Mixed Berry Jam

My go to jam when there's nothing interesting in season

Around this time of year there always seems to be a bit of a lull when you can’t get your hands on any interesting seasonal fruit, forced rhubarb is coming out of season but summer fruits aren’t quite ready yet and I’m left feeling slightly bored and uninspired. Luckily for me frozen fruit exists. Of course you can use whichever frozen fruit you like but I love to make jam with mixed frozen berries, these usually contain a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and sometimes some other bits and bobs and they’re SO much more affordable than buying frozen raspberries or strawberries plus I like the gamble of not knowing exactly what I’m going to get. These mixed berries are usually a bit more acidic due to the redcurrants which are really sour and have a strong flavour, both of which make a great jam!

Mixed Berry Jam

Ingredients

1kg frozen mixed berries

400g caster sugar

5g pectin mixed with 10g sugar

• Combine the frozen berries with the sugar and leave this mixture for at least 3 hours to macerate or until the berries are fully defrosted.

• Once all of the sugar has dissolved put onto a medium/high heat and bring to the boil.

• When the jam is boiling, shower in the pectin/sugar mixture whilst whisking, this will help stop any lumps of pectin forming.

• Reduce the heat to low and cook for at least an hour, stirring intermittently.

• When all of the berries have broken down and the jam has thickened (around 104°C/219°F), remove from the heat, and decant into sterilised jars.