Seedless Red Currant Jam

Prepared with summer fresh berries, sugar, and water, Seedless Red Currant Jam is one of my favourite ways to preserve those juicy, red berries! This recipe is very easy and you can easily reduce the number of jars it makes by dividing the ingredient amounts. Additionally, if you don’t mind jam with seeds, you can skip the straining part!

It’s been almost six years since we bought an old home in eastern, rural Ontario. We took ownership at the very beginning of summer. Nothing had bloomed yet. As summer progressed, we were surprised to find apple trees, rhubarb, and my favourite, red currants, because who doesn’t love a homemade Seedless Red Currant Jam!?

I used to pick as much as we could eat, but a couple summers back, we had a huge infestation of caterpillars which unfortunately, wreaked havoc on the red currant bushes. They never did recover. Early last spring, John.e cut them down. We still have some bushes doing well at the very back of our garden, but I won’t go back there because I’m sure there are snakes back there! I’m hoping to transplant them this year.

In the meantime, I found a local farm near here that sells freshly picked red currants. I bought so many of them last year, I ended up freezing 16 cups of them. I used those frozen currants to make this jam.

RED OR BLACK CURRANTS, GOOSEBERRIES TOO!

If you don’t have access to red currants, you can use black currants. Because currants and gooseberries are very much alike and often mistaken for each other, you can use gooseberries too.

If you don’t know the difference, there’s one very easy way to tell if you have a currant or gooseberry tree. Where red and black currant bushes are thorn-free, gooseberry bushes are not. They have small thorns, so you need to be a little careful when harvesting. Wearing gloves and a long sleeve shirt will keep you from getting scratched.

Gooseberries are often larger than currants. This will depend on many things such as exposure to the sun, how old the bushes are, how fertile the soil might be, etc. Gooseberries also have a little brown stick-like tail at the bottom of each berry. Those usually fall right off when you wash the berries.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Red Currants – If you don’t have red currants, you can use black currants or even gooseberries. The colour will be different, of course, but the taste will be great!
• Sugar
• Water
• Lemon Juice – It’s best to use bottled lemon juice rather than freshly squeezed lemon juice when preparing any recipe for canning purposes.

HOW TO MAKE SEEDLESS RED CURRANT JAM

Transfer the washed and rinsed fresh red currants to a pot. If using frozen red currants, they will most likely have been washed and rinsed before freezing, so there is no need to do it again. Add the water to the pot and turn the heat to medium. Once the berries and water start to simmer, cook gently for 2 hours, stirring often. Turn off the heat and allow the cooked berries to cool for 30 minutes.

Once cooled, strain the berry mixture through a fine mesh seive or through a double layer of cheesecloth. Once strained, measure the volume of liquid before transferring it back to the pot. Depending on how juicy your currants are, you can get 8 cups of juice. If you get more juice or less, remember to use half the amount of sugar. For example, if you yielded 8 cups of juice, you will need to use 4 cups of sugar. Transfer the strained juice to a clean pot and add the sugar and lemon juice. Over medium-high heat, cook, stirring often, until the jam comes to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 5 minutes.

Next, ladle the jam into jars and water bath can them for 10 minutes. (See the full blog post for clear instructions on how to water bath can the jam.

RED CURRANT RECIPES

With so many red currants, I’ve been thinking about what to do with them all. The obvious answer is jam, there’s only so much jam one can make and store. Currently, our pantry has a good supply of homemade jams, including: blueberry, cherry, apricot, strawberry, and rhubarb. And just two days ago, I added seven jars of homemade marmalade!

Last year, I made Red Currant Yogurt Muffins, a Red Currant Cake, some Red Currant Crumb Bars, and of course Red Currant Jam. I wanted to make some different recipes this year so that I could increase my collection of currant recipes. This Red Currant Refresher is one of them.

This week, I posted a Red Currant Lemon Loaf, which is not only beautiful, but very delicious. I also experimented with making sauces and you’re going to love what I’ve come up with! Rather than just make jam with the rest, I froze a lot of berries. Now, how will I use up the berries still on the bushes? I have to harvest them. My mom used to always say “waste not, want not,” so I simply cannot let them fall to the ground and go to waste!

HOW TO WATER BATH CAN

STEP 1: PREPARING THE JARS

Some canners say that if you need to boil the jars longer than 10 minutes, then you don’t need to sterilize the jars. I say no! Canning is not as simple and as cheap as frying an egg. It takes time, and an investment if you don’t already have the equipment. Eliminate any risk whatsoever by always sterilizing your jars. It’s easy to do and this Seedless Red Currant Jam deserves nothing less! Wash the jars in hot, soapy water. Rinse the jars well under running water to get rid of any soap residue.

Transfer the jars to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Using a jar wrench/lifter, lift the jars out of the water, tilting to pour out the water. Be careful; it’s hot! Stand the jar up onto a baking sheet. Once all of the jars are on the baking sheet, place them into your preheated oven at 200 degrees F. This will keep them hot and away from any contamination.

STEP 2: PREPARING THE SEALS AND RINGS

Mason jars are equipped with three parts. The first is the jar. The second and third parts combine to form the lid. The flat disc with the rubber ring on the bottom is the seal. Finally, the circular part that actually screws onto the jar is called a screw band. Depending on the brand or the recipe you’re reading, the names of these things can vary. But, they all do the same thing.

The screw bands never come in contact with the food, so they do not need to be washed or sterilized. But, because I want to eliminate any risk of contamination, I make sure they’re clean. After all, they have been sitting in a warehouse before they got to the store, and then finally, to me. That’s too many germs for my comfort level! I wash them in hot, soapy water, rinse them well, and transfer them to a bowl until I need them. The sealing disk/sealing ring needs a little more consideration.

If you look at the bottom of the lid, you will see a reddish-brown rubber ring. It’s attached to the lid. This ring has a huge job! It is pretty much in charge of keeping your food safe for long-term storage. Place the lids into a glass bowl. I like to separate them so that they are not all stacked. When I’m ready to ladle the food into the jars, I pour a kettle of boiling water over the lids so that they are sterile and the rubber band softens. That’s it. You have now prepared your jars. Next, we need to get the canner ready!

STEP 3: PREPARING THE CANNER

You can buy a canning pot, but you don’t have to do that. Any stock pot will do just fine. Be sure that the pot is tall enough to hold enough water so that your jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Fill the canning pot accordingly. Also, be sure to insert a canning rack or mat into the bottom of your pot. If you buy a canning pot it will come with one. Otherwise, you can buy them for any pot size. Never let your jars touch the bottom of the pot when boiling. They could easily break. Once you’ve done this, bring the water to a full boil.

In most cases, if you’re new to canning, you might notice some white residue on the jars of Seedless Red Currant Jam after all is said and done. This can easily be cleaned off once the jars are cool. A few tablespoons of white vinegar in the boiling water helps to eliminate most of it. I use it every single time.

Lastly, it’s always a good idea to keep a kettle of boiling water close by. Depending on how many jars you need to process, you might have to boil them in batches. You will be surprised at how quickly rapidly boiling water can evaporate. Having a kettle of boiling water will allow you to easily top up the canning pot without altering the temperature of the water.

STEP 4: FILLING THE JARS

Depending on the recipe, filling the jars is quite easy. Having some inexpensive equipment on hand can make this process much easier. Invest in a canning funnel. It will help you ladle the food into the jars without making a mess. Also, it’s imperative to keep the rim of the jar clean to ensure a good seal. You will also need a bubble remover. You can buy these, but I’m not a fan of them. A clean wooden chopstick does the same thing. Removing bubbles will prevent mold from growing.

Lastly, you will need a magnetic lid lifter. Remember how I said the flat sealing lids will be submerged into a bowl of boiling water? Well, you can’t just pick them up with your hands. First of all, it’s hot! Secondly, you will want to eliminate the risk of any contamination. Do not touch the underside of the lid. Period! Using a magnetic lid lifter will allow you to pick up the lid and position it right onto the rim of the jar without ever touching it.

Finally, you will need to screw on the metal screw bands. In most cases, the food in the jars is scalding hot, so you can’t touch the jars to tighten the lids. But, that’s a good thing! You should never over tighten the lids. Place the screw band over the jar and tighten it with one hand. It should be snug, not tight. Now, that’s it! You’re ready to boil these jars!

STEP 5: BOILING THE JARS OF FOOD

Carefully lift the jars straight up using a jar wrench/lifter. Lower the jar into the pot of boiling water. Fill the canning pot with jars in this manner. Don’t jam the jars in; leave a little bit of space between the jars. I aim for about a centimeter or a finger’s width. Remember, you can process the jars in batches.

Once the canning pot is loaded, place a lid on the pot, and start your timer according to the recipe you are following. If the water is not at a full boil, do not start timing until it is! When the time is up, use the jar wrench to lift the jars straight up out of the water. Transfer the jars to a flat surface that has been lined with a few layers of kitchen towels. Allow the jars to fully cool – at least 24 hours! Finally, wipe the jars down, label them with contents and date, and store them into a cool, dark cupboard or pantry.

Some people remove the screw bands after the jars have cooled for 24 hours. I remove them just to check if there is a good seal. I put them back on once I’ve checked. It’s up to you if you want to leave them off. If you notice that a jar has not sealed, you can either discard it, or refrigerate it for immediate consumption. Only do so if you are 100% sure the food has not been compromised and that it is safe to eat.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!