Caviar? Sorry, I meant elderberry! But now that I got your attention, might as well read the rest of the post! heehee
Promised my mum I’d make her a pot of jam, so on my way back from work, I stopped along my University’s lake and picked up a few fruits. The aim was to pick blackberries only, but the elderberries looked so yummy that I couldn’t pass the opportunity.
Well, this is not for the impatient person, because picking all the elderberries from the stem is a pain! But it makes a delicious dessert, to have along with a nice lemon cheesecake or something!
I make my jam with no pectin. It gives a lower yield, but it keeps for a lot longer, so I don’t have to worry too much about eating it quickly. Why that is? Please read this post.
Recipe? Here it is!
- 240g of Wild Blackberry
- 160g of Wild Elderberry
- Zest of One Lime
- Juice of Half a Lime
- 215g of Honey
Instructions:
- Deseed the fruits, if you prefer! I really couldn’t bother and I like the crunchiness of the seeds
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and, in a low/medium heat, bring to boil. Remove any excess foam formed from the boil. Mix constantly
- After the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes or so, mixing every 3 minutes or so.
- Cool a plate in the freezer and place a teaspoon of jam on the cold plate. This will give you the set point. Too runny, leave it for another while; not too runny, turn off the stove and leave it to cool
- Place the slightly cooled jam in a sterilized 500ml jar, close it and boil the jar for 10 minutes to seal it.
- Place the jar on a wooden chopping board for 24hrs. After the 24 hours, place it in the fridge and enjoy it!
From experience, the recipe should yield approximately 500ml, maybe a bit less.
