Hello!
Here goes another one! Jam! Jam! Jam!
It’s become an obsession of mine at the moment. A co-worker of mine gave me fresh gooseberries from her garden–quite a bit of gooseberries–and I immediately thought…JAM!
This was actually a spicy batch because of the peppers I used. You can always choose to make this with peppers that have less heat to them.
But this jam is just so incredible. It makes for a great gift. I’m thinking of giving jars away as Christmas gifts this year with some brie, crackers, and my homemade apple pie moonshine. I mean, if it were me, and someone gave me something like this as a gift, I’d be over the moon.
This jam is perfect for an appetizer. The best way to serve this is to get an 8oz block of cream cheese and dump either a half or whole jar of the jam on top. Then take a cracker and simply scoop a helping of both the cream cheese and jam in one flavor-bursting bite.
You can also get a block of brie, put it in a brie baking dish, and spoon some of the jam over the top. Then warm it in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the brie is nice and melty. Then remove from the oven and allow it to slightly cool before cutting into it and spreading over crackers. Please make sure to let it cool. I burned my mouth the one time when I got overly excited about trying this dish.
This makes for a great appetizer for the holidays.
This recipe is very easy to make, though it is a bit time consuming prepping the gooseberries. I preferred to get all the stems off each one before making the jam. I know some people might now worry about it too much, but I just wanted a nice smooth consistency, stem free! It can be refrigerated for quite a while, but with something as delicious as this, it won’t last very long before being eaten.
The peppers do give the jam a good deal of heat, however the sugar used in the jam, along with the cream cheese or brie, really does cut the heat down quite a bit, so it isn’t too intense for those who aren’t huge fans of spicy foods.
Anyway, I hope you decide to make this. You will love it!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 4 lb. gooseberries, rinsed and stems cut off. I made this jam with gooseberries that were green rather than red. Once they turn red, they will be much sweeter. I wanted to make a tart, sweet, spicy jam for this batch.
- Approximately 25 blackberries, rinsed and roughly chopped.
- 6 small peppers such as jalapeño, habaneros, or Havasu, minced.
- 5 1/2 cups of white sugar.
- 4 tbsp of lime juice.
- 4 tsp. citric acid.
- 4 tbsp of powder pectin.
- 3 tbsp of water.
Directions:
- First prep the peppers, blackberries, and gooseberries. *Make sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the peppers!*
- Place gooseberries in a large bowl.
- Mix 4 tsp. citric acid with 3 tbsp of water and add to the bowl of gooseberries.
- In a large stock pot, add the gooseberries, 4 tbsp of lime juice, and 4 tbsp of powder pectin.
- Heat on medium until the gooseberries boil.
- Once the gooseberries boil, add the blackberries.
- Add 5 1/2 cups of sugar to the pot and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the peppers to the pot.
- Cook until the jam begins to thicken and the sugar is fully dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. To check the consistency, dab a tiny bit of jam on a small dish and allow it to cool. You will have an idea as to how thick the jam is at that point.
- In sterilized mason jars, transfer the jam, leaving 1/4 in headspace. Seal the jars tightly and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
- Allow the jars to fully cool on the counter.
- Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.
Enjoy!
See photos below for examples:
- First prep the peppers, blackberries, and gooseberries. *Make sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the peppers!*
- Place gooseberries in a large bowl.
- Mix 4 tsp. citric acid with 3 tbsp of water and add to the bowl of gooseberries.
- In a large stock pot, add the gooseberries, 4 tbsp of lime juice, and 4 tbsp of powder pectin.
- Heat on medium until the gooseberries boil.
- Once the gooseberries boil, add the blackberries.
- Add 5 1/2 cups of sugar to the pot and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the peppers to the pot.
- Cook until the jam begins to thicken and the sugar is fully dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. To check the consistency, dab a tiny bit of jam on a small dish and allow it to cool. You will have an idea as to how thick the jam is at that point.
- In sterilized mason jars, transfer the jam, leaving 1/4 in headspace.
- Seal the jars tightly and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
- Allow the jars to fully cool on the counter.
- Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.
Enjoy!
