Currants, members of the gooseberry family, are small berries that grow in clusters on bushes that can range from two to six feet in height. The berries ripen in mid-summer to a bright and almost translucent red. Though small, these delicate tart berries are filled with fiber and pectin and are an excellent choice for homemade red currant jelly.
To harvest this bountiful fruit, simply pick the entire cluster and either freeze them to make jelly at a later date, or make jelly immediately.
Red Currant Jelly Recipe Using Juice
Ingredients You Will Need:
6 ½ cups prepared currant juice
7 cups sugar
1 packet powdered fruit pectin
Follow the directions on the powdered pectin package completely. Do not deviate from the measurements, as that may result in jelly that will not set.
Though gooseberries contain a lot of pectin, you don't want to take chances with your jelly not setting. To make sure your jelly sets, use some form of pectin. If you don't have any commercial pectin available, try using some of the unripe and ripe currants. Currants that are at the just-under-ripe stage are highest in pectin, but their flavor will not yet have reached its peak.
Red Currant Jelly Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
5 pounds red currant
6 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup water
4 ounces liquid pectin
Using a heavy-bottomed deep saucepan, crush the currants, one layer at a time. Add between ½ and one full cup of water-enough to bring the contents to a full rolling boil. Reduce the heat and allow the currants to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Immediately pour the hot berries and juice into a colander lined with cheesecloth and strain. It may take all day to strain fully. Do not force the juice through the cheesecloth because pulp will escape and your jelly will be cloudy. After you have strained between 4 ½ to 6 cups of juice, discard the seeds and pulp.
Measure five cups of juice and bring to a boil. Add the liquid pectin and the sugar and bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Remove from the heat and skim the foam. Ladle the bright red jelly into clean, sterilized pint and half-pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Adjust the sterilized lids and rings and place the jelly jars into a canner filled with hot water. The water should be at least one to two inches over the top of the jars. Bring the water to a full rolling boil for ten minutes.
Remove the jelly from the hot water bath, secure the rings and set the jars on a folded towel to cool, away from drafts. Make sure the jars are spaced at least one to two inches apart.
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