Bramble Jelly Recipe Mary Berry

BLACKBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• FOR JUICE: Lightly mash berries and cook in water on top of stove for about 20 mins over medium/med high heat.
• FOR JELLY: Strain berries through cheesecloth, wire mesh strainer or sieve. SAVE JUICE! Discard berries and seeds.
• Measure sugar exactly. (do not reduce or use sugar substitute) Set aside.
• Measure juice exactly. Place juice and pectin in a 6 to 8 quart sauce pot. Add butter now (if using) to reduce foaming.
• Bring mixture to FULL ROLLING BOIL (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, STIRRING CONSTANTLY!
• Stir in all of sugar. Return to rolling boil and boil exactly one minute, Stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
• Quickly ladle into prepared jars, within 1/8 inch of top. Wipe jar rims and threads with damp cloth. Cover with two piece lids. Screw on tightly.
• Process in a hot water bath for 5 mins or use the inversion method.
• NOTE: All instructions are included with pectin.
• Save any left over juice for a second batch! Can add up to 1/2 cup of water to juice if needed to make exact measurement.
• Have fun and enjoy!

QUICK BRAMBLE (BLACKBERRY) JELLY

Steps:

• Wash the blackberries and place in a heavy-based saucepan with 6 fl oz (170 ml) water, then stew them very gently with a lid on for about 20-25 minutes. Now and then give them a good mash to reduce them to pulp and squeeze as much juice out of them as possible. After that add the sugar and lemon juice to the pan and allow the sugar to dissolve completely, with the heat still low. There must not be any whole granules of sugar left. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Now turn the heat right up and boil fairly rapidly for 8 minutes, stirring now and then to prevent sticking. Meanwhile warm a large bowl in the oven to get it nice and hot then place the sieve, lined with gauze, over the bowl and pour the blackberry mixture into the lined sieve. Then, using a wooden spoon, get all the liquid through as quickly as possible, squeezing the remaining pulp as much as you can - but do be quick as the jelly sets if you take too long (if it does begin to set before you've had a chance to put it into the jar, just reheat it gently). Now pour the jelly into the sterilised jar (see below), cover with a waxed disc, cool and tie down. To sterilise jars, wash the jars and lids in warm, soapy water, rinse well (again in warm water), then dry them thoroughly with a clean tea cloth, place them on a baking tray and pop them in a medium oven, gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) for a minimum of 5 minutes. Add their contents while they are still hot.

BLACKBERRY JAM

Steps:

• If you have hand picked your blackberries from the wild then first you will need to soak the fruit in salted water for a couple of hours. This cleans and destroys any bugs. After soaking rinse well in clean water.
• Prepare your jars: you will need a minimum of two empty jars with lids. Ensure they are clean. Warm in an oven on about 100 degrees C.
• Place your blackberries, sugar and lemon juice into a large saucepan and place on the hob on a low heat.
• Gently heat and fold the sugar into the blackberries until dissolved.
• Bring the fruit to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally and let the fruit simmer for about 10-12 minutes. A slight froth should start to appear as the fruit boils. (Do not feel tempted to increase the heat to boil quickly. The key is a gentle boil).
• Place a knob of butter on top of the fruit and stir across the top into the froth. The butter is used to break down the froth. If you still have excess then remove the frothy bubbles with a spoon. Remove saucepan from heat.
• Do the fridge test: place a small amount of jam on to a plate and place in the fridge. Leave for a few minutes and then remove. Tilt the plate and the jam should crinkle. If the jam is still runny then place back onto heat and boil gently for a further 2 minutes. Test again.
• You are now ready to place your mixture into your jars and place lids on. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge.
• Your jam is then ready to eat the following day.

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE JAM

Steps:

• Prepare your jam jars, they must be sterlized as to prevent mould developing on the jam, the easiest way to do this is washing the jars with soapy warm water then placing them in a microwave for 45-60 seconds or until dry, you then can sterlize the lids by sumberging them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Now add chopped cooking apples, blackberries and the lemon juice into a large pan over a low-medium heat. Let this mixture become juicy, simmering for 15 minutes. stiring occasionally.
• After 15 mintues stir in the sugar, when the sugar is dissolved turn up the heat to medium-high and boil for 10-15 minutes until set. To ensure jam is set, you can put a little round blob of jam onto two cold plates and then push the jam from the side, if it wrinkles the jam is set.
• Leave the jam in the pan for 10 minutes, then spoon into your jam jars, and place the lids on immediately.