RECIPES - Red currant jelly

RECIPES

Red currant jelly

This year we had a plentiful supply of red currants from our two bushes.

In 2019 we lost almost all of the crop to the birds, so last year I invested in a fruit cage - which has paid off.  I removed the netting to get down on my hands and knees to pick them.

They were real beauties

And I managed to pick 1.25 kilos

In the past I have laboriously spent time taking the currants from the stalks with a fork, but several online recipes suggest it is not necessary to do this if you are making jelly as the stalks will not impair the flavour - if anything they improve it by adding tannin - and they contain pectin which aids the setting and will be removed during the straining process.

Most recipes I have seen are for only 500 grams of fruit as red currants are not usually plentiful and come with a high price, so the figures I give here are for 500g of fruit but I increased all quantities proportionately to take account of my weight of fruit.

Ingredients

500g red currants

500 ml water

Sugar - app 500g*

Juice of half a lemon

*The quantity of sugar will depend upon the volume of liquid after straining - see below.

You will also need a jelly bag or clean sheet of muslin to strain the fruit.  Before I acquired a jelly bag I used to turn a kitchen stool or chair upside down and use drawing pins to fix the muslin to the chair legs to form a bag to strain the fruit and place a bowl underneath. Alternatively you could spread the muslin across a colander - but it's much easier to buy a proper jelly bag and stand!

Method

Wash the fruit to remove any dirt and remove any leaves.  

Place the fruit in a stainless steel or enameled pan - not aluminium nor cast iron (unless enameled) with the water.

Bring to the boil slowly, stir over low heat for about 15 minutes to release all the juice.  

I gave them a bit of a mash with a potato masher to help them on their way.

Leave to cool a little then pour or ladle the contents into a jelly bag to strain and leave for twelve hours or overnight.

Do not be tempted to squeeze the bag - if you do, you will extract more juice and pectin but are likely to end up with cloudy jelly.

Before you do anything with the juice, get your jars ready by sterilising them.  I usually do this by washing and rinsing them and then putting them upside down in the oven at 100C.  Wash and dry the lids and keep covered until you need them.

Measure the volume of juice and pour into the saucepan and add the sugar in the following proportions: for 600mls of juice add 450g sugar - in my youth the general rule for jams and jellies was "a pound to a pint", 1lb sugar to a pint of liquid.  Add the strained juice of half a lemon. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar whilst stirring all the time.

When the sugar has dissolved bring rapidly to the boil and continue boiling until the setting point is reached. 

If you have a sugar thermometer heat to 105C.  If you don't have a sugar thermometer continue boiling for 10 minutes or so, scraping off any scum that forms and then conduct a "setting test".

I do this by what is also called the "wrinkle test". This requires a cold, dry plate or saucer (it's advisable to put a couple in the fridge before you start cooking).  When you think the jelly is ready, drop half a teaspoon on to the cold plate, leave to cool and then touch with your finger - if the surface has formed a skin and wrinkles you have reached setting point, alternatively you can tilt the plate and if the jelly runs off you haven't!   If the setting point has not been reached, continue boiling for another 5 minutes and test again.  You can repeat this as necessary.  Usually you get an early good set with red, white and black currants as they are high in pectin.

When the setting point has been reached, leave to cool a little (not too long or it will start to set) and then pour into the hot sterilised jars.  I use a ladle and jug for this.  If you have one, a jam funnel is useful for avoiding any mess from splashes.

Jam funnel

When you have filled each jar, attach the lid loosely.  When all jars are filled tighten the lids and place the jars in a cool place.  When the jelly is set and cold, store in a cool, dark, dry place.

This jelly is an excellent accompaniment to any fatty roast meat joint such as lamb and is good with venison.  Kids seem to like it spread as jam on anything as it has no bits!

A few years ago I made Red currant jelly with port which added two tablespoons of Port per 1kg of fruit, stirred in to the jelly just as it reaches the setting point and cooling.  BBC Food has a recipe for Red currant jelly with mint which entails adding a sprig of mint to the fruit before boiling and straining and adding chopped mint to the jelly at the setting stage.

John Austin

Hove, June 2021

MEDLAR JELLY

Medlar Jelly

For more information about Medlars check out my blog from November 2018, Medlars

We received a supply of medlars from our usual source and for the second year made some medlar jelly adapting a recipe from Nigel Slater.  Medlars, as explained in my earlier blog do not ripen on the tree and need to be bletted.

Having received our medlars we placed them on a tray and put them in a fairly dark place in the garden shed

unripe medlars

Afte two to three weeks, most had bletted successfully.  A couple had shown signs of mould and these were discarded.  There were also a few which had not completed the process but to make the jelly a few unripe medlars are helpful as they are rich in pectin which aids setting of the jelly. 

successfully bletted

bletted medlars

We also had a surfeit of apples this year and decided to add a few of the sound windfalls to the mix for added pectin.

windfall apples on the allotment

We used the rest of the sound apples and some still on the tree to make apple jelly using my recipe from 2018

Some recipes suggest chopping the medlars but as ours were so ripe I just pulled them in half, squeezed them and placed them in a pan and covered with water, adding the juice of two lemons and the squeezed lemons (peel and pips). I also added a few of the apples (stalks removed), roughly chopped including cores and pips.

bletted medlars being squished for the pan

With the squished medlars, chopped apples and squeezed lemon covered with water I brought the pan gently to the boil.

medlars being brought to the boil

medlar mixture simmering

I left the pan simmering gently for about 40 minutes. As you can see from the pictures, it does not look particularly appetising - and don't be tempted to taste it, otherwise you might just give up on the whole process.  Indeed I had my doubts that this mixture would ever produce a clear and tasty jelly.  During the simmering process, the fruit mixture can be pressed with a potato masher to ensure all the juice is extracted.

The entire contents are then poured into a jelly bag, suspended over a bowl and left overnight (or for 12-24 hours) for the juice to drip through.

See video

At this point you will be relieved to see a clear amber to pinkish liquid dripping through.

Jelly bags and stands are readily available in cookshops and on-line, but if you don't have one a couple of squares of muslin will do either draped over a colander or large sieve or pinned/tied to the legs of an upside down stool or chair (which is what I used to do when I made jellies with my mother in my youth) with a bowl underneath.  Just make sure the muslin is clean and has been sterilised with boiling water.

Do not prod or squeeze the bag!  Its very tempting as you can always extract more juice and it is thick and sticky and will aid the setting BUT it will make the jelly cloudy. Squeezing won't spoil the taste; it will increase the quantity, but you won't have that beautiful clear jelly.

Measure the juice and put in a stainless steel pan and add sugar in the quantity 750g of sugar for every litre of juice, or a pound to a pint in "old money". Using less sugar will produce a sharper tasting jelly, which I prefer, but reducing too much might make it difficult to get a good set.

Heat gently, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved then bring to a rapid boil. Keep a watchful eye as it may suddenly foam up. Take care that it doesn't boil over by lowering the heat..

Boil rapidly until the setting point is reached, probably after 20 minutes - but could be shorter or longer.  The best way to test for setting point is with a thermometer, which should read 220C, but I don't have one (must put it on the Xmas Wish List!), so I rely on the cold plate method.  Drop a little of the jelly on a cold, dry plate and leave in a cool place for a couple of minutes. If it forms a skin which wrinkles when you draw your finger across it then setting point has been reached.  If it doesn't set, boil a little longer and then repeat the test.

When setting point has been reached, remove from heat and skim off any scum that appears on the surface with a metal spoon.

The jelly can now be poured into warm, sterilised jars and the lids screwed on tightly.

You should have a beautifully clear jelly.  

ready for pouring into sterilised jars

The jars should be stored in a cool dark place as the jelly will darken and lose some clarity with age.

the finished product

To prevent this, the best suggestion is eat it as soon as possible and, if you have too much, give it to your friends and neighbours.  You will be very popular!  It is delicious on toast or can be eaten with hard cheeses or meat, especially game (Nigel Slater recommends it with pheasant) but it goes very well with fatty lamb or pork.  You can also add a spoonful to your gravy (or jus!).

Enjoy!

John Austin

Hove, December 2019

Life on the Weald - October 2019

Life on the Weald - October 2019

Having lost the last weekend of September, I'm afraid I lost the whole of the first week of October as I was off to Montenegro to speak at the Balkans Parliamentary Forum in Cetinje, followed by a few days of meetings and sight-seeing around Podgorica and the coast.

Cetinje Forum, Montenegro

I think I missed some reasonably good UK weather whilst away, and when I returned there were lots of tomatoes to be harvested.....

5 october

...........and yet more tromboncinos

6 October

The chilli peppers had also ripened whilst I was away.

9 October

The rain had returned but on 10 October, the rain stopped and the sun began to shine so I took the opportunity of clearing the area around the pond where I would like to sow some wild flowers on one side near our sitting out area.  This required the removal of quite a lot of couch grass, bindweed and bramble roots.

10 October

The pond itself was choked with pond weed so I might have a go at clearing it soon, if only to see what has become of the water lily which I planted earlier this year as there is no sign of it on the surface!

The leeks are looking good, but needed hand weeding and I have earthed them up a little to increase the white part.

9 October - Leeks

My grape vines (which have yet to fruit) look healthy, but untidy.  I decided not to prune them yet as this is their first year, and I am trying to train the black grape to grow up the trellis attached to the shed.

9 October - grape vine

9 October - grape vine 

I began to clear one of the raised beds in preparation for my broad beans. It was heavily infested with weeds which had to be dug out.  The soil seems to be very healthy with a plentiful supply of earthworms (of which I am somewhat protective), and transferred some to the wormeries.  I have a new found friend who is also very interested in the worms and the insects and other wildlife that my digging revealed!

9 October - my new found friend

9 October

At last the bed was weed free and ready for sowing

9 October

I decided to sow two double rows of Aquadulce Broad Beans.  I used a dibber to plant them about 2 - 3 inches deep and hope they won't be dug up by mice or other predators.

9 October - ready for the broad beans

Taking advantage of the dry weather, I dug over two of the areas where potatoes had been growing and scattered some winter green manure seeds which will need to be dug in later in the year before they start flowering. 

10 October - ready for sowing

10 October - green manure seeds sown

I have also cleared another raised bed and have sown some meteor peas. These are suitable for October/November outdoor sowing, and have a dwarf habit growing to only 18 inches.  I sowed them about 1 - 1½  inches deep, 2 inches apart in rows 8 inches apart. I sowed two such double rows with about a foot between them. 

Meteor peas sown 10 October

Garden Focussed say these are not the best tasting or sweetest of peas but are among the hardiest and therefore suitable for autumn sowing.  As they are dwarf, they survive on exposed sites and need little support.  They are among the earliest of peas, so hopefully we may have some in the spring!

All seemed to be going well until I inspected my two pumpkins.  One had completely collapsed and turned to mush!

10 October - squish!
This pumpkin didn't make it to Halloween

But thankfully the other was fat and healthy, so not wanting to take risks, I picked it...

10 October

....and took it home

We have loads of apples which are dropping faster than we can pick them and we have given loads away to friends and neighbours for pies, crumbles and for drying.

We have been making more apple jelly and we haven't yet eaten or given away last year's production.  We know what people will be getting for Christmas this year!

Apples ready for cooking

straining the cooked apple pulp

This year's apple jelly

There were more chilli peppers to be harvested.  We freeze them and they can be used as and when needed.  Just take one out of the freezer when needed, chop whilst still frozen and add to whatever dish you are making.

Home brown chillies

It's the middle of October so I thought now is the time to pull up the aubergine plants that had been planted out in the open ground and consign to the compost heap - but surprise, surprise, here was an actual aubergine concealed beneath the foliage!

15 October aubergine from the plot

So I picked this, added it to the two grown in pots at home...

Aubergines from the pots on the patio

.............and made baba ghanoush!

One crop that can be relied upon to keep giving is chard.  I am sure we will continue picking it through the winter.  One of the most popular dishes amongst my friends in Montenegro is "cheese pie".  It can take many forms and is a common dish throughout the Balkans, often called Burek, probably originating in central Asia and brought to the region by the Ottomans. The essential ingredients are cheese and filo pastry but one of the added ingredients can be spinach or chard, as in the Greek Spanakopita. With a regular and plentiful supply of chard and spinach, our version of this cheese pie is now regularly on our table.

John's cheese and chard pie

My delicious Spanakopita

We have perpetual beet spinach, white silver leaf chard and rainbow Swiss chard in a variety of colours.

Rainbow and silver leaf chard

15 October chard

We have been virtually self-sufficient in potatoes since April and this month we lifted the last of our 2nd Early Nicola potatoes.

The last of the Nicola potatoes

After all that digging and lifting, the gardener deserves a rest.

But there are still jobs to do.  I regularly inspect the brassicas to check for pests or disease. Fortunately we have been virtually caterpillar free this year.  Some of the Brussels sprouts have aphids, but mostly on the lower florets which I have removed along with any dead or yellowing leaves.  Removing the lower leaves also allows air to circulate and reduce infestation.  We also have kalettes - a cross between kale and sprouts which grow like sprouts but produce open florets.  Our seeds this year were a variety pack so we have both green and purple kalettes and hope to harvest some soon. 

Kalettes

Brussels sprouts

Kalettes forming

Towards the end of the month, tromboncinos were still growing!

The last tromboncino of 2019?

And we picked the last of the raspberries

On 22 October, the broad beans planted thirteen days earlier had sprouted and were beginning to show through.

With a good eye you might just spot the broad beans showing through!

But with the nights drawing in and the temperature falling we abandoned the plot to escape to Spain for the school half-term with some of the children and grandchildren and I swapped the allotment for the Spanish kitchen and a change of diet!

Lubina - oven baked sea bass

My unconventional paella

We discovered some green tinged mushrooms in the market and learned they were a variety of milkcap mushrooms. We haven't yet tried them - that's an adventure to look forward to.

Milkcap mushrooms

The tomatoes are always worth buying

tomatoes from Murcia

Well the half term holidays are almost over and time to start thinking of the cold weather...

Gran Playa, Santa Pola - October 26C

... and all those jobs that need doing on the allotment!

John Austin

Hove, (and other places) October 2019