Sea Buckthorn Jam
Added by Martin on 9 November 2015
I was a bit nervous about this because picking the berries involves a certain amount of commitment, and I wasn't sure it was going to be worthwhile - but it was! The end result is a real jam, great on toast or scones, rather than a rowan jelly alternative. The berries are an amazing yellow-y orange, and form in big clusters. But the trees are very thorny, and the berries tend to pop rather than come off the stem, so picking is tricky. Our approach was to cut off sections of branch and put them in an old chest freezer for a day or two. Some reports suggest freezing for longer to get rid of the bitter taste of the raw berries, but that seemed to disappear in the jam-making anyway. Once the berries are frozen they come off the branch easily, but so do the leaves and bits of twig, so there's still a bit of work separating them from the berries. And one final point before getting onto the jam recipe, sea buckthorn is reportedly (a) highly invasive and (b) a nitrogen fixer. We planted some in a wind break, and hopefully the nitrogen is finding its way to the neighbouring fruit and nut trees. Cutting branches off for the berries helps restrain the trees to a manageable size!
The recipe: add 500 ml of water for every 1 kg of berries, and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash, and then strain - we tried using a jelly bag, but the juice was too thick, so we used a sieve which gave a cloudy jam. Once you have the juice, measure it and add 1.5 times the amount of sugar, i.e. 1.5 kg of sugar to each 1 litre of juice. Sounds like a lot, but the raw juice is VERY sharp. Boil vigorously and pour into warm jars once you've reached setting point. The berries have lots of pectin, so the jam sets easily.
The recipe: add 500 ml of water for every 1 kg of berries, and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash, and then strain - we tried using a jelly bag, but the juice was too thick, so we used a sieve which gave a cloudy jam. Once you have the juice, measure it and add 1.5 times the amount of sugar, i.e. 1.5 kg of sugar to each 1 litre of juice. Sounds like a lot, but the raw juice is VERY sharp. Boil vigorously and pour into warm jars once you've reached setting point. The berries have lots of pectin, so the jam sets easily.
Comments
There are 0 comments on this recipe.
You can leave a comment now, via the Sea Buckthorn Jam thread in our Forum.
Latest News...
Zero Waste Food Challenge workshop Thursday 25 April
Join us on Thu Apr 25 2024 at 19:00 at Fortrose Free Church for an interactive workshop on how to reduce food ... More >>
False carbon data in 'Six inches of Soil'
The film 'Six inches of Soil', about three young people practising 'regenerative' agricul... More >>
18 recommendations from People's Panel on Climate Change
In a public involvement exercise reminiscent of Scotland's Climate Assembly, which reported in June 2021, ... More >>
Forthcoming Events…
- Thursday 25 April
- 19:00 Welcome to the Zero Waste Food Challenge: Workshop 1 - Planning!
- Saturday 27 April
- 10:00 North Kessock Community market
- Tuesday 30 April
- 19:00 Talk - The Birds and the Bees of Lily Loch
- Wednesday 1 May
- 19:30 TBI Admin (Trustees) meeting 7.30
- Saturday 4 May
- 13:00 Black Isle Repair Cafe at Muir of Ord
- Thursday 9 May
- 18:00 Join in with the Zero Waste Food Challenge: Workshop 2 - Shopping
- Friday 10 May
- 13:00 Uunveiling of the Coronation Tree and Plaque for Ross and Cromarty
- Saturday 11 May
- NA Cromarty Community Market
Events to add to calendar? Contact Us.
TBI Business Directory
Add Your Business
Do you run a sustainable business on or near the Black Isle? Add it to the TBI business directory
Browse Directory
- Accommodation (3)
- Crafts (10)
- Health and fitness (8)
- Home improvements (17)
- Local food suppliers (18)
- Miscellaneous (35)
- Renewable energy (17)