Currant Jelly

Sackville's Note:

This is the simplest of recipes and proof that you can make something lovely and tasty to remind you of summer for months to come out of only two ingredients. The time to make this dish includes time to let the berries drip overnight and for the sugar to heat. The yield is based on 4 quarts of berries.

• Total Time: 12 hrs
• Prep Time: 12 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 5 cup jars

• 4 quarts currants
• sugar
• paraffin wax

Directions:

1. Pick over the currants, removing leaves and poor berries but do not stem them.
2. Put currants in a colander and wash well.
3. Pour into a pot and mash well with a potato masher.
4. Boil until the berries become a mush and allow to drip through a jelly bag overnight.
5. Do not squeeze the mash if you want sparkling, clear jelly.
6. Next morning, measure the juice and put an equal amount of sugar into another vessel.
7. Warm the sugar in a very slow oven-- about 150 F to 200 F-- for 1/2 hour or so.
8. Heat the juice to the boiling point and pour over sugar into another container.
9. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
10. Do not cook mixture.
11. Instead, pour into glasses while still hot.
12. It will jell perfectly.
13. Seal the glasses with 2 thin layers of paraffin and a lid.

Reviews

[AZALEA1000]

I squeezed mine because I'm impatient and it jelled perfectly and was clear too! I think if you squeeze it, more pectin gets into the mix and it jells.

[sue ishi]

this was easy! thanks for posting. I put my jelly in the freezer rather than sealing with wax.

[HotPepperRosemaryJelly]

This works so much better with pectin. It is no longer safe to use parafin wax to seal jellies unless you put them in the refrigerator. Mine are superb and I grow Red Lake and Ben Lamond. The currants were not the problem. They just do not have enough natural pectin in them. They just need a little help. Jelly