Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam

Elderflowers from the hedgerow

Quick! While you still can!
This has got to be the easiest & most delicious jam you can make at this time of year!
Small un-ripened gooseberries are great for this jam, they're full of pectin & really tart. Using the small ones also thins out your gooseberry bush branches so the remainder can get nice and fat for gooseberry crumble!
Although the young gooseberries are loaded with pectin I always use less sugar than recommended so I play safe & use jam sugar but normal granulated sugar is fine and doesn't add a lot of time to the making.

Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam
makes approx 10 x 7oz jars
1kg preferably small, un-ripened, gooseberries
approx. 8 elderflower heads* (I used 10 smallish ones) shaken & checked for bugs
1kg jam sugar (or granulated sugar)
500ml water

Method
Top and tail the gooseberries.
I use scissors; managed to put myself in a self-induced trance & gormed tuned out for 15 minutes while this boring but necessary chore was performed.

before

after

Place the fruit in your pan with 500ml of water.
Put the elderflower heads on top. Gently heat until the gooseberries are soft but maintain their shape (5 - 10 minutes)
TIP: watch the flower heads don't catch the side of the pan, they turn brown very quickly with the heat

Remove the elderflowers (compost them!) & add the sugar. (I used approximately 800g of jam sugar)
Bring to a boil slowly, allowing the sugar to dissolve, stir gently trying not to break up the fruit. Inevitably some will break up so don't stress about it; it's just jam!

the sugar has dissolved & its beginning to boil

Bring to a rapid rolling boil without stirring. If you are using jam sugar setting point will be reach in about 5 minutes, otherwise 9-10 minutes. Test.

single elderflower petal in my testing spoonful

If setting point is reached pour into hot, sterilised jars & seal. If not boil & re-check until reached.

Eat within 12 months, IF you can keep it that long.

Cooling! 

But I have a saucer full of pan scrapings waiting for

a nice bit of bread

* If elderflowers are no longer in season, cheat and add 4 tablespoons of elderflower cordial in with the water at the beginning of the process.