French Black Currant Jelly Recipe

To Clean

1. Collect black currants or purchase them.
2. Wash them in clear water and add a dash of regular vinegar to kill small insects or to get rid of pesticides.
3. Remove all green parts, the stems, and leaves, and collect the clean berries to weigh.

To infuse the Water

1. Place clean berries with water into your jam pan.
2. Cook berries and bring to a rolling boil. The berries will pop, and the water will infuse with the berry juice.
3. Once the juice water is infused and the berries have popped, strain. Strain first with a normal strainer and take the juice the second time through a fine-mesh strainer.

To cook the Jelly

1. Pour the infused black currant juice back into the jam pan and add all the sugar. Mix well to dissolve sugar.
2. Keep over a medium high heat setting and cook down the jelly until it appears lightly translucent. This can take 20–30 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim foam.
3. The jelly will thicken but will remain liquid while it's still hot. Therefore, you will need to test the setting of your jelly to know if it's done cooking. Test by dropping some hot jelly on an ice-cold plate and move around the drop of jelly. If it's running, you need to cook it down further, if it's not moving, your jelly is set. You can also test with a candy thermometer. The setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit
4. Once the jelly is set, pour into clean sterilized jars. Fill up to the rim and close with a lid super tight. Turn the jar upside down to create a vacuum.
5. Turn back after a little while when the jars are not hot anymore, label with name and date. Store or use and enjoy your jelly.