Blackberry and Apple Jelly

 

Blackberry and Apple Jelly for the Pantry Shelf.  A lot of work involved but so worth it at the end of the day, and of course you are making the most of that which becomes available to you.

Very simple to make.  I follow for the best part traditional recipes that have been handed down.  I gathered 1 - 1/2 kilos of Blackberries, checking them over for stalks and bits of leaf.  I then added them to a deep heavy based pan.

To them I added 1/2 a kilo of wilding apples I located on the floor.  These were cored  I left the peel on and then chopped into small pieces.

I then added enough cold water to bring it level with the fruit and then set too and gently simmered this for about 20 to 25 minutes until all the fruit is soft.

If too much foam erupts as you simmer the fruit, add a good knob of butter to the top, and the butter will disperse the foam.  I do tend to do this as the scum (which consists of little bits of impurities can often spoil the appearance of the finished jelly.  The aim is to have a clear and bright jelly.  

I then set up my jelly straining stand (or you can use a muslin and tie it to a broom handle) however you must have a bowl to catch the dripped liquid.  As my stand limited me with the size of the bowl I had, I dripped part of my contents into the jelly bag and let it flow, then emptied the first bowlful into a jug which I then left to stand but covered with cling film.

This is the second straining which was left overnight to drip.  This then left a load of thick pulp, which rather than waste, I decided to add to another preserve which I intended making further the day after I collected some more fresh blackberries.

What about sugar you say.  I tend to use the full amount of sugar in recipes, as this helps keep the preserve safely on the shelf.  I just used granulated for this.  I therefore measured out  how much juice I had.  I had 3-1/2 pints of liquid and I therefore added 3-1/2lbs of sugar.  If I had been working in litres , i.e. 1 litre of liquid then you would have added 1kg of sugar to each litre, or part litre thereof. I then combined both sets of juices into my large heavy based pan.  On this occasion it was my pot-bellied stock-pot.  I have found from past experience that adding a little apple to jelly or jam bases actually helps with the set, it is also a more natural product.

The sugar is stirred in over a low heat until it has completely dissolved and then boiled, the mixture will drop a little in the pan, but you should also start to see a layer around the inside of the pan that will get thicker, a surf line as can be seen in the picture above.  This will get thicker and is for me an indicator that the jelly is starting to thicken.  As jellies can overset as well, I tend to start checking on the set by using a cold saucer which has been in the fridge and then taking some of the jelly out of the pan and putting it on the saucer,  Leaving it a few minutes and then pushing with the top of your index finger on the surface.  If the jelly "wrinkles" then it it time to pot the jelly.  I would also add that when I am testing the pan is taken off the hob so that it does not overset if the jelly is ready for potting.  Equally if it has not achieved set, a fresh saucer goes into the fridge and the pan is put back on the hob for a few more minutes with a few shakes of lemon juice, before testing again.  Sometimes achieving the set happens quickly, and sometimes it takes for ever.  Recipe books give guidelines, but more often than not it takes longer to get there.  I always use hot sterilised jars that have been in the oven.  The jelly is then decanted into them to about level with the screw line, and then new lids are placed on top.  I then leave the jars to stand overnight to cool down.

Once cooled down, I then tidy the jar up, washing any stickiness off, drying off the jars and then labelling them, before popping onto my Pantry shelf.

This Bramble and Apple jelly is lovely on toast, crumpets, scones, Scotch pancakes (drop scones), in pastries, cakes etc.  It is a family favourite.  It is a lot of hard work, but for me worth the effort.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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