Grow Your Own Magazine

Never made it before..... suggestions please....
( can't stand 'bits'..hence jelly....berries are not sweet enough to eat but are supposed to make superb jam)
Is is something like a pint of juice to 1lb of sugar??? ( don't like it sweet)
ta!!

Hi Nicos,
You're absolutely right. A pint of juice to 1lb of sugar. My Mum made me some whilst she was here last year and it is wonderful. She used preserving sugar and the juice of a lemon - helps to make it a bit "tart". She also adds a lump of butter (to stop the scum when boiling)
Just put the blackberries in a pan and boil them to get juice. Strain through a muslin or something similar. Add the right amount of sugar, juice of a lemon and a knob of butter and boil it to death until a bit dropped on a cold plate starts to solidify. Put in clean jars and "Robert is your father's brother and Francis is his wife"
Have fun
Clare
ps - don't use a wooden spoon unless you want it to be purple

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

Juice of one lemon per pt?????

I have to say I make a lovely strawberry conserve.....liquid +++

Would this set or be liquid???

Hi Nicos,
Juice of one lemon to each pound of blackberries (you can use a medium sized cooking apple if you prefer). Also, it says in the recipe book one eighth of a pint of water to 1lb blackberries.
I hope it would be set - but, if not it would make a wonderful sauce for ice cream.
clare

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

Bramble jelly tends to set really well for me, much firmer than the other jams I make. (as long as they taste ok, I don't mind it being a bit runny) The purple does come out of the wooden spoon eventually though!

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updated 14 May 2008

A red spoon is a bonus!!! ....it warns my kids not to use my fruit spoon for stirring curry and onions!!

Well- I've just got to let you know that my jam has been very successful!

I used 1lb preserving sugar to 1 pt of juice and a tiny blob of butter. I had no lemons, so didn't put any in.
15mins on a rolling boil and it's soft but set!!.... And tastes yummy

Thanks for all your help- I think this is another string to my bow!

My brambles are nowhere near ripe enough to pick yet I think they are still flowering! I can't wait to make bramble jelly (will be a first time for me too so thanks for the recipe folks).

I left a number of bramble plants when I was clearing my veg growing area just so that I had 'safe' fruit to pick for jelly!!

Forgot to type the important bit - congrats on your first jelly!!!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Well done Nicos,
I'm willing to bet that you never buy Bramble/Blackberry jelly again, tastes so much better when you've made it yourself.
My blackberries are not quite ready yet but like you Shirl, I've cleared a better path to them this year - last year there weren't enough dock leaves in the world to soothe the amount of nettle stings I had - ouch

__________________
A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

I also have just tried this, but did the jam variety (didn't bother to take the bits out) and it was a great success (for a first ever attempt ).

Just one thought though, if it's been boiled for some 15 to 20 mins is there any goodness left in the fruit?

You know- that's something I was wondering about!