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Bramble and Apple Jelly

Posted: Sunday, August 29th, 2010 at 1:34 pm

Food for free – go out picking wild blackberries and and hedgerow apples.

Ingredients

  • As many blackberries as you picked
  • About twice as many (by weight) of apples
  • Use wild apples, but Bramleys would also be delicious You need an apple with a tang, rather than a dessert apple.

Method

  1. Wash the blackberries, to remove dirt and  insects. Remove any that are over-ripe.
  2. Wash the apples and cut out any rotten bits. Chop them into quarters or eighths. There’s no need to peel or core the apples.
  3. Put all the fruit into a large pan and cover. Simmer gently for up to an hour until the apples are soft.
  4. Pour the fruit mixture into a jam net, suspended over a large bowl. Leave overnight for the juices to drip into the bowl.
  5. Next morning: measure how much juice you have got. For each 600ml of juice, add 450g of sugar to a large pan.
  6. Bring to the boil and continue to boil gently, stirring regularly, for 10 – 15 minutes.
  7. Test whether the jelly is set by dipping a frozen teaspoon into the pan and removing it. If, after a few seconds, the consistency is looking “jam-like”, then you’re probably there. Don’t boil for more than 15 minutes.
  8. Sterilise some jars by washing them and then drying in an oven at 100 deg C for 30 minutes.
  9. Pour the jam into the hot jars. Cover and leave to cool. Be careful when filling the jars. You might find a funnel useful.Wipe up spills immediately, because this jelly has incredible staining power when hot and liquid.

Bramble & Apple Jelly
Go straight back to your childhood with this recipe, when you’ve been out picking wild blackberries and apples.

Ingredients
  • As many blackberries as you picked
  • About twice as many (by weight) of apples

    • We used wild apples, but Bramleys would also be delicious

  • You need an apple with a tang, rather than a dessert apple, which would make this too sweet

Method
  1. Carefully wash the blackberries, to remove dirt and any visiting insects. Remove any that are over-ripe.
  2. Wash the apples and cut out any rotten bits. Chop them into quarters or eigths.There’s no need to peel or core the apples.
  3. Put all the fruit into a large pan and cover. Simmer gently for up to an hour, until the apples are soft.
  4. Pour the fruit mixture into a jam net, suspended over a large bowl. (You may need to get creative for this!). Leave overnight for the juices to drip into the bowl.
  5. Next morning: measure how much juice you got.
    For each 600ml of juice, add 450g of sugar to a large pan.
  6. Bring to the boil and continue to boil gently, stirring regularly, for 10 – 15 minutes.
  7. Test whether the jelly is set by dipping a frozen teaspoon into the pan and removing it. If, after a few seconds, the consistency is looking “jam-like”, then you’re probably there. Don’t boil for more than 15 minutes.
  8. Sterilise some jars by washing them and then drying in an oven at 100 deg C for 30 minutes.
  9. Pour the jam into the hot jars. Cover and leave to cool.

Time From Cupboard-To-Table
Night before – about 10 minutes’ preparation time
Next day – about 20 minutes, including cooking

Notes & Variations on Bramble & Apple Jelly
Be careful when filling the jars. You might find a funnel useful.

Wipe up spills immediately, because this jelly has incredible staining power when hot and liquid.