You only need two ingredients to make gooseberry jam, three if you include water. But if you make it when elderflowers are fresh and blooming, add some of those to give a subtle but pleasant floral note and fragrance. It’s an easy jam to make and it’s full of summer flavour. And the bonus? It’s relatively low in sugar too.
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It’s elderflower season once again, only this time I also have a crop of gooseberries to accompany them. Since we took on our allotment, the gooseberries have been reluctant to fruit. And guess what? The birds got to the few fruits we did have before we could pick them.
But this year, we have a bumper crop. I decided to harvest half of them whilst they’re still green and decidedly unripe. Unripe gooseberries make an easy to set and delicious tart jam. But more importantly I wanted to get in before the birds did.
I’m hoping that by the time I get up to the allotment next week, the berries will be riper and the birds have left us some.
Dive Right In
- Why Make Gooseberry Jam?
- What Are Gooseberries Anyway?
- Can You Freeze Gooseberries And Make Jam Later?
- How Much Sugar Do You Need To Make Gooseberry Jam?
- How To Make Gooseberry Jam With Optional Elderflower
- Other Gooseberry Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Why Make Gooseberry Jam?
I love preserving produce I’ve grown in our allotment. It prolongs the taste of the season, makes good use of gluts and generally gives me a feeling of satisfaction. There are lots of good reasons, however, to preserve food. Here are a few reasons why you might want to make gooseberry jam.
- Budget Friendly – If you grow your own gooseberries or find a bargain when they’re in season, making your own gooseberry jam is likely to be more cost-effective than buying commercial versions. It will almost certainly be nicer.
- Easy Preserves – Gooseberry jam is one of the easiest jams to make. Gooseberries are full of natural pectin, so it’s easy to reach setting point. Ending up with fruit sauce rather than jam is always disappointing. If you’ve never made jam before, this is a good one to start with.
- Homemade Gifts – Gooseberry jam is a lovely way to show your appreciation to friends and family. The addition of elderflowers adds an extra touch of elegance and sophistication. Label the jar, tie a ribbon and card around it and you’re good to go.
- Homemade Goodness – Making jam from scratch gives you control over the ingredients you use. You can choose to go organic if you like, locally sourced or use your own homegrown gooseberries, if you’re lucky enough to have some. You can also control the amount of sugar in the jam and avoid any additives or preservatives.
- Taste Of Summer – The gooseberry season is relatively short, but turning those gooseberries into jam allows you to capture the flavour and freshness of this tart summer fruit. You can then enjoy the taste throughout the year. Adding elderflowers makes it even more summery. They elevate the flavour profile and provide a more complex and interesting taste experience.
- Versatile – There’s more ways to use gooseberry jam than just spreading it on toast, although that’s probably my favourite way to eat it. It adds bursts of fruity flavour to all sorts of dishes.
- Enjoy it with scones and cream for a classic English afternoon tea.
- Swirl it into yogurt, porridge, semolina or rice pudding.
- Use it as a filling for pastries such as these jam tarts or these jam turnovers.
- Pair it with cheese. This works particularly well if you make the jam nice and tart.
- Fill a sponge cake with it or use it to make jammy flapjacks.
What Are Gooseberries Anyway?
Gooseberries, or goosegogs as I grew up calling them, are tart edible fruit that grow on thorny shrubs in the Ribes family. They’re much bigger than most other berries including the closely related blackcurrants and redcurrants. They mostly have a tart and acidic flavour and taste similar to sour kiwi fruit. There are several dessert varieties though that are much sweeter.
CT tells me that the UK is the headquarters of gooseberry diversity. Turns out we have many hundreds of varieties. Who knew? Competitions to grow the biggest fruit were rife in the north of England backalong and some of them still exist today.
Gooseberries come in a variety of colours, from white to green to yellow to pink to red to purple. The most common types grown and sold are green. They’re particularly high in pectin, especially when slightly unripe. This makes them perfect candidates for making jam.
They’re often used to make jams, pies, puddings and drinks. However, they also make a good sauce for oily fish, traditionally mackerel. And the sweeter dessert varieties are best eaten raw. They pair particularly well with elderflower.
Like so much British fruit, gooseberries have a short season. Here in the UK, they’re ready for picking in June and July. Gooseberries are not that easy to find in supermarkets, though some stock them. If you don’t grow your own though, the best bet is to go to a ‘pick your own’ farm or try a farmer’s market.
If you really can’t find any, don’t worry. You can make gooseberry jam from frozen gooseberries.
Can You Freeze Gooseberries And Make Jam Later?
Yes, you can freeze gooseberries and then use them to make jam at a time of your choosing.
The good news is that you don’t need to cook them before freezing. Just like blackcurrants they freeze well in their raw state. Remove the stems and blossom ends first, then wash to remove any debris. Dry using a colander, a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. They don’t need to be bone dry, just try to get rid of as much water as you can.
Pack into suitable sized freezer bags, seal and freeze. They will keep well for at least three months. Then cook straight from frozen.
How Much Sugar Do You Need To Make Gooseberry Jam?
In order for preserves to have the name jam attached to them in the UK, the finished jam must consist of at least 60% sugar. This includes any natural fruit sugars. Lots of recipes call for equal amounts of sugar and fruit, but how much you really need depends on how much pectin your chosen fruit contains. I tend to opt for the lower end of the spectrum.
This gooseberry and elderflower jam is made with a 3:5 ratio of sugar to jam. So for 500g of gooseberries, I use 300g sugar. The result is quite a tart jam, but it’s full of flavour. I doubt it would pass muster as the name jam if I tried selling it. But it tastes like jam, looks like jam and keeps well. If you prefer something sweeter, add another 50-100g sugar. Be warned though, it will set faster.
If you have more or less gooseberries than the amount I’ve given in the recipe, you’ll need to add more or less sugar, accordingly.
The minimum amount of sugar needed for my gooseberry jam is 60g sugar per 100g fruit.
- 300g fruit = 180g sugar
- 400g fruit = 240g sugar
- 500g fruit = 300g sugar
- 600g fruit = 360g sugar
- 700g fruit = 420g sugar
- 800g fruit = 480g sugar
- 900g fruit = 540s sugar
- 1kilo fruit = 600g sugar
If you use ripe gooseberries your jam should be sweet enough with the amount given in the recipe card at the end of this post. But as always, taste test as you go along so you get the balance of sweet to tart that you’re looking for.
How To Make Gooseberry Jam With Optional Elderflower
There’s something a bit special about gooseberry jam. It’s one of the easiest jams to make as it has a high pectin content, especially if you use underripe gooseberries. This means it doesn’t take much boiling to reach setting point.
But the miracle is the change in colour. Start with green gooseberries and you’ll end up with anything from golden to pink or even red jam.
You can make this jam with or without the elderflower. Elderflowers just give it a more complex floral note which complement the gooseberries nicely. You can also make this jam with ripe gooseberries. The resulting jam will be pink in colour and sweeter in taste, though it might take longer to set.
For more on elderflowers, head to my posts for elderflower champagne and elderflower cordial respectively.
Step 1. Prepare Fruit
Remove the stems and blossom ends on the gooseberries. I pinch them out with my finger and thumb, but you may find it easier to use scissors.
Give the gooseberries a quick wash in cold water to remove any debris.
In order to test the jam for setting point you’ll need a cold saucer. Two make the job even easier. Place them in the freezer now.
Step 2. Cook Gooseberries (And Optional Elderflowers)
Place the gooseberries in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Use a preserving pan if you have one. Add the water. Place the elderflowers, if using, upside down on top of the gooseberries, so that the heads touch the gooseberries and the stalks are sticking up.
Bring the water to the boil, place a lid on the pan (if you have one), then simmer until the gooseberries are soft.
Leave the pan alone for a few minutes, then take off the lid and remove the elderflowers using their stalks. Add them to your compost heap. If you’re not using elderflowers, skip this step.
Step 3. Make Jam
Pour the sugar into the pan and stir until it’s dissolved.
Turn the heat back on and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. You’ll need a high heat for this. Boil for ten minutes, then test to see if it’s reached setting point.
Remove the pan from the heat so that it doesn’t overset. Take one of the saucers out of the freezer and place a teaspoonful of the jam on the saucer.
Leave it for thirty seconds or so, then push your finger slowly through it. If it wrinkles, it’s ready. If not, place the jam pan back on the heat and boil until setting point is reached. I tend to test every two minutes.
Keep rotating the saucers so that you always have a really cold one to use.
Top Tips
You can tell when jam is near its setting point as the initial vigorous, frothy rolling boil transitions to a gentler, calmer one. The presence of tiny air bubbles dissipate, leaving behind a glossy surface and the consistency of the mixture becomes noticeably thicker.
If you prefer to use a thermometer to test for set, then it needs to reach 105℃ (220°F).
Pot Up Jam
When your jam has reached setting point, leave it for a couple of minutes to settle off the heat. Remove any scum that’s formed with a metal spoon.
Then using a sterilised ladle and jam funnel, ladle the jam into sterilised jars. Screw sterilised lids on straight away, then leave the jars to cool.
Label the jars and place in a cool dark cupboard. The jam should keep for at least six months. Once opened, it’s best to store it in the fridge.
I made three 250 ml (8.4 fl oz) jars of gooseberry and elderflower jam using the recipe below.
Top Tips
If you double the recipe or use ripe berries, it will take a bit longer for the jam to set, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look anywhere like setting in the first eight minutes. Just keep boiling until you reach setting point.
Beware of jam sugar, it has added pectin. You don’t need it for this recipe and you’ll likely end up with a very tough jam if you use it.
Other Gooseberry Recipes You Might Like
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this gooseberry jam, with or without the elderflower, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for jam making?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more jam recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Gooseberry Jam. PIN IT.
Gooseberry Jam With Optional Elderflower
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g gooseberries slightly underripe are ideal, but not necessary
- 200 ml water
- 4-5 heads elderflower optional
- 300 g granulated sugar can use preserving sugar instead, but NOT jam sugar (I use golden granulated sugar)
Instructions
- Before you start with the jam, place two saucers in the freezer. You'll need these to test for when the jam is set. Wash your jars and place in the oven to sterilise. For details check this post how to sterilise glass jars and bottles.
- Top and tail the gooseberries. You can pinch them off with finger and thumb or use scissors. Give them a quick wash in water to remove any debris.
- Put the gooseberries and water into a large wide stainless steel saucepan. Place the elderflower heads on top of the gooseberries, heads down, stalks up.500 g gooseberries, 200 ml water, 4-5 heads elderflower
- Bring to the boil, place a lid on the pan (if you have one), then simmer for five minutes or until the gooseberries are soft.
- Take the gooseberries off the heat and remove the elderflower heads using the stalk. Pour in the sugar and stir until it's completely dissolved.300 g granulated sugar
- Crank up the heat and bring the gooseberries to a rolling boil. Boil until setting point is reached. This usually takes between eight to twelve minutes. Start to test after eight minutes.
- To test, remove the pan from the heat so it doesn't overset. Place a teaspoon of jam on one of the cold saucers. Leave it for thirty seconds or so, then push your finger slowly through it. If it wrinkles, it's set. If it remains runny with no wrinkles, continue boiling until you get there. Alternatively, use a thermometer and boil until it reaches 105℃/220°F.
- Remove from the heat. If any scum has formed on the top, scoop it off with a slotted spoon and discard. Let rest for two minutes, then stir.
- Using a ladle and jam funnel, pour into warm sterilised jars. Cap immediately with clean sterilised lids and twist tight.
- Leave to cool then label with the date and type of jam.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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Jo says
Thank you for such a detailed recipe and the helpful sugar to fruit ratios. All very handy for a jam novice. I’m bookmarking this recipe to try. When I moved house at the end of last year I discovered I had inherited a gooseberry and elderberry tree so I’m keen to expend my jam horizons.
Choclette says
What fabulous plants to inherit. Hope you get a good crop of gooseberries for your first year. And good luck with the jam too. Gooseberry is a really good one to start with as it’s so easy to set. My recipe is a low sugar one, so if you prefer something a bit sweeter, it’s fine to add more sugar.