My apron is purple-stained. :)

Apparently it's a bad year for fruit over here in Ireland. I am in two minds about this. For sure, it is a bad year for blackcurrants; as testified by my last hopeful visit to my neighbour's garden last week. Oh what a sorry, sorry sight greeted my eyes! Those lovely little bushes which, this time last year, had been absolutely laden with the little purpley fruits were scarggley and bare! Such a catastrophe! So yes, as I was saying, perhaps not such a good year for blackcurrants. But there's another black-coloured berry that is now literally taking over the hedgegrows along my lane. Yes, it's the ever-reliable, seemingly indestructible, but undeniably awesome blackberry. Has there ever been a summer in Ireland which can't categoricaly be classified as a "good" year for the blackberry? Well...not for the fifteen years I've been here, anyway. It may rain, it may hail, it might feel as if an Arctic air mass has shrouded the entire country and that buying that new pair of shades and a bikini was possibly the most impulsive and stupid decision you have ever ever made...but never mind all that; the blackberry seems to survive it all. Which is great news for cooks and jam-makers like me, of course, who, having become increasingly exasperated by the poor yield of other fruits, find much comfort, solace and yummy reassurance in the blackberry's wonderful ability to survive any kind of weather...

Now the thing is I do get rather carried away while I am picking blackberries and I end up with tubs and tubs of tubs of these gorgeous little fruits. And there's only so many apple and blackberry crumbles you can make before complaints arise about the lack of variety being offered for pudding all of a sudden...don't get me wrong, my family adore it, but variety is important in the kitchen of Ganache-Elf, and I don't approve too highly of the idea of there being nothing else being produced in the dessert line except this beloved classic. Blackberry and apple loaf cake, and apple and blackberry pie, have been made too on various occasions...but no matter how many blackberry infused cakes I make, I just always seem to be left with gram upon gram of juicy berriness which I know must be utilised for SOMETHING at all costs...

Well of course the obvious solution is to make jam...but I have had a few problems with blackberry jam in the past so I did hesitate before finally deciding to give it another try. Unlike my famous blackcurrant jam, the blackberry jam I have ever endeavoured to make has always either been too runny, too set, or just tasted...well, odd. But I made two pots of blackberry jam as an experiment the other day; and it does actually look quite promising. It's set anyway, and it's not rockhard either. I wasn't intending on opening it to see what it tasted like until I had finished off my opened jar of blackcurrant. But my curiousity as to whether it was actually edible, whether it actually tasted, well, palatable...it got the better of me. And.....(drum roll.....)....

Yes, I think it is actually berry good.  ;)

Ok no more silly jokes and more about what we did to make a successful pot of blackberry jam.

Well, I was being cautious so I went for small amounts here. I had about 450 g of fresh plumpuous blackberries, which I bunged in my big green saucepan with two tablespoons of water and a tablespoon of lemon juice. The lemon I used was going mouldy at one end, and since sugar not exactly an expensive ingredient, I felt secure in the knowledge that if my jam did turn out to be a jamn-bloody mess (sorry! sorry! couldn't resist ;) ), well at least it wasn't going to be costing my pocket too much.:)

I then brought my berries to the boil on a medium heat, stirring...well, not all of the time, but a good percentage of the time, anyway - just in case. I know jam isn't as notorious for sticking to the pan as caramel and such like, but stirring is recommended and it allows you of course to keep a good eye on it as it comes to the boil. Once boiling, I lowered the heat to low-medium and simmered for about 15 minutes, no more. The memory of my rock-hard blackberry jam that I made last year still haunts me to this very day....

Now for the sugar. In the past I always kept the ratio of sugar to blackberries equal, but on this occasion I added just a wee bit more sugar than 450 g. A little bit of extra sweetness wouldn't do any harm, I was sure. ;)

Before adding the sugar to the pan, I took the pan off the heat and then tipped it in - again, being cautious I suppose, as sugar does sometimes stick and burn, and I'm quite attached to this particular saucepan - it's another one of my Mam's; and quite a relic in itself. I quickly stirred it all in and then placed over the heat once more, brought back to the boil, and simmered for 10 minutes. And now for the moment of truth...was my jam set? 

Well, a little wrinkle appeared on my saucer, just as I had prayed for...so yes, I suppose you could say my day was jam-packed with success after all. ;) So perhaps tomorrow...I might treat myself to one of my scones out the freezer, spread thickly with plenty of my homemade blackberry jam. I might as well indulge myself after all. The hedges are yet still laden with bunch upon bunch of black glossy berries; so I suspect that this batch of blackberry jam might be the first of many. :)

summer's first batch of jam...

It's that time of year again my friends...

The sun is shining, the birds are singing...but lo and behold, there is another noise that one only really hears at this time of the year. It's the sound of Ganache-Elf picking blackcurrants. Yep, I freely admit I am no singer - but when it comes to berry-picking I just can't help myself. There is just something so, so rewarding about picking berries. Even if after a few minutes your back starts to ache and your head itches because of those pesky midges. And so while I am happily plucking and picking away and getting my hands all purple with berry juice, I often just can't resist bursting into song. You see not only is berry-picking a joy in itself...it becomes even more of a joy when you have a very special purpose in mind for those berries.

I remember it as if it were yesterday...the day I made my first batch of jam. It wasn't blackcurrant though believe it or not. My next door neighbour brought me round a huge glut of homegrown raspberries which he had been given as a gift, but didn't really want. Now I can easily eat raspberries, and strawberries for that matter, raw. I love them and could easily eat them like sweets, handful by greedy handful. I sampled a few of the plumpous fruits once my neighbour had assured me for the hundredth time he did not want them. Immediately, a burst of fruity sweet deliciousness burst forth upon my tongue. They were amazing. But...there were so many of them. And some were already going mommy and overripe. How on earth was I going eat all of these? And then...I had a brainwave. I hastily reached for my apron and wooden spoon...

And so that's how I entered into the wonderful world of jam-making. Once you've tasted homemade jam, you will want to taste it again, believe me: shopbought just can't match that fruity, sweet, irresistible flavour. I got about four pots of jam from that luscious crop of juicy raspberries. But I didn't maintain that number for long, of course. 

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make raspberry jam since then. If raspberries were cheap and easy to get hold of, of course, then I would be making it by the bucketful: but in Ireland, unfortunately, this is not the case, and if one were to go out and buy the required quantity of raspberries for a few batches of jam, well, let's just say the shopping bill wouldn't come out exactly cheap, anyway. But...don't worry, all was not lost. Unbeknownst to me, my neighbour has had, for a few years, a load of berry bushes growing rather haphazardly in his back garden...not raspberries or strawberries, no, but blueberries, gooseberries, and, best of all...blackcurrants.

Now raw blackcurrants are nothing special, it is true...but, when made correctly with the correct quantity of sugar they make the most beautiful, beautiful jam. On lamenting the fact that I was unable to commence with any more jam production due to lack of suitable fruit, my wonderful neighbour thoughtfully enlightened me on his own berry bushes, telling me he was uncertain as to whether I could utilise any of those for further jam making. My heart skipped a beat. Blackcurrant jam...now that would be something. Next to raspberry, it is most definitely my favourite flavour of jam...and absolutely nothing could possibly rival it for spreading on toast, dolloping on rice pudding, or smothering lavishly over scones, teacakes, buns, and such like.

And so what started off as an experimental endeavour in order to try and use up a glut of extra fruit developed into a yearly ritual for Ganache-Elf. Yes, I did indeed hurry out to pick those blackcurrants - a process which in itself cannot be completed in a hurry, but, as I've outlined above, is for me a pleasure rather than a chore, despite the scratchiness and the acheing and the risk of embarassing oneself due to the poor quality of one's own singing. Anyway, to return to the point, I picked the berries at my lesiure, returned to the kitchen, and set about making my first batch of blackcurrant jam...and yes, since that summer - I'd say it was abbout three years ago, at a guess - I have been making blackcurrant jam every year. And have been blissfully happy in doing so; as I have been equally as satisfied with the results.

Ok ok ok.....if you are like, really really houseproud (or sorry, perhaps kitchen proud would be a more suitable term here.) perhaps jam-making is not for you. It's soooo messy, well blackcurrant jam is anyway. As you can see from the pic above. It spits when it's cooking for one thing, splattering the walls (and you, quite possibly, so please, do wear an apron as the stains are annoyingly difficult to get rid off once they're there) and the hob and anything else that happens to be in firing range as it does so. And when it comes to pouring into the jars...well, I find it easier to transfer the mixture into a jug first, then into the sterilised jars...but still, all in all it still is pretty messy and by the time you're done chances are your kitchen surfaces will look as if a three-year-old was attempting to paint them purple or something. 

But please, please, please, if you can, don't let thoughts of sticky treacley messiness put you off making your own blackcurrant jam. Honestly, it really is worth all that scrubbing and cleaning and fairy washing-up liquid that will be required afterwards...and not only that, jam-making is so fun. There's something wonderfully theraputic about it all - apart from actually picking the berries themselves, the stirring and the labelling of the jars and so forth. jam makes great gifts, too - along with cakes, a little pot of my homemade jam always makes a very welcome gift amongst my friends and family. It's funny, but even though of course I can only make it during the summer when the berries make themselves available, I've become almost as "famous" for my jam as I am for my baking. And, just like baking...jam-making need not remain an unfathomable mystery to you. And as the jam-maker, you and only you can reserve the right to clean the saucepan and measuring jug once your jam is jarred and safely sealed...oh yes, there is something extremely theraputic about jam-making, indeed. ;)

Anyway, I think it is only right I share with you my recipe for my favourite ever jam :) it makes about 4 small pots, but can be easilt doubled or tripled if you are lucky enough to have that many berries at your disposal. 

• 450 g blackcurrants
• 1 kg granulated sugar
• 1 pint/300 ml (or a teency bit less...,it's no exact science ;)water.

First wash your berries and remove any stalks. Do try when you are picking the berries to pluck them off the bushes without taking the stalks off too, because then it makes it very tedious and irritating to have to pick them off at a later stage. Pop them into a big saucepan with the pint of water and then bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring well every now and again - you don't have to do it continuously, but don't leave it unattended, that said. I usually multi-task when I'm jam-making - I might be icing buns or something, say, while at the same time I can still stop to tend to the jam. Put a little saucer in the freezer.

When the berries are boiling, turn down the heat to low-medium and simmer for half an hour, stirring every now and again as before. Once the 30 mins are up add the sugar, bring to the boil once more, and simmer for another 10 minutes. 

Now for the setting test. I am sure jam-makers are well familiar with this, but just in case you aren't let me just briefly explain. That little saucer you put in the freezer is not only a useful way of cooling down a jam sample so you can taste it for yourself you see. ;p) no, this is what is going to help you to determine whether your jam is set or not. Put a small blob of jam on this saucer and then wait a minute before pushing it gently with your finger. Can you see a little "wrinkle" on the surface of the jam blob as you push it? If you can, this means your jam is ready! :)But if not...simmer it again for a few minutes and then try again.

And then once you're happy enough...pour the jam into a big measuring jug (the messy part ;) ), and then pour into the sterilised jars (I sterilise my jars by washing them in really hot soapy water, drying them and then heating them for about 20 minutes in the oven at 120c.) They don't need to go into the fridge until they're opened. One they're opened, the jam does keep in the fridge in its jar for a good few weeks, so don't worry too much about that. But once opened it never lasts that long anyway. ;)