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3:30 pm
3rd Grader
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Hi has anyone else made hedgerow jam this year? Managed to find sloes, hips, haws, blackberries and elderberries but had to substitute crab apples with Bramleys. Also no wild rowan berries and didn't feel I could pick the ones on the council owned road verge! Lovely flavour but very dissapointed in the set as more like a conserve than a jam. Having problems getting my jams to setting point on my Aga despite being at full temperature. Anyone else have that problem?
Maureen
4:07 pm
Hi Maureen
You are the first person to comment on our new forum 🙂
I think that's one of the few drawbacks about having an AGA. We don't have an AGA, unfortunately.
You could try adding some lemon juice to get a better set and/or some pectin. I've seen it on sale in the supermarket beside the sugar.
Hope that helps.
Fiona
4:26 pm
3rd Grader
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Thanks Fiona
Will give that a try on my next batch of jam - into chutneys at the moment....
New forum looks great. Have visited your site as a guest many times but have now become member and looking forward to exchanging ideas etc with others.
Maureen
7:57 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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I use my microwave normally to make jam, it seems to work. Jam in our house doesn't last long, I freeze fruit down and get it out in small batches to make into jam.
Joanna
11:16 am
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Hi- I have made gooseberry and greengage jams this year using my aga.I think you may need to raise the temperature of your aga a little a few hours before starting to get it up to temperature and lower it again afterwards. I have found that the jams did take longer to set but it did work in the end!
6:44 pm
3rd Grader
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Thanks JaneH
My plum jam, made on Sunday, was a disaster. I love my Aga but...... The Aga gauge said it was up to temperature but I will try your suggestion and crank it up. Can I re-boil the plum 'jam' (it really is an insult to jam makers to call it that) and try to get it to setting point again or possibly add some pectin as fn suggested?
My Hedgerow jam reached a conserve consistency and will not last long the way 'the husband' is devouring it! Very pleased with it as it is a brilliant flavour and colour and great with scones. Would like to make more as have plenty more fruit with exception of elderberries which seem to be in short supply around here but it is very time consuming to prepare. Will need to get out tomorrow for more hedgerow harvesting as the ominous sound of the farmer hedge cutting has been heard all day.
More plums arriving from friends on Thursday so think will stick to the websites plum chutney recipe rather than jam!
Must go and check on the apple and blackberry crumble........ Catch you all later.
Maureen
1:16 pm
Enthusiast
Wed 23-Sep-09
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When I made my two lots of wild damson (or wild plum) jam this year I followed the advice of someone I know from another forum, which was to boil up the damsons, then let them cool, store overnight in fridge, then wear rubber gloves to remove the stones. She said that leaving the stones in the cooked jam would get lots of pectin from the stones.
I didn't add any pectin, or use jamming sugar with pectin added, and, though I say it myself, it was very good and set beautifully.
I'd guess that this would be effective with any plum jam - I've gathered that plums are one of the fruits that shouldn't need extra pectin.
David
4:25 pm
Improver
Tue 18-Aug-09
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I made plum jam this morning and as the plums were a bit ripe I used some home made pectin extract as per the Allotment site (can't remember address right now!). It has set beautifully. Used the wild plums I found for 1 batch jam and 1 batch FN's chutney and it is gorgeous. Have another batch of chutney made with eating plums in the slow cooker as I type, gently bubbling away.
11:54 pm
Enthusiast
Wed 23-Sep-09
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Does anyone have experience of jelly made of rose hips, haws, rowan berries or mixes of the above?
They are all plentiful right now, but are they nice? Last time I had any rose hip jelly was when I was a kid, and I don't remember how good it was. The others I've never tried.
There are still some blackberries about, so I'm wondering whether to make some make some more of that, because I know it's good, or try one of the others.
If you were going to make just one of blackberry, rose hip, haw or rowan, which would it be?
David
9:08 am
I make a delicate rosehip (and apple) jelly each year. The recipe is here
https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/rosehip-and-appl.....-recipe-60
I've not tried haws or rowan berries yet.
Blackberry and apple jelly is also a favourite.
11:45 am
3rd Grader
Mon 21-Sep-09
Offline
Hi David
Made Hedgerow Jam this year which I am sure you could adapt for jelly. It had a fantastic flavour. Comes from the WI recipe book for Jams, Pickles and Chutneys. I couldn't get rowan berries but did use sloes, blackberries and cooking apples (as substitute for crab apples). Sure you could use any combination of hedgerow fruit. Recipe as follows:
8oz rose hips
8oz haws
8oz rowan berries
8oz sloes
1lb crab apples (or cooking apples)
1lb blackberries
1lb elderberries
4oz hazelnuts, chopped
2lb sugar plus equivalent to weight of sieved liquid
1. Wash and clean all fruit well. Put rose hips, haws, rowan berries, sloes and apples in large preserving pan and add water to cover. Cook until fruit is tender – about 1 hour.
2. Sieve the fruits and weigh the resulting liquid. Put liquid back into preserving pan and add blackberries, elderberries and chopped nuts. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add the 2lb sugar plus as much extra sugar as the weight of the sieved liquid. Cook over a low heat to dissolve the sugar and then boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Remove any scum.
4. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and label.
Makes about 5lb.
I used varying amounts of the above fruit but with the same total weight of 5lb fruit
If making a jelly would suggest taking to end of Stage 1, then add the blackberries and elderberries,(omitting the nuts?) for further 15 minutes simmering. Then strain through muslin or jelly bag. Add 1lb sugar to each pint of juice and heat gently until sugar dissolved. Then boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Pot and seal.
Good luck and let us know what you decide to make and how it turns out.
Maureen
6:33 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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I made Rowan jelly many moons ago and it was lovely sharp rich flavour perfect with pork.
Joanna
6:37 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Growing up as a youngster, I always thought (or was warned) that rowan berries were poisonous.
Now I must locate a tree and try some.
Never knowingly underfed
8:12 pm
Enthusiast
Wed 23-Sep-09
Offline
I understand that rowan berries are poisonous when raw. I did try one once, though, and it was disgusting when raw. Spat it out. Still alive
David
8:17 pm
Enthusiast
Wed 23-Sep-09
Offline
JoannaS said:
I made Rowan jelly many moons ago and it was lovely sharp rich flavour perfect with pork.
Joanna
Thanks Maureen. I got haws today, so they are next on the agenda. I've done enough cooking today - dinner for today and tomorrow, and blackberry and apple muffins and a cake with wjat was left of the muffin mix.
My plan is, being very new to this, is to try the jellies with just the single fruit (and apple when in the recipe first) and then start blending when I know the flavours.
David
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