Make Ahead
by: MrsWheelbarrow
May31,2011
5
2 Ratings
- Makes 16 half-pints
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Author Notes
The DC Food52'ers hive mind concocted this preserves. After making a preserves, a pickle, and a chutney, we decided to wing it and make one last preserve. Credit where credit is due - the recipe was prompted by Bonnie Benwick's sorrel blackberry syrup. From there SallyCan thought to add some zest. Linda harvested some lemon verbena from the garden. And a preserves was born. Thanks, A&M for the get together prompt. Photo by Julia Rochelle. —MrsWheelbarrow
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 2 cupswater
- 2 cupssugar
- 3 cupsblackberries
- 12 large sorrel leaves, red leaved was used, but green would work.
- 10 cupsdiced rhubarb
- 5 cupsstrawberries, hulled and left whole if small, otherwise quartered
- Juice of three lemons
- Zest of one lemon
- Large sprig of lemon verbena (about 12 leaves and some flowers)
- 6 teaspoonsCalcium water (included w/Pomono pectin)
- 3 cupssugar
- 6 teaspoonsPomona Pectin
Directions
- Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and 2 cups of sugar to a boil. Add the blackberries and sorrel leaves and crush well. Allow the mixture to steep for 30 minutes, then strain. You should have about 24 oz. of syrup.
- In a large preserving pan, mix together the rhubarb, berries, lemon juice and zest, lemon verbena.
- Stir in the syrup. Stir in the calcium water.
- Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring all the while.
- Whisk together the Pomona pectin and the sugar.
- When the preserves are at a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, add the sugar and pectin all at once.
- Stir well and continually for five minutes, bringing the mixture back to a full rolling boil.
- Most of the foam will have subsided when the jam is ready. It will look clear and shiny, and will form wrinkles on the surface after cooling for a minute or two. Use the frozen plate trick to check the set.
- To banish every speck of foam, add small pinches of butter. We added about 1 teaspoon spread out over three additions.
- Ladle into 1/2 pint jars. Wipe the rims and place sterilized lids and rings.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Tags:
- Condiment/Spread
- Fruit
- Blackberry
- Jam/Jelly
- Rhubarb
- Make Ahead
- Summer
- Gluten-Free
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Sagegreen
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aargersi
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MrsWheelbarrow
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AntoniaJames
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7 Reviews
Sagegreen May 31, 2011
Thanks for sharing the anatomy of this wonderful recipe! You must have had a wonderful time working together. Lately, I have been happy creating small batches of refrigerator preserves, but you inspire us to do real canning! Love the low sugar.
MrsWheelbarrow May 31, 2011
I usually make batches of 4-6 1/2pints. Without the fabulous talents of the rest of the group who were gathered I would never attempt something this big!
aargersi May 31, 2011
Thanks for the info both - so I use the no sugar needed Ball pectin which sounds similar but it doesn't have calcium stuff ... I will look for the pomona kind - they are supposed to be opening a WF close to my house soon ...
MrsWheelbarrow May 31, 2011
The no-sugar pectins often add apple or white grape juice and I don't necessarily want that flavor in my jam. That's what's nice about Pomona - use very little sugar, or even substitute honey and all fruit.
MrsWheelbarrow May 31, 2011
Hi Aargersi - It's really tasty preserves.! I recently did a blog post about pomona pectin http://www.mrswheelbarrow.com/2011/05/strawberry-mint-jam-with-pomona-pectin/
Essentially Pomona pectin allows you to preserve fruit using far less sugar while still getting a good set.
aargersi May 31, 2011
Yum! OK explain pomona pectin please! This sounds fantastic!
AntoniaJames May 31, 2011
It's a brand of pectin (the only kind I use . . . and I've been using it for 20 years) that allows you to use very small amounts of sugar, or honey, to sweeten, if you like. It has a two part system, involving a calcium water solution that's used during the cooking process. I buy it at Whole Foods, which is where I discovered it those many years ago. ;o)