Gooseberry Jam

I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t make jam from something. Strawberries fresh from the garden are always a good candidate. Blueberries bursting in the kitchen is a fabulous smell. But ever since I convinced my cousin that planting gooseberries was a good idea, she’s had more than she can handle—and I’m happy to take the surplus off her hands.

Gooseberries are a great candidate for making jam. You can use them early in the season before they’re fully ripe to make a tighter, tarter jam. Before gooseberries fully ripen, they contain a lot of pectin, and that helps your jam set quickly.

The early-season jam is one way to go. But my, oh, my, when the gooseberries are ripe almost to bursting (and sometimes they do burst from so much juiciness and sweetness) they make amazing jam. Don’t tell your friends how easy it is to make!

I like to make jam whenever I have extra fruit that needs to be eaten. With gooseberries, I get an early-season, not-quite-ripe batch and then a perfectly ripe batch. It lets me experiment. If you’re planning on planting gooseberries, put this on your list of things to make. It will be fun to compare the flavors—if you can put them up in the pantry and wait a while before you crack open the jars. Gooseberry jam will brighten up breakfasts, especially when colder weather sets in.

Gooseberry Jam

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Jam is a great comfort food. It’s perfect for breakfast or brunch; on toast or scones; and as a delicious dessert topping. Make some gooseberry jam to have on hand in the winter, when you’re looking forward to the next summer’s harvest! Try this small batch recipe, and scale up once you get the taste you like. Note: For this recipe, you need a boiling water bath canner.

• Author: Norann Oleson
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 12 ounces 1x
• Category: Breakfast

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 ounces gooseberries, trimmed (topped and tailed)
• 8 ounces sugar
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Prep a boiling water bath canner and a 12-ounce jar.
2. Put the water, sugar, and lemon juice into a saucepan.
3. Bring the water to a gentle boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Add the gooseberries and boil on medium-high heat until all the gooseberries pop. Add more water if necessary.
5. Once all the gooseberries have popped, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken the mixture.
6. Taste the jam and adjust sugar/lemon balance to your preference.
7. Pour jam into the prepared jar.
8. Wipe the rim, tighten the lid and ring, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
9. Let the jar cool completely, then store in the fridge.

Have you tried this recipe? It’s an easy but elegant jam—please tell us how it turned out for you.