, if not more popular, than strawberry jam and marmalade back then. I’m not sure why it’s not more readily available in the shops now but it certainly should be. I’ve given the jam a rosy hedgerow hue by adding a little teabag of foraged hawthorn berries and rosehips, but you can also include sloes or anything colourful hedge fruits still lingering, as well as herbs such as bay leaves or even some pine. The foraged fruits impart a festive glow as well as lending oodles of flavour.
Method
Makes 2-3 x 200g jars
Peel and coarsely grate your apples (keep the peel and cores – you can use them to make my apple scrap vinegar).
Add the grated apples to a preserving pan. Bundle your hedgerow finds into a square of cheesecloth or muslin, adding the bay or pine, (if using – lightly tear the edges of the bay leaves to help release the flavour). Secure the cloth with butcher’s string. Nestle the hedgerow fruit parcel in with your apples and add the water.
Place over medium heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to help draw out the flavour and colour from the hedgerow fruits. The water should reduce down, giving you less water than fruit.
Remove the hedgerow fruit parcel and give it a good squeeze to extract as much liquid as you can.. Measure the apples and cooking liquid. Add an equal weight of sugar and return to the pan, keeping it off the heat and stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved.
When the sugar has dissolved, set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the jam up to the boil until it’s set. Pour into sterilised jars while the jam is still hot. Seal straight away. The jam will keep for up to 1 year. Refrigerate once opened and eat within a month.
Ingredients
2 large or 4 smaller apples
500ml litres water
A handful of foraged hedgerow fruits
3-4 bay leaves or a sprig or two of pine (optional)
500-750g golden caster sugar
If you like this recipe, you might like the following course...
Preserve the Seasons
Preserving our homegrown and locally sourced produce is one of the key elements of River Cottage life. Spend a day with Rachel de Thample...
Full details