Hedgerow Jelly

This time of year, there is plenty to be foraged from the hedgerow.  It depends where you are.  If you’ve already gathered blackberries and frozen them, they can be added too.  Rose hips freeze well, as do sloes. As it’s a jelly, you don’t need to chop, stone or seed anything.

If the quantities are too large, just halve everything.

• 1 kg hedgerow fruits: sloes, rosehips, blackberries, damsons, crab apples

• Sugar – depending on how much liquid you get, see below for quantities

• Small amount of water

Add washed fruits to the pan, and simmer in a small amount of water that doesn’t cover the fruit but comes up about halfway.  Simmer gently for at least an hour or until the fruit is well pulped.

Drain into a jelly bag (available from Wares of Knutsford or Lakeland), or, do what I do, and drain into a large plastic strainer over a large jug or bowl.  Do not use metal.

Leave to drain for at least 12 hours.  Don’t prod and poke the pulp as this will make it cloudy.

Measure the liquid.  Add 450g of sugar for every 600 ml of liquid.  Put in jam pan/Maslin pan, simmer gently, stirring in the sugar until all sugar has dissolved completely.  Then boil, adding a jam thermometer to the pan.* Once a rolling boil is reached, boil for at least five minutes, possibly ten, keeping an eye on it at all times.  This is not something that can be left!

Once the thermometer indicates a jam temperature, test a small amount on a cold saucer.  If it wrinkles, it’s ready.  Take the pan off the heat, let the bubbles subside, then pour carefully into sterilised, warm jars and seal.  The jelly won’t fully set for at least 12 hours, so don’t worry if it looks a bit wobbly.  If you’ve used the thermometer and done the test, it should be okay.

*Jam and jelly making is infinitely easier when using a special jam thermometer.  They aren’t expensive and take angst out of continually testing for a set