We are not only in the midst of a whirlwind of advent and pre-Christmas celebrations, moreover we are bracing ourselves for 3.5 months away and counting down the days until we leave. This means cleaning out our fridge and freezer, among many other things. I HATE to waste food and when I came across over a kilogram of lovely frozen berries in the back of a freezer drawer the other day, I was determined to find a way to use them… preferably an easy and festive way.
I chanced upon this recipe and having only made jam once before, I thought I’d give it a go. I cannot sing this jam’s praises enough! It is, without doubt, one of the loveliest jams I have tried. I have spread it on toast and on soft Swedish flatbread, dolloped it atop semolina porridge and used it as a filling in mini jam tarts. In every instance, it has been delectable.
If you are looking for a way to use up berries, are in need of jam in a pinch or want to make someone very happy with a delicious homemade Christmas gift, do try this!
FROZEN BERRY JAM
Makes approx. 1 liter
INGREDIENTS
1 kg mixed frozen berries*
880g caster sugar
4 oranges, juiced
DIRECTIONS
- Place berries, sugar and orange juice in a large saucepan (I used a soup pot) over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
- Increase heat until the mixture is at a slow boil. Foam will begin to form on the surface. Try to skim as much as of it off as possible with a spoon.
- After 30 minutes, test to see if the jam has begun to set by placing a teaspoonful onto a freezer-chilled plate and push the jam forward with your finger. If it “wrinkles” it is ready. If not, wash the plate and return it to freezer. Cook jam for a further 10 minutes, then test again.
- When jam reaches a set* then pour/spoon into sterilised jars*.
*I actually used a little over 1 kg of a mix of homegrown blackcurrants (frozen after picking during summer) plus store-bought frozen organic blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. The combination is amazing, I promise you!
*It took about an hour on a bubbling simmer (low-medium heat) for my jam to reach a set.
*With the amount of jam this recipe produced, I was able to fill 3 x 0.5 liter IKEA Korken Jars approximately 3/4 full.
*Recipe very closely adapted from this fabulous one found at taste.com.au
